Investing in Young Researchers, Shaping Europe’s Future Participants’ booklet

Investing in Young Researchers, Shaping Europe’s Future

Participants’ booklet

EN






EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service

Scientific Foresight Unit (STOA)

PE 614.568

STOA-ERC event

‘Investing in Young Researchers,

Shaping Europe’s Future’

Participants' booklet

30th and 31st of May 2018

European Parliament, Strasbourg

Prepared by Nera Kuljanic (STOA) with the input from the European Research Council (ERC).

Available at: www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/cms/home/workshops/erc

Join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #ERCSTOA.

Brussels, European Parliament, 2018
© European Union, 2018

© Cover image: shuttershock.com

Table of contents

1. Aim of the event 6

2. Programme 7

3. Key speakers and participants 14

European Parliament 14

Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 16

European Commission 16

Carlos Moedas is a Portuguese civil engineer, economist and politician. Currently, he serves as European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he worked as Investment Banking Associate at Goldman Sachs (2000-2002) and later as consultant on mergers and acquisitions, Deutsche Bank and Eurohypo Investment Bank (2002-2004). He was Member of the Portuguese Parliament in 2011 and held the position of Secretary of State to the Prime Minister of Portugal between 2011 and 2014. 16

European Research Council 17

Scientific community 18

Jules Hoffmann is a Luxembourg-born French biologist and immunologist. He was a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries relating to the activation of innate immunity. He is a research director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), where he has held various positions over the years. While Hoffmann dedicated his research to insect immunity, his work provided a vital foundation for subsequent breakthroughs in scientists’ understanding of mammalian immunity. 18

©Emmanuel Nguyen Ngoc/BnF 18

Jean-Marie Lehn is a French chemist. In 1987, he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions. His work on cryptands laid the foundation for the active interdisciplinary area called supramolecular chemistry. He is the author of more than 900 scientific publications and 2 books. He is also the president of an organization helping chemists in developing countries. In 2011, he has received the ERC Advanced grant to work on the aspects of constitutional dynamic chemistry. 18

4. Other workshop participants 20

Members of the European Parliament 20

ERC Grantees 23

ERC Scientific Council Members 30

5. About ERC 33

6. About STOA 35

Mission 35

Administration 36

1. Aim of the event

This event aims to showcase what Europe, via programmes such as Horizon 2020, does for research through one of its most successful initiatives, the European Research Council (ERC), especially by contributing towards empowering the new generation.

The event also hopes to show what research can do for Europe by putting the best researchers in Europe, recipients of ERC grants, at the disposal of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), during direct exchange sessions. The topics were chosen on the basis of STOA’s thematic priority areas and MEPs’ interests. MEPs and other participants will be able to discuss with these researchers techno-scientific topics of interest to them and/or linked to their ongoing parliamentary work, including where the science of tomorrow could lead us and the role of science and research in the post-truth era.

Last but not least, the event aims to stimulate exchanges on the process by which research can help shape the future of Europe and conversely, how considerations about the future of Europe can influence the design of EU research initiatives and programmes.

2. Programme

Wednesday, 30 May 2018

	Networking event	Private Salon (zone canal) Louise Weiss building Ground floor, room 1
18h30-20h00	Welcome by Eva KAILI, STOA Chair
	Welcome by Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON, ERC President
	Presentation by Martin VECHEV, ERC grantee, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
	Remarks by Krasimir VALCHEV, Minister of Education and Science, Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union Closing by Eva KAILI, STOA Chair

	Science policy debate (by invitation only)	Presidential Salon Louise Weiss building 7^thfloor
20h00-22h00	Welcome by Antonio TAJANI, EP President
	Special remarks by Andrus ANSIP, European Commissioner for Digital Single Market and Vice President of the European Commission Remarks by Jules HOFFMANN, Nobel laureate Speech by Carlos MOEDAS, European Commissioner for Research and Innovation
	Short speeches by ERC grantees: Agnieszka WYKOWSKA, Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia Michael BACKES, Director of CISPA, Helmholtz Zentrum
	Q&A Closing remarks by Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON, ERC President Moderator: Philip CAMPBELL, Editor-in-Chief, Nature Publications

Thursday, 31 May 2018

	Plenary part	Louise Weiss building (LOW), room N1.4
08h30 – 08h40	Welcome by Eva KAILI, STOA Chair
08h40 – 08h50	Welcome by Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON, ERC President
08h50 – 09h10	Opening: Jerzy BUZEK, ITRE Chair Carlos MOEDAS, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Jean-Marie LEHN, Nobel laureate
09h10 – 09h15	Invitation to the exchange sessions by Eva KAILI, STOA Chair

9h30-10h30	Exchange sessions
(1) Modern energy solutions		Room LOW N3.3
Energy consumption in today's technological society is still heavily based on fossil fuel burning. A wide spectrum of renewable sources and energy efficiency measures could already today change the situation significantly. New energy sources appear set to become a practical reality within a couple of decades. Looking into the future, what will the energy landscape be like? How disruptive would be the appearance of a mostly clean and nearly inexhaustible source of electric energy? What are the legal, social and market challenges that clean technologies face?
(2) Eco-efficient transport		Room LOW N3.4
Transport has a large impact on our lives and on energy consumption, through daily commuting and through movement of goods all over the world. Decisions are needed at many levels in order to improve the efficiency of these activities, such as urban planning, strategic transnational networks and technology implementation. As in other areas, important social and ethical dimensions arise, linked to new technological capabilities. What technologies will change transport in the coming decades? What will be the role of technology in planning and decision- making? How can we ensure that social and ethical dimensions at local, regional and national levels are integrated in a democratic way in the decision-making process?
(3) Sustainable management of natural resources		Room LOW N3.5
The current production model is leading to exhaustion of the world’s resources and accelerating global change. Natural resources are facing increasing pressures due to climate change, pollution, biological invasions and the search for rare mineral resources among others. Forward-looking policy-making and social transformations are needed to break the unsustainable cycle leading to the collapse of resources. What are the driving forces behind global change? What are the limits to ecosystems and species’ capacity to withstand change and recover from it? What policies and social transformations are needed to change the current production model?
(4) Digital revolution - Potential and challenges of the Information Society		Room LOW N1.4
Artificial intelligence, big data, algorithms, machine learning, robotics: everywhere efficient, powerful and ultrafast programmes take over data management, data analysis and decision-making. The scale of this shift is overwhelming: machines can already learn and build faster and better than ourselves; they can know our health and behavioural profiles and prompt us to act or consume accordingly. Strictly human aspects of society (communication and personal relations), as well as work, politics and diplomacy are being dramatically transformed by digital tools and cyber social media. Will there be work for everyone, and, if not, how will that affect our society, economic growth and workers’ rights? Can we still drive this process for the benefit of the most (or for human benefit at all)? Who is in control? How long will democracy still have meaning in this context? For how long will society be (just) human?
(5) Health and life sciences		Room LOW N4.3
Frontier science is leading to exciting new discoveries that are changing at an unprecedented pace the way we can diagnose, treat or prevent diseases. These advances range from personalised medicine, gene therapy and CRISPR-Cas technology to nanotechnology and artificial organs. While the tremendous potential these advances offer is widely embraced, the inherent societal and ethical dimensions need to also be considered when establishing the regulatory framework. Is translational medicine a hope or a hype? How do we ensure advancements in new therapies lead to better treatments? What are the emerging ethical, legal and social implications these discoveries bring along?
(6) Science policy, communication and global networking		Room LOW N2.1
Science is no longer credible for many individuals at all levels of society; evidence is no longer enough to be credible beyond the scientific community. Social media and new communication platforms are driving those attitudes, despite the fact that a scientific and technological revolution is changing profoundly our lives. At the same time, a new trend is emerging: ordinary citizens, regardless of literacy or education, are actively engaging in scientific work, in numbers and at a scale that is only possible thanks those same digital communication platforms. How should science engage with society? What should be the role of society in order to reap the benefits from scientific advances and to drive them to where they want? Must all new technologies be adopted? What is the potential and function of ‘citizen science’?

	Plenary part	LOW, room N1.4
10h45 – 10h50	Introduction by Jean-Pierre BOURGUIGNON, ERC President
10h50 – 11h20	Feedback from exchange sessions
11h20 - 11h25	Conclusions by Martin KARPLUS, Nobel laureate
11h25 – 11h30	Closing by Eva KAILI, STOA Chair

The plenary parts of the event will be webstreamed and interpreted.

MEPs and ERC grantees participating in the exchange sessions

(1) Modern Energy Solutions Room: LOW N3.3	(2) Eco-efficient Transport Room: LOW N3.4	(3) Sustainable Management of Natural Resources Room: LOW N3.5
Moderator: Klaus Bock, ERC Vice President ERCEA officer: Luis Fariňa Busto, Research Programme Agent	Moderator: Nektarios Tavernarakis, ERC Scientific Council Member ERCEA officer: Martin Penny, Head of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Unit	Moderator: Dame Janet Thornton, ERC Scientific Council Member ERCEA officer: Christine Courillon, Research Programme Agent
Participating ERC grantees: Matteo Ballottari, University of Verona Thomas Sunn Pedersen, Max Planck Society Valeria Nicolosi, Trinity College Dublin	Participating ERC grantees: Markos Papageorgiou, Technical University of Crete Ludovic Leclereq, French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks Thomas Wolfram Burgard, Albert Ludwig University	Participating ERC grantees: Ülo Niinemets, Estonian University of Life Sciences Sebastiaan Luyssaert, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Participating MEPs: Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (ITRE)	Participating MEPs: Henna Virkkunen (ITRE) Bogusław Liberadzki (TRAN)	Participating MEPs: Paul Rübig (ITRE)
(4) Digital Revolution - Potential and challenges of the Information Society Room: LOW N1.4	(5) Health and Life Sciences Room: LOW N4.3	(6) Science Policy, Communication and Global Networking Room: LOW N2.1
Moderator: Andrzej Jajszczyk, ERC Scientific Council Member ERCEA officer: Jose Labastida, Head of Scientific Management Department	Moderator: Paola Bovolenta, ERC Scientific Council Member ERCEA officer: Anna Lӧnnroth, Head of the Life Sciences Unit	Moderator: Martin Stokhof, ERC Vice President ERCEA officer: Angelia Liberatore, Head of the Social Sciences and Humanities Unit
Participating ERC grantees: Nello Cristianini, University of Bristol Panayiota Poirazi, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas Magdalena Nowicka, Humboldt University of Berlin Štěpánek František, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Martin Vechev, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich	Participating ERC grantees: Antoine Jerusalem, University of Oxford Lino Da Silva Ferreira, Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra Klaus Hoeyer, University of Copenhagen Sarah Verhulst, University of Ghent	Participating ERC grantees: Sophie Marien, KU Leuven Alice Mah, University of Warwick Jacob Sherson, University of Aarhus Manuel Franco Tejero, University of Alcala Agnieszka Wykowska, Italian Institute of Technology
Participating MEPs: Algirdas Saudargas (ITRE) Julie Ward (CULT) Evzen Tosenovsky (ITRE) Patrizia Toia (ITRE) Clare Moody (ITRE) Eva Kaili (ITRE) Ana-Claudia Tapardel (TRAN) Adam Kosa (EMPL)	Participating MEPs: Sirpa Pietikäinen (ENVI) Lieve Wierinck (ITRE) María Teresa Giménez Barbat (CULT)	Participating MEPs: Anthea McIntyre (AGRI) Julie Girling (ENVI) Carlos Coelho (IMCO) Isabelle Thomas (BUDG)

3. Key speakers and participants