Leading European Research Organisations Join Forces in EIROFORUM
23 May 2001
PR 31-2001. Since the early 1950s, a number of powerful research infrastructures and laboratories which are used by an extensive network of scientists have been developed and deployed within Europe by European Intergovernmental Research Organisations (EIRO). Together, they represent European spearheads in some of the most crucial basic and applied research fields.
Seven of these organisations have set up a co-ordination and collaboration group (EIROFORUM) with their top executives (Directors General or equivalent) as members. They include CERN (particle physics), EMBL (molecular biology), ESA (space activities), ESO (astronomy and astrophysics), ESRF (synchrotron radiation), ILL (neutron source) and EFDA (fusion technology).
A primary goal of EIROFORUM is to play an active and constructive role in promoting the quality and impact of European Research. In particular, the group will be a basis for effective, high-level inter-organisational interaction and co-ordination. It will mobilise its substantial combined expertise in basic research and in the management of large international projects for the benefit of European research and development. This will be possible by exploiting the existing intimate links between the member organisations and their respective European research communities.
According to the EIROFORUM Charter, the main aims of the collaboration are to:
1. Encourage and facilitate discussions among its members on issues of common interest, which are relevant to research and development.
2. Maximise the scientific return and optimise the use of resources by sharing relevant developments and results, whenever feasible.
3. Co-ordinate the education and outreach activities of the organisations, including technology transfer and public understanding.
4. Take an active part, in collaboration with other European scientific organisations, in taking a forward-look at promising and/or developing research directions and priorities, in particular in relation to new large-scale research infrastructures.
5. Simplify high-level interactions with the European Commission (EC) and enable an effective response to specific requests for expert advice in the areas covered by the member organisations.
6. Provide co-ordinated representation to the outside world including the general public, national governments, non-European countries etc.
The next meeting of EIROFORUM will be held in Brussels (Belgium) on May 21-22, 2001. It will provide an opportunity for the members to discuss recent developments and, in particular, to meet with the European Commissioner for Research, Philippe Busquin.
The current EIROFORUM chairperson is Dr. Catherine Cesarsky (ESO).
For more details, please contact the respective PR Departments of the organisations (addresses in full press release on right).
Media Contacts
Dr. Franco Bonacina
Head of Media Relations
ESA Head Office
8-10, rue Mario Nikis
F-75015-Paris
Tel: +33(0)1.5369.7155
Fax:+33(0)1.5369.7690
e-mail : franco.bonacina@esa.int
| 
