Denmark Aiming to Host the "Research Olympics"
– Copenhagen and the Øresund Region are a high profile knowledge area with many universities and large companies – all contributing to ensure the research festival will be a special experience. With business leaders and researchers from all over Europe in attendance, Denmark will have a unique opportunity to draw attention to what makes Denmark special – not just from a research angle, but also in society and as a nation, says Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is compiling a bid for ESOF 2014 in cooperation with Wonderful Copenhagen. The chairman of the Danish National Research Foundation, Professor Klaus Bock, has been appointed the Champion and is therefore central to the application.
With the motto of "Science Building Bridges", ESOF 2014 has research, education and innovation as the focal point, while gathering established and young researchers to promote dialogue between researchers, the business community, the media, political decision makers and the wider public.
The Danish traditions of openness in research and inclusive debates about research policies will shine through at ESOF 2014.
– We want to put the Danish model for citizen inclusion on the agenda. Danish research is highly regarded and respected in Europe and the rest of the world. The Danish model is built on open interaction, the large degree of trust from society in our research institutions and qualified dissemination of research. This message is central to the application we are sending to Euroscience, says Professor Klaus Bock.
Since ESOF was first held in Stockholm in 2004, the event has grown in size and popularity. Approximately 1,800 people took part in Stockholm, while 5,000 are expected to participate in Dublin – host to ESOF 2012.
During ESOF there are a large number of activities that can be separated into four categories – researcher to researcher, researcher to company, research careers and dissemination of research to the wider public, which will make ESOF visible in the streets to the everyday Copenhagener.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and Klaus Bock, in cooperation with Wonderful Copenhagen, will gather backing for the application in the coming weeks so Denmark can present a strong consortium of research institutes, foundations, companies and other key people in the field.
The application to host ESOF 2014 will be delivered January 14th 2011. The host city will be announced by the end of March 2011.
Further information: Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen via communication manager Anders Frandsen, tel: +45 30 48 84 50 or email: anf@vtu.dk .
Professor Klaus Bock, tel: +45 33 18 19 50 or email: kb@dg.dk .
Kim Brinckmann, head of office at the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation, tel: +45 72 26 55 19 or email: kibr@fi.dk .