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Congratulations
Your Royal Highness, Ambassadors, Ladies and gentlemen, Friends of science.
It is an honour to be here today for the Brain Prize 2014 ceremony.
This is a great celebration. I would like to begin by congratulating the three outstanding scientists being recognized today.
Stanislas Dehaene, Giacomo Rizzolatti and Trevor Robbins; your award-winning research shows the value of long, persistent and dedicated work.
Your research has provided ground-breaking insights into cognitive and behavioural mechanisms relevant to education, mental health and social interaction.
And it is a pleasure to stand here in Copenhagen and give the award of the Brain Prize to a French, an Italian and a British scientist.
Better understanding, better treatment
We find ourselves in the Royal Library. In many ways it is a perfect place to celebrate the Brain Prize Award Ceremony.
The Royal Library is a collection of great minds. It contains the original works of Søren Kierkegaard, Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales and the original illustrations and latin texts of Tycho Brahe.
We can also compare the brain to a library. An incredibly large library where we still only know of some of the books, journals and collections.
There is still so much to discover.
Understanding how the brain works is not an easy task. The small mass of tissue we have between our ears is a complicated puzzle. And we have by no means unlocked all of the brain’s secrets yet.
The brain provides the foundation of our personality, of our thoughts and of our feelings.
But the brain is also the origin of many disabling diseases - like Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, OCD, learning difficulties and ADHD.
It is a tragedy for those affected by these diseases – both for the individual and their family.And it is very costly for society as a whole.
So we need to expand our knowledge of the brain, because as our understanding of the brain increases, it brings new insights, new opportunities and new treatments.
Denmark has a strong tradition of health research, with world-class research at universities, research institutions and in the healthcare sector.
Health research is also one of the greatest individual research fields in Denmark. And both the public sector and private companies and foundations invest significant resources in research and development in the area.
Neuroscience also has a prominent position in the European research programme Horizon 2020.
And in Denmark we have increased the research budget, also for research within life sciences. So we are happy that the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation is contributing in such an eminent way.
The Danish government is firmly convinced that investing in research is a crucial prerequisite for providing for our future growth.
For our welfare. And not least for our well-being.
Beneficial research
It is difficult to imagine anything more fascinating to study than the brain.
Partly, because brain research is possibly one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time, mired in complexity. Partly, because utilising that research can be momentous.
And I am particularly impressed that the research of the three award recipients has already led to better examination and treatment of patients with addictions, brain injury and behavioural and learning problems. It is crucial that research can also be utilised.
Research must reach the world. Out there where it can be applied and benefit mankind and society.
The building we are in today is an extension of the Royal Library, which was founded back in the 1600’s by Frederik the Third.
As the king’s private library, access was only granted to researchers by special permission.
It was later opened to the public.That was a wise decision. Because ensuring access to knowledge is very important. Knowledge must be shared.
This is also part of the concept behind the Brain Prize.
The Brain Prize is not only recognising outstanding scientists. The prize is also boosting neuroscience in general in Denmark.
And our three winners are not only receiving a prize, but also a responsibility.
They will be actively involved in an accompanying outreach programme in Denmark. It will involve lectures, master classes, seminars and exchange programmes for researchers.
We cannot thank the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation enough for your focus on brain research and its outcomes.
And not least for bringing such outstanding international scientists to Denmark.
Stanislas Dehaene, Giacomo Rizzolatti and Trevor Robbins - congratulations once again. And thank you for opening even more books in the library of the brain.
Your work is as inspiring as it is complex.
And I have to say; we are very happy that we will be seeing much more of you in Denmark.
Thank you.