Check against delivery
Your Majesty, President of the European Commission, Your Excellences, distinguished guests, friends of science.
Welcome to the EuroScience Open Forum 2014 in Copenhagen. It is with great pleasure that the Danish government is hosting ESOF 2014 in Denmark.
Preparations have been under way for a long time. And I am grateful to the many partners for supporting Denmark’s efforts in organising this tremendous event.
Especially, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to President Barroso for the support of the European Commission. And for the collaboration we have
enjoyed with the Commission throughout the planning phase.
Today, we gather at the Carlsberg City District.
Carlsberg has always played an important part in Denmark’s scientific history. It was the very first company worldwide to isolate pure yeast for beer production.
The founder of Carlsberg, brewer J.C. Jacobsen, was ahead of his time. He was a friend of open science and did not patent his revolutionary work that made Carlsberg’s beer production possible.
The brewer had the firm conviction that knowledge must be shared openly and should not be limited to the privileged few.
We have planned EuroScience Open Forum much in the same spirit.
So you could say that this is probably the best place in town for this great conference. And you could add that it is probably the smartest place in town right now – with participation of some of the world's leading researchers and scientists.
ESOF is the most important interdisciplinary science conference in Europe today and is a key to furthering global collaboration, innovation and partnerships.
The conference is a platform where everyone – from scientists, policy makers, entrepreneurs, journalists and citizens – can share knowledge and inspire each other.
ESOF 2014 is entitled “Science Building Bridges”. The bridge is a symbol of closing a distance and strengthening dialogue.
ESOF2014 will build bridges between science and society. Between the private and public sector. Between sciences and humanities. Between science and media. And between Europe and the world.
The Danish word for bridge is “bro”. Pronounced in English this becomes “bro” which, as you might know, is an abbreviation for brother or best friend.
And this is in fact very appropriate as science is the key to a prosperous future for all European citizens. So, it is fair to say that science is our best friend.
2014 is a great year to celebrate science.
The year 2014 holds a particular significance for CERN. On 29 September it will be exactly 60 years since the organisation was founded. Since then, it has become a hallmark of European research col-laboration.
I am honoured to announc that, in a short while, we can present a panel discussion between Particle Physicist at CERN professor Fabiola Gianotti and Director General at CERN Rolf-Dieter Heuer
I will be looking forward to the debate. Science is our best friend. And you are best friends of science.
All in all, I hope that ESOF will prove to be a unique platform for an ongoing dialogue about science.
I hope you will benefit from the opportunities to share knowledge and connect with the many talented researchers, journalists, innovators and citizens during this exciting week of science.
And I hope you will all contribute to make ESOF2014 an unforgettable experience.
Once again, a warm welcome to ESOF2014.