President Barroso announces creation of a Science and Technology Advisory Council

Brussels, 28-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has announced today the creation of a Science and Technology Advisory Council. This informal advisory body held its first meeting today in Brussels.

President Barroso said: “Science and innovation are key drivers for European competitiveness, economic growth and the creation of new jobs. This Advisory Council will focus on science and technology related topics that are of cross-cutting nature, with a clear societal dimension. It will identify the issues of value where science, research and innovation can contribute to support future development in Europe”.

The creation of the Advisory Council follows the President’s appointment of Professor Anne Glover as the European Commission’s first Chief Scientific Adviser in January 2012, aiming at ensuring more evidence-based European Union policy-making, but also at promoting the uptake of science & technology in society, including a better transfer of knowledge from the scientific world to industry.

The Science and Technology Advisory Council is an independent and informal group of outstanding science and technology experts from academia, business and civil society, covering a broad range of disciplines and uniting expertise from across the European Research Area. Its members have been selected by the President in consultation with the Chief Scientific Adviser, based on their scientific reputation, experience at the science-policy interface and communication skills.

The main aim of the Council is to provide advice directly to the President on how to create the proper environment for innovation by shaping a European society that embraces science, technology and engineering. In particular, the Council will advise on the opportunities and risks stemming from scientific and technological progress. It will also advise on how to communicate these in order to foster an informed societal debate and ensure that Europe does not “miss the boat” and remains a global leader in cutting-edge technologies.

The Science and Technology Advisory Council differs from other advisory bodies in the Commission in that it does not have a specific subject remit, but tackles issues that are of cross-cutting nature, with a clear societal dimension. It will operate in a proactive way, identifying topics of value and of interest to support future growth and development in Europe. The President will also ask the Council for advice on science and technology related topics that are of key importance for underpinning the Commission’s growth agenda.

With the creation of this Advisory Council, and other key proposals to support the development of research & innovation, such as the Innovation Union, the European Research Area and Horizon 2020, President Barroso added another building block to pursue the goal of delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth for Europe.

Members of the Science and Technology Advisory Council:

Alan ATKISSON (Sweden)

Ferdinando BECCALLI-FALCO (Italy)

Victor DE LORENZO (Spain)

Tamás F. FREUND (Hungary)

Susan M. GASSER (Switzerland)

Søren MOLIN (Denmark)

Joanna PINIŃSKA (Poland)

Alexandre Tiedtke QUINTANILHA (Portugal)

Ortwin RENN (Germany)

Riitta SALMELIN (Finland)

Pat SANDRA (Belgium)

Hans-Joachim SCHELLNHUBER (Germany)

Roberta SESSOLI (Italy)

Cedric VILLANI (France)

Ada E. YONATH (Israel)