Promoting the role of fundamental research

28-11-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — Professors Peter Higgs and François Englert, who predicted the existence of the “Higgs boson” particle, briefed MEPs on Tuesday on its discovery. The boson, detected by CERN on 4 July, helps to explain how the universe got its mass. The occasion was a panel held by Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) unit on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.

“Such research does not lead to immediate commercial activities. However, it enables us to understand the origin of our universe and will be helpful in the long run for research in other fields”, said STOA Chairman Antonio Correia de Campos (S&D, PT).

Professors Higgs and Englert underlined that  “Fundamendal research has an impressive impact on our society. Without creative thinking, there are no technical applications. It should be mandatory to promote fundamental research”, they said.

The Science and Technology Options Assessment Unit advises the European Parliament on research-related issues.

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