Last year, seven of Europe’s leading intergovernmental research
organisations set up a high-level co-ordination and collaboration
group, known as EIROforum, cf. ESO PR 12/01. They include CERN
(particle physics), EMBL (molecular biology), ESA (space activities),
ESO (astronomy and astrophysics), ESRF (synchrotron radiation), ILL
(neutron source) and EFDA (fusion).

All of them have powerful research infrastructures and laboratories which
are used by an extensive network of scientists. Together, they represent
European spearheads in some of the most crucial basic and applied research
fields.

The EIROforum organisations will be highly visible at the upcoming
EU-conference on “European Research 2002 – The European Research Area and
the Framework Programme”, to be held on November 11-13, 2002, at the “Palais
du Heysel” in Brussels (Belgium). This meeting will be attended by more than
8000 scientists and decision-makers from all over Europe and serves to
launch the 6th EC Framework Programme (2002 – 2006), which will have an
important impact on Europe’s R&D landscape during the coming years.

A joint 400 sq.m. exhibition, featuring the individual EIROforum
organisations, their current programmes and many front-line achievements in
their respective areas of activity, will be set up at Stand L in Hall 11. It
includes a central area, with a small cinema, displaying information about
their current interactions via EIROforum. The stands will be manned
throughout the conference by high-level representatives from the seven
organisations.

On Tuesday, November 12, 2002, 14:00 hrs, a Press Conference will take place
at this exhibition stand, in the presence of the European Commissioner for
Research, M. Phillippe Busquin, and most of the Directors General (or
equivalent) of the EIROforum organisations. The main themes will be the
increasingly intense interaction and co-operation between the European
Commission and EIROforum, as well as the role of EIROforum and its member
organisations within the European Research Area. Moreover, the official
signing of the EIROforum Charter by the Directors General on this occasion
will signify the formal establishment of EIROforum.

Representatives of the EIROforum organisations will also participate in many
of the numerous events that will take place during this large conference.
Details will be found in the conference programme.

The current EIROforum chairperson is Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos (EMBL).

The EIROforum website at http://www.eiroforum.org contains useful
information about this unique collaboration. For more details, please
contact the respective PR Departments of the organisations (addresses
below).

Note

[1]: This Press Release is issued jointly by the seven organisations that
are represented in EIROforum:

  • European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
  • European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA)
  • European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
  • European Space Agency (ESA)
  • European Southern Observatory (ESO)
  • European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
  • Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)

EIROforum Members

Prof. Colin Carlile
Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL)

Dr. Catherine Cesarsky (Chair)
European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)

Prof. Luciano Maiani
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

Dr. Jerome Pamela
European Fusion Development Agreement (JET-EFDA)

Dr. Antonio Rodota
European Space Agency (ESA)

Prof. William G. Stirling
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)

Media Contacts

Mrs. Paola Catapano
Education and Transfer Technology
CERN
CH-1211 Geneva 23
Switzerland
Tel.: +41-22-767-4101
Fax.: +41-22-785-0247
E-Mail: paola.catapano@cern.ch
URL: http://www.cern.ch

Mr Federico R. Casci
EFDA
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik
Boltzmannstr. 2
D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen
Germany
Tel.: +49 89 3299 4237
Fax.: +49 89 3299 4197
E-Mail: cascif@ipp.mpg.de
URL: http://www.efda.org/

Mr Russ Hodge
EMBL
Meyerhofstr. 1
D-69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Tel.: +49 6221 387252
Fax.: +49 6221 387525
E-Mail: hodge@embl-heidelberg.de
URL: http://www.embl-heidelberg.de/

Dr. Franco Bonacina
ESA Head Office
8-10 Mario Nikis
F-75738 Paris Cedex 15
France
Tel.: +33 1 5369 7155
Fax.: + 33 1 5369 7690
E-Mail: franco.bonacina@esa.int
URL: http://www.esa.int/

Dr Richard West
ESO
Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2
D-85748 Garching bei Muenchen
Germany
Tel.: +49 89 32006 276
Fax.: +49 89 320 23 62
E-Mail: rwest@eso.org
URL: http://www.eso.org/

Ms Dominique Cornuejols
Head of Communications
ESRF
BP 220
F-38043 Grenoble Cedex
France
Tel.: +33 4 76 88 20 25
Fax.: +33 4 76 88 24 18
E-Mail: cornuejols@esrf.fr
URL: http://www.esrf.fr/

Dr. Albert Wright
ILL
6, rue Jules Horowitz
BP 156
F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9
France
Tel.: +33 4 76 20 71 01
E-Mail: wright@ill.fr
URL: http://www.ill.fr/

Mr Christopher Carpenter (on behalf of JET)
UKAEA – Culham Division
D3 Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
Oxfordshire OX14 3DB
UK
Tel.: +44 1235 464190
Fax.: +44 1235 463706
E-Mail: chris.carpenter@ukaea.org.uk
URL: http://www.jet.efda.org/

M. Stephane Hogan, M.Sc.
European Commission – Research Directorate
Square de Meeus 8
B-1050 Bruxelles
belgiium
Tel.: +32-2-296.29.65
Fax.: +32-2-295.82.20
E-Mail: stephane.hogan@cec.eu.int