15 years LERU

Crowne Plaza Brussels, 7 March 2017

Bridgingthe world throughscience

Programme

Bridging the world through science

Programme

16.30 – 17.00h Registration

17.00 – 17.10h Welcome Prof. Bert van der ZwaanRector Magnificus of Utrecht University and Chair of LERU

17.10 – 17.50h Keynote speech Dr Marga Gual SolerProject Director in the Center for Science Diplomacyat the American Association for the Advancement of Science

17.50 - 18.20h Panel discussion moderated by Prof. Rik Torfs, Rector of KU Leuven

Mr Robert-Jan Smits Director-General of DG Research and Innovation at the European Commission

Prof. Jean-Pierre BourguignonPresident of the European Research Council

Dr Dame Nicola BrewerVice-Provost (International) of University College London

18.20 – 18.50h Q&A with the audience

18.50 – 19.00h Conclusions Prof. Kurt DeketelaereSecretary-General of LERU

19.00 – 20.00h Reception

Since the start of his academic career in 1982, and following the successful completion of his PhD thesis, Bert van der Zwaan has worked at Utrecht and Nijmegen universities in the Netherlands, and has also held many positions outside of the academia.

Trained as a paleontologist, his main research interest has been (paleo)ecology, although already early in his career he participated in many interdisciplinary programmes. This led to building an interdisciplinary research group exploring the (at that time) rather unknown area between Biology and Geology. Nowadays, Biogeology is a vibrant field of research where substantial and exciting scientific progress has been made through collaboration between many disciplines. The research of Bert van der Zwaan and his group - composed of geologists (paleontologists and geochemists), microbiologists, ecologists, (paleo)climatologists and modelers - focused on the development of the modern global climate system and co-evolving ecosystems over the past 60 million years. The success of this and other research groups, recognized by the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, led to the foundation of the Darwin Center for Biogeology of which Bert van der Zwaan became the first scientific director.

Bert van der Zwaan has led a substantial number of large scientific programs, has been amongst others lead-writer and quartermaster for the government funded (100 million euro) program Knowledge for Climate, coordinator of the Earth and Sustainability program of Utrecht University and partners in which 1200 scientists participate, chair of the Utrecht Center of Geosciences, and lately coordinator and interim-CEO of the EU/EIT Climate-Knowledge and Innovation Community. In the latter program he has been leading a network of five of Europe’s best universities (Utrecht University, Imperial College, ETH, Paris Tech and Berlin/Postdam PIK). The aim of the program is to generate innovation by bringing research-teaching-business together. Through this work he became very interested in the (regional) impact of universities on innovation.

He became dean of the Faculty of Geosciences at Utrecht in 2006, and left the chair of Biogeology at Utrecht University in September 2008 to become involved in science management full-time. Van der Zwaan was appointed Rector Magnificus of Utrecht University in 2011 and has served on the LERU Board of Directors since 2014.

Speakers

Prof. Bert van der ZwaanRector Magnificus of Utrecht University and Chair of LERU

Bridging the world through science

Dr Marga Gual Soler is a Project Director in the Center for Science Diplomacy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), where she explores the role of science as a universal language to help break down barriers and build bridges between peoples and nations. She currently implements a landmark science cooperation agreement between AAAS and the Cuban Academy of Sciences, develops the Center’s global science diplomacy education and capacity building initiatives, leads a research project analyzing science-policy connections around the world, and serves as an associate editor of the open-access policy journal Science & Diplomacy.

Marga serves on the Research, Innovation, and Science Policy Experts Group to the European Commissioner, Carlos Moedas. Recently, Marga was named one of the “100 Spanish experts in innovation” by Fundación Cotec, “40 Under 40 Latinos in Foreign Policy” by The Huffington Post, and “10 Latinas Think Big Innovators to Watch in 2016.” Her professional and research activities have taken her to more than thirty countries where she spearheaded several initiatives to bridge science, policy, and society across political, geographical, disciplinary, and cultural

divides. As a faculty member at Arizona State University, she launched the Science Diplomacy & Leadership Program, a pioneer science diplomacy immersion course in Washington, D.C. In 2014, she founded the Science Slam Festival, an event combining science and the performing arts held in Spain, Mexico, Uruguay and Paraguay under the auspices of UNESCO.

Marga’s writing has appeared in Slate, Science, Scientific American, Huffington Post, and Spanish language media. She received a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Queensland in Australia, a bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Barcelona in Spain, and is an alumna of the prestigious Georgetown University Global Competitiveness Leadership Program. An avid traveler, when she’s not on a plane you will find her scuba diving in underwater paradises.

Dr Marga Gual Soler Project Director in the Center for Science Diplomacyat the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Mr Robert-Jan SmitsDirector-General of DG Research and Innovation at the European Commission

Robert-Jan Smits is Director-General of DG Research and Innovation (RTD) at the European Commission. In this capacity he is responsible for defining and implementing the EU policy and programmes in the field of research and innovation (average annual budget 8 billion euro).

He was one of the main architects and negotiators of Horizon 2020, the 80 billion EU programme for science and innovation (2014-2020).

Mr Smits has also been instrumental in the development of several policy initiatives in the field of European science and innovation such as: the European Research Council (ERC), the European Roadmap for large scale facilities, Public-Private Partnerships in research, the Innovation Union and the European Research Area (ERA).

Mr Smits is chairing several high-level committees such as European Research Area Committee (ERAC), the Steering Committee of the ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA), the Executive Committee of GEO (Global Initiative on Earth Observations) and joint S&T committees with Europe’s key global partners.

He has received several recognitions and awards for his contribution to European Science and innovation, including an honorary degree from Edinburgh University and a life-time achievements award from EuroScience.

Mr Smits was born in The Netherlands. He has degrees from Utrecht University in The Netherlands, Institut Universitaire d’Hautes Etudes Internationales in Switzerland and Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in the United States of America.

SpeakersBridging the world through science

Prof. Jean-Pierre BourguignonPresident of the European Research Council

Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon was the Director of the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS) from 1994 till 2013. This international research institute located near Paris, France, was built as the European counterpart of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He was also the first ERC Panel Chair in Mathematics, for Starting Grants.

A mathematician by training, he spent his whole career as a fellow of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). He held a Professor position at École polytechnique from 1986 to 2012. From 1990 to 1992, he was President of the Société Mathématique de France and President of the European Mathematical Society from 1995 to 1998. He is a former member of the Board of the EuroScience organisation (2002-2006) and served on EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) committees since 2004.

Professor Bourguignon received the Prix Paul Langevin in 1987 and the Prix du Rayonnement Français in Mathematical Sciences and Physics from the Académie des Sciences de Paris in 1997. He is a foreign member of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences. In 2005, he was elected honorary member of the London Mathematical Society and has been the secretary of the mathematics section of the Academia Europaea. In 2008, he was made Doctor Honoris Causa of Keio University, Japan, and, in 2011, Doctor Honoris Causa of Nankai University, China.

Dr Dame Nicola BrewerVice-Provost (International) of University College London

Before joining UCL in May 2014, Nicola was a British diplomat at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She was British High Commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland from May 2009 to September 2013.

As Vice-Provost (International), Nicola is responsible for UCL’s Global Engagement Strategy: London’s Global University working with partners to achieve fair solutions to global challenges. She supervises one of UCL’s four Schools, the Institute of Education.

Nicola is also Gender Equality Champion on UCL’s Senior Management Team. Nicola has lived and worked in South Africa, India, France and Mexico. She joined the board of the Department for International Development in 2002 as Director General Regional Programmes, and moved back to the FCO as Director General Europe in 2004 for the UK’s last Presidency of the EU. Nicola became the first Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in March 2007, a role she held until May 2009.

Nicola studied English at the University of Leeds, graduating in 1980.  She then got her PhD in Linguistics at Leeds in 1988.  She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the 2011 Birthday Honours List.

She is a Trustee of Sentebale, a charity founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.  Sentebale helps vulnerable children, the forgotten victims of poverty and Lesotho’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.

She is also a Non-Executive Director of Aggreko plc, since March 2016.

SpeakersBridging the world through science

Prof. Rik TorfsRector of KU Leuven

Rik Torfs was born in Turnhout on 16 October 1956, and took office as Rector of KU Leuven on 1 August 2013. After studying classics at secondary school and at KU Leuven, he obtained the degrees of Master of Law in 1979, Master of Notarial Studies in 1980 and Master of Canon Law in 1982. He completed his PhD in Canon Law five years later.

He successively held the posts of Assistant of Civil Law at the Faculty of Law (1981-1982) and Assistant of Canon Law at the Extraordinary Faculty of Canon Law (1982-1988), both at KU Leuven. In 1982, he was appointed Lecturer of Canon Law and in 1996, Full Professor of Canon Law at KU Leuven.

Torfs also chaired the Extraordinary Faculty of Canon Law twice, in addition to being Visiting Professor at several universities, including the Universities of Paris, Strasburg, Stellenbosch and Nijmegen.

He is the former chair and director of the European Consortium for Church and State Research, a member of the Committee for Intercultural Dialogue in 2015, a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the International Center for Law and Religious studies at Brigham Young University in the United States, a member of the board of experts of the IRLA (International Religious Liberty Association) and a member of Les Assisses de l’Interculturalité in 2009. He has also given presentations and organized international conferences and colloquia in more than forty countries across five continents.

Prof. Kurt DeketelaereSecretary-General of LERU

Since July 2009, Kurt is the Secretary-General of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), an association of twenty-three leading comprehensive and research-intensive universities, promoting the interests of frontier research, innovation and education with the EU institutions. For his “exemplary leadership of LERU”, he is awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the University of Edinburgh on 6 July 2017. Before joining LERU, he was the chief legal advisor (2004-2007) and the chief of staff (2007-2009) of the Flemish Minister for Public Works, Energy, Environment and Nature.

He is still a full professor of Environment, Energy, Climate and Construction Law at the University of Leuven (however on part-time leave since 2007), the university where he studied law (1984-1989), obtained his PhD in Law (1989-1995) and spent (until now) his whole academic career. Furthermore, he is an honorary professor of law at the University of Malta and the University of Dundee, was awarded the Hou-De Honorary Chair at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, and has been a visiting professor of

law at the Universities of London, Sydney, Singapore, Keio and Chuo. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of IE University (Madrid) and Humanitas University (Milano), the High Level Advisory Board of the Insight Foresight Institute (IFI) in Madrid, and the International Leadership Advisory Board of the Center for Learning Innovations and Customized Knowledge Solutions (Dubai). Upon the invitation of the European Commission, he is a member of the Open Science Policy Platform and the ABS Consultation Forum.

Finally, he chairs the Flemish Environmental Damages Commission, co-chairs the Malta Legal Forum on Adaptation to Climate Change, and is on the board of a number of profit (MRBB, AIF, AVEVE, M-tech) and non-profit (I-Cleantech, VVBBCI) organisations in Belgium. He was chairman of the Flemish Energy Regulator (VREG) from February 2012 till February 2017.

SpeakersBridging the world through science

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