Europe’s largest scientific gathering is coming to an end. More than 4,000 scientists, students, journalists and policy-makers are packing up after six terrific days in Copenhagen filled with science and research. The Carlsberg City district of Copenhagen is beginning to return to normal after it played host to thousands of people with a common interest in science and research.
The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF2014) gathered thousands of researchers, politicians, entrepreneurs, business representatives and journalists for presentations and discussions of new science and research policy. More than 38,000 visitors attended the concurrent science festival Science in the City where young and old alike were able to explore the future in the form of welfare robots, stem cells, drones, space rockets, models for democracy and genetically modified food.
Minister for Higher Education and Science Sofie Carsten Nielsen states that it has been a giant celebration of science, with lots of knowledge and experience exchanged on many levels - from school children to scientists.
"During ESOF2014, Denmark has been a global scientific hotspot. New networks and partnerships were established, which will impact future Danish research and innovation. This is something to be proud of and we should utilise it so that Danish research has an even further global reach. The Science in the City Festival has provided a festive and popular way of communicating research. I hope that the festival leads to more people now understanding what science means for our daily lives and why it is so important that we give science a high priority", says Sofie Carsten Nielsen.
Science for everyone
The opening ceremony took place on Sunday 22 June with participation from H.M. Queen Margrethe II and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.
There was a broad scientific programme at ESOF2014 with more than 130 sessions. From a panel discussion on developments since the discovery of the Higgs particle in 2012, to high-profile talks by Nobel Laureates on the origins of the universe and the significance of chemical weapons, to discussions on future PhD programmes and open access.
The main message from the conference was that the science world is becoming more and more open - to society, to business and to younger generations. Collaboration has been the most important driver in the development of scientific breakthroughs. Today, researchers work across borders, across disciplines and across traditional boundaries between business, public authorities and innovative research environments.
The conference sent a strong signal that open access to publications, greater use of open databases and cross-disciplinary knowledge-sharing has become the most crucial driver to research, education and innovation.
With Copenhagen hosting the ESOF2014 conference, Denmark became a global science hotspot. New networks and partnerships were established, which will impact Danish research and innovation in the future.
Public science festival
By the end of the weekend, the Science in the City Festival had already attracted almost 20,000 guests to the Carlsberg City district. And around 6,000 people visited the large research ships DANA, Aurora and Solea, which had docked in the central harbour and were open to the public who could learn about daily life as a marine researchers and experience the ’Taste the Sea’ event.
Many school groups took the opportunity during the rest of the week to attend education events where they could climb trees, explore the sewer system of Copenhagen or check their fitness levels.
Wide media coverage
Social media channels saw a lot of daily activity during the conference with the hashtags #esof2014 and #scicity and more than 600 Danish and international journalists and communications representatives ensured broad media coverage.
ESOF2014 was covered by leading media around the world including The Guardian in the UK, ARD in Germany, NBC News in the USA, Xinhua News Agency in China, the Mail & Guardian Online in South Africa and leading science publications National Geographic, Nature and Science.
ESOF 2016 takes place in Manchester
On 26 June, the baton was passed to Manchester where ESOF2016 will take place. The University of Manchester will head the event and the theme will be "Science as Revolution - from Cottonpolis to Graphene".
Contact
EuroScience Open Forum 2014:
Head of Division Kim Brinckmann,
Phone +45 7231 8240
kibr(at)fi.dk
Press officer Peter Krause
Phone +45 9133 7915
pkr(at)fi.dk
