ES:GC2

EU Science: Global Challenges, Global Collaboration

100YSS has a key role in the major European Union science conference ES:GC2 (EU Science: Global Challenges, Global Collaboration). Taking place in Brussels under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on January 1st 2013, the conference will bring together:

  • Government officials and international and supranational organizations' representatives including: science ministers from approximately 100 countries, EU Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament.
  • Representatives of the industry, in particular R&D-intensive companies: Irish companies, companies from the EU and beyond, innovative European SMEs.
  • Representatives of research organizations from the EU and beyond.

The purpose of the event will be to maximize the impact of the EU framework Horizon 2020 in terms of global collaborative science and the scientific response to global societal challenges. It will showcase the potential for European and global R&D collaboration. Topics of discussion will include a range of public and private sources for funding collaborative R&D partnerships in a number of sectors, with particular emphasis on Horizon 2020, the EU's next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

The conference organizers asked the 100YSS to assist in setting the tone for exploring EU science and technology frameworks and initiatives for space. The task is to use the perspective of the incredibly difficult challenge of human interstellar travel to accelerate R&D today and explore its beneficial impact on enhancing quality of life.

Dr. Jemison is a speaker in the opening Plenary Session and 100YSS is convening two Technical Seminars and a conference dinner themed around the mission of 100YSS.

Dinner - The Edge: A Conversation with Dr. Buzz Aldrin and Dr. Jill Tarter.

Technical Seminar 1: Understanding the Scope of the Science and Technology Challenges for the Interstellar Journey
Panel 1a: Time, Distance and Destinations
Panel 1b: Life, Environments and Habitats

Technical Seminar 2: Engineering, Implementation, Policy: Exploiting the Opportunities Created by the Interstellar Challenge Today
Panel 2a: Interstellar Enhances Life on Earth
Panel 2b: Transformative Fundamentals to Becoming an Interstellar Civilization

100YSS Dinner and Session participants include:

Dr. Buzz Aldrin—second human on the moon, Dr. Jill Tarter, co-founder SETI Institute, Louis Freidman, PhD, President Emeritus and Co-Founder The Planetary Society, Gwen Artis, Karl Aspelund, PhD, Kathleen Colgan, PhD, Pam Contag, PhD, Kathryn Denning, PhD, Adam Heathfield, PhD, John Carter McKnight, Marc Millis, Ronke Olabisi, PhD, Jennie Yeung

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