GÉANT2 Featured at Event to Showcase European Research

 More than 2000 delegates from all over Europe came together in Brussels in November to promote successful science communication and to showcase European research. Communicating European Research 2005 took place on 14-15 November at the Brussels Expo centre in Heysel, and included participants from more than 56 nations.

GÉANT2's participation is in line with the project’s increasing focus on communicating with the end user, and supporting all aspects of European research. Distributing targeted information to key users will allow them to exploit the network to its full potential, maximising the benefits of their research. In his keynote speech at the opening session, Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Science and Research, emphasised this desire to increase dissemination flow to the general public as a global aim for European research. He stated that although research was a “critical element”, the communication of this research to the public was now a “priority”. He called for research communication to be “more dynamic and engaging” in order to “make science the coolest subject in our schools and the hottest topic around our dinner tables.”

Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, outlined the need to turn “political momentum into concrete measures and into real commitments” to increase investment in research and innovation. Commissioner Reding highlighted GÉANT2 as a flagship project, which demonstrates the success of investing in research infrastructure.

In support of Commissioner Potočnik’s call to make dissemination a priority, parallel media training sessions were held across both days. These tutorials focused on developing communication skills and training for project co-ordinators and PR officers. Topics included “Media skills for project managers”, “Writing for the media and public” and “Communicating in a crisis”.

GÉANT2 was chosen to participate in one of a select number of media briefings given to invited journalists. DANTE’s General Manager, Dai Davies, outlined plans for the creation of a Global Interactive Weather Forecasting System (GIFS), which would improve the accuracy of forecasts and help to reduce the impact of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. The project is being led by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (www.dwd.de) and could make use of GÉANT2’s new ability to offer high-capacity point-to point services between research locations.

The conference featured over 250 exhibits which presented a diverse range of research initiatives from sectors such as the environment, information society, health, and nanotechnology. Media associations and editorial content providers were also present to offer media services, share best practices, and outline successful communication strategies for reaching the press and the general public.

The press release, and a video clip about the project, are available from the links alongside.