Incoming Czech Presidency will put focus on research

Operating under the banner ‘European Research Area without Barriers’ (which derives from the main motto of the Czech Presidency “Europe Without Barriers”), the R&D service, run be run through the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS).

The aim is to highlight new initiatives and activities to lift the remaining barriers to a flourishing European Research Area (ERA). These will include:

• Decisions on the criteria for the establishment of new pan-European research infrastructure;

• Evaluation of European research coordination and its impact on national policies;

• Discussions on the European passport for researchers and new incentives for the mobility of young scientists.

“The fifth freedom, freedom of knowledge, must be a permanent priority of the European Union,” said Ondrej Liska, Czech Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, in his opening address on the CORDIS Czech Presidency research gateway.

The new service will provide background and news on the two meetings of the EU Competitiveness Council, scheduled for 5-6 March and 28-29 May, and the Informal Competitiveness Council, which will take place on 4-5 May in Prague.

• EUFORDIA 2009: A conference on the evaluation of the impact of European research co-ordination, 24-25 February;

• Strengthening the European Research Area through research infrastructures, 24-25 March;

• Conference on the Future and Emerging Technologies, 23–24 April;

• The Future of Internet, 11–13 May;

• EuroNanoForum 2009, 3–5 June.

• The key networking opportunity for the European research community during the Czech Presidency will Research Connection 2009, organised jointly with the European Commission in Prague on 7–8 May.