The event, organized by the Spanish Research Agency (AEI), the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), coincides with the plenary meetings of the ERC Scientific Council in the Spanish capital. The visit by the council, composed of internationally renowned scientists, aims to strengthen dialogue between European research strategists and the Spanish scientific community.
The event, which can be followed via streaming, will begin on October 14 at the MICIU headquarters with interventions from the Ministry's Secretary General for Innovation, Teresa Riesgo, and ERC President, Maria Leptin. Subsequently, two panel discussions will take place.
The first panel, moderated by ERC Vice-President Nicola Spaldin, will bring together seven researchers who are beneficiaries of ERC grants and are active in Spanish universities and research centers. They will discuss their experiences and perspectives on the program's future.
The second panel, focused on the future of the ERC in the next European research Framework Programme, will be moderated by the Director General of the AEI, José Manuel Fernández de Labastida. Participants will include Andreu Mas-Colell (former ERC Secretary General), Maria Leptin (ERC President), Eloísa del Pino (President of the CSIC), Joan Guàrdia (President of the CRUE's Sectoral Commission for R&D+i), Núria Montserrat (Catalan Government's Minister of Research and Universities), and David González (R&D+i Advisor at the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU). The Director General of FECYT, Izaskun Lacunza, will close the event.
On October 15 and 16, the sessions will continue at the AEI headquarters. October 15 is scheduled for technical meetings, while on October 16, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, will hold a dialogue with ERC President Maria Leptin on the European Research Council's priorities for the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
