Europe’s Grand Societal Challenges: The role of Early Stage Researchers
EURODOC is the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers.
Every year EURODOC convenes to an international conference for young researchers. The aim of the EURODOC conference is to provide the framework for young European researchers to meet with European political and economic leaders and to engage in fruitful discussions on the construction of the European Research and Higher Education Areas.
The following EURODOC Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting will be organised by ABIC and will be held in the auditorium of the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon between the 4th and 5th April 2013.
EURODOC and ABIC aim to create an in-depth debate over a number of key issues the European Union (EU)
identified for European research within the areas of sustainable innovation and knowledge-based economy. Specifically, the role of early stage researchers in tackling issues like:
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Global warming, the tightening of energy supplies, security, ageing societies, pandemics and public health;
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The development of research helping to integrate citizens living in the EU by respecting differences, while reducing all sorts of communication barriers, discrimination, or marginalisation, that is, by contributing to consolidate a common European identity.
The EU has created programmes such as “Horizon 2020” as a means of boosting research, innovation and competitiveness in Europe. Horizon 2020 brings together EU research and innovation funding under a single programme. It focuses on turning scientific breakthroughs into innovative products and services providing citizens with business opportunities and better living conditions. At the same time it simplifies rules and procedures to attract more high level researchers and a broader range of innovative businesses.
Another example concerns the EU programme “Europe 2020”, where Europe’s growth strategy is outlined. Europe 2020 aims at developing tools to reach a more inclusive and sustainable economy being its goals set on employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy. One of its structural axis is the framework “Energy 2020” containing five pillars for action: 1) increasing the use of renewable energy; 2) developing the internal integrated market; 3) ameliorating safety and security in terms of production and transportation; 4) promoting research and innovation policies; 5) bettering the exploitation of geopolitical strength.
Having this in mind, EURODOC 2013 annual conference will include four plenary sessions with distinguished speakers from various European, international and national institutions and organisations. The topics are as follows:
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Plenary Session I: The EU 2020 Framework Programmes for Research and Sustainable Innovation
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Plenary Session II: Growing in a healthy environment: New trends in research
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Plenary Session III: Working and researching within the framework of a sustainable society
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Plenary Sessions IV: Science, Communication and Social Change
The two last days of the Conference, 6th and 7th April 2013, are solely dedicated to EURODOC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Administrative Board’s annual report, will be presented by the President; the presentation of the financial report, including the accounts, will be given by the Treasurer; it will also take place the ratification of decisions taken by the Administrative Board since the last General Meeting and the election of new a Governing Board and Secretariat.
PROGRAMME