Partners - Presentation

The initiative to EuroScience Open Forum 2004 was initiated by scientists within Euroscience. The Partners below have given substantial financial or other resource support to make ESOF2004 possible. Our partners are divided into three categories:

Founding Partners

Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft is a joint action of industry involving around 3.000 companies, industrial associations and individuals who wish to promote science and the humanities, research, education and public understanding of science. Thanks to its private funding, the Stifterverband is able to operate in an unbureaucratic manner and without state provisions, which is an important prerequisite for the innovative impulses the organisation has repeatedly managed to give.

The Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation supports scientific research by awarding grants for projects to individual researchers and teams of researchers within the humanities and social sciences. Grants may also be given in order to strengthen an existing research environment or to establish a new one in areas which are considered to be especially important.

The European Commission is actively supporting research activities through its Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. It is also concerned with the public perception of scientific activities and with the public acceptance of technologies resulting from research activities. In this context, specific actions have been launched to improve the relationship between Science and Society. Some of them focus on structuring, at the European level, an active dialogue that should involve a variety of stakeholders interested in the sustainable development of the creation of knowledge, and its use by society at large.

The Robert Bosch Foundation (Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH), established in 1964, is one of the largest German foundations associated with a private company. It embodies the philanthropic endeavors of founder Robert Bosch (1861-1942) within the structure of the Bosch organization. The Foundation´s five areas of support and its institutions in Stuttgart (the Robert Bosch Hospital, the Dr. Margarete Fisch-Bosch Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, and the Institute for the History of Medicine) are dedicated to promoting public health care, international understanding, social work, education, the arts and culture, the humanities, and the social and natural sciences.

The European Science Foundation (ESF) is committed to promoting high quality science at a European level. It is the European association of national organisations responsible for the support of scientific research. Our aim is to act as a catalyst for the development of science by bringing together leading scientists and research funding agencies to debate, plan and implement pan-European initiatives

The Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems ( VINNOVA) which is a government agency, with the aim of promoting sustainable growth in business, society and working life, by developing effective innovation systems and funding needs-driven research.

The Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS) mission is to promote the accumulation of knowledge on working life, social conditions, societal institutions and social processes through: Promotion and support of basic and applied research. Identification of important research needs. Dialogue, dissemination of information and transfer of knowledge. Promotion of cooperation between researchers both nationally and internationally, particularly in EU programmes.

The Swedish Research Council is a government agency under the aegis of Ministry of Education and Science which is responsible - at a national level - for the development of basic research and information about research in Sweden. From its annual budget of around 2,000 million, scientists at Swedish universities and university colleges compete on a national basis for research grants. The council ranks and finances basic research of the highest quality in all scientific disciplines.

The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas)supports basic and applied research. Formas promotes ecologically sustainable growth and development in society, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, and internationeal research cooperation and the exchange of experience.

Karolinska Institutet is one of Europes largest medical universities. It is also Swedens largest center for medical training and research. Leading-edge research at Karolinska Institutet includes: biostatistics, allergies, integrative physiology, stem cell research, diabetes, Alzheimers disease, molecular oncology, genomics and neurocognitive research. Karolinska Institutet reviews approximately 100 new discoveries every year, leading on average to the formation of a new company every other month.

Major Funders

The Fritz Thyssen Stiftung was founded on July 7, 1959 by Mrs. Amélie Thyssen and her daughter Anita, Countess Zichy-Thyssen, in memory of August and Fritz Thyssen. It was the first large private foundation to be established after World War II in Germany. Following decades of stagnation in the German foundation landscape, the founding of the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung paved the way for the appearance of other new foundations in Germany. The exclusive purpose of the foundation is, according to its statutes, the direct promotion of science and research at institutions of higher education and research, particularly in Germany, with special consideration of young scientists. The foundation has concentrated its activities onto certain time-limited research projects that fall within its fields of interest. The Foundation provides supportive measures in the fields of "History, language, and culture","State, economy and society", as well as "Medicine and natural sciences" (main focus: "Molecular pathogenesis and models of the origins of diseases"); moreover furtherances in the cross-sections of "Image and representativeness" and "International relations"

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (J&JPRD) is one of the fastest-growing global pharmaceutical research & development (R&D) companies and part of the world's most comprehensive and broadly based healthcare company, Johnson & Johnson. With more than 3,500 employees, our R&D reach extends to more than 70 countries worldwide. Our primary facilities include headquarters in Raritan, New Jersey and facilities in La Jolla, California; Beerse, Belgium; High Wycombe, United Kingdom; Schaffhausen, Switzerland; Spring House, Pennsylvania; Titusville, New Jersey; Toledo, Spain; and Val de Reuil, France. Our pledge is to bring to market high-value, cost effective products that treat disease and significantly improve the health and lifestyles of people worldwide. To this end, we are focused on building a robust and innovative product portfolio that comprises a strategic mix of novel targets and fast followers; in-house and in-licensed compounds; and focus on areas of traditional therapeutic strength and new and unmet medical need.

Nature publishes groundbreaking, original scientific research across all the disciplines. Published weekly, it also contains a lively collection of secondary comment, including authoritative and topical reviews, news, essays, News and Views, book reviews, Naturejobs and more. Nature's website contains additional online-only material, including the community-based Physics Portal, Cancer Update and Genome Gateway. Plus Nature Science Update and supplementary data to published papers.

The objective of The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research is to support research in the natural sciences, engineering and medicine. The Foundation shall promote the development of strong research environments of the highest international standards and of significance for the development of Sweden´s long-term competitiveness. The research programmes supported may include both basic and applied research and, not least, areas in between.

The Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Foundations belong to the most important private donors to research etc in Sweden. The foundations were formed in 1960. During the year 2003 the foundations allocated SEK 74.6 million, mainly to Medicine, Economics and Law. The brothers Torsten (1894-1960) and Ragnar Söderberg (1900-1974) were mainly active in the family company, Söderberg & Haak, the largest iron & steel wholesaler in Sweden, founded in 1866. In addition the brothers founded Ratos AB. Torsten´s wife Wanja (1899-1982) was also a donor to Torsten Söderberg´s foundation. New generations of the Söderberg family remain active in the foundations´work."

Vattenfall is one of the leading energy companies in Europe. Our target is to become “Number 1 for the customer, for the environment and for the economy”.To live up to this commitment research and development is important. Primary focus is
• Low or eliminated CO2 emissions from future energy generation
• Control, supervision and development of electricity distribution networks
• Safety and efficiency within nuclear power, hydropower, fossil fuels, wind power and solar energy.
• Optimized maintenance procedures for plants and networks.
Vattenfall generates power and supplies energy to several million customers in the Nordic region and northern Europe.Turnover 2002 was 101 billion SEK and the number of employees 35000. Vattenfall is owned by the Swedish State and the head office is in Stockholm.

Funders

Affymetrix is a pioneer in creating breakthrough tools that are driving the genomic revolution. By applying the principles of semiconductor technology to the life sciences, Affymetrix develops and commercializes systems that enable scientists to improve quality of life. The Company's customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics, and consumer products companies, as well as, academic, government, and other non-profit research institutes. Affymetrix offers an expanding portfolio of integrated products and services, including its integrated GeneChip® platform, to address growing markets focused on understanding the relationship between genes and human health.

Alenia Spazio, a company of the Finmecacnica group, is the major Italian space industry and one the largest in Europe. It has wide experience in the design and development of complete space systems and has contributed to the construction of the principal satellites for telecommunications, Earth observation and scientific missions. Furthermore, Alenia Spazio has a leading role in satellite navigation and has built over 50% of the manned modules for the International space Station.

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $17.8 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, anaesthesia (including pain management), cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global and European) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is a charitable institution subject to German law and registered in Ingelheim am Rhein. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931-1991), a grandson of Albert Boehringer senior
(1861-1939) who in 1885 founded what meanwhile became the worldwide operating Boehringer Ingelheim group. The purpose of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is the financial support of the chemical, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. Decisions are based on an assessment by peer review and taken by a Board of Trustees (no link to Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftungs web site since they have none today).

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation is the central, self-governing research organisation that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany. Its mission is to serve all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers while devoting particular attention to the advancement of young researchers. The DFG’s funding programmes are open for international collaboration on every level, ranging from individual grants to coordinated programmes, such as International Research Training Groups, Priority Programmes and Collaborative Research Centres.

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier’s 6,800 employees in 86 offices worldwide publish more than 1,800 journals and 2,200 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect, MD Consult, Scopus, bibliographic databases, online reference works and subject specific portals. Elsevier also created Scirus, a free Web search engine developed especially for scientists.

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) is a global leader in aerospace, defence and releated services. In 2003 EADS, generated revenues of EUR 30.1 billion and employed a workforce of about 109,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.

Sandvik is a high-technology engineering group with three business areas responsible for R&D, production and sales. Sandvik Tooling specializes in tooling systems and cutting tools of cemented carbide, ceramics and extremely hard materials such as cubic boron nitride and diamond. Sandvik Materials Technology focuses on products in stainless steels, special alloys of titanium, nickel and zirconium for tube, strip, wire and bar applications. Sandvik Mining and Construction concentrates on rock-excavation equipment, including cemented-carbide tools and wear parts. Sandvik’s major Research Centers are located in Stockholm and Sandviken, Sweden, and in Tampere, Finland.

The Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship (SSES) is a joint initiative by the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), Karolinska Institute (KI) and the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack), the leading universities in Technology, Economics, Medicine and Design in Stockholm. The overall purpose of SSES is to stimulate and support the development of Stockholm as an economic region for business creation. SSES is involved in academic education, scientific research, and business creation activities. All of our activities are performed in close collaboration with a variety of tertiary institutions, the business community and public agencies.

The Swedish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (LIF) is the trade association for the researchbased pharmaceutical industry in Sweden. LIF has 61 member companies which represent approximately 90 percent of the total sales of pharmaceuticals in Sweden. LIF's members have about 19,000 employees in Sweden. LIF represents their members on joint issues, maintains continous contacts with organisations and decision-makers vital to the industry and creates an understanding of the significance of the pharmaceutical industry for an efficient and modern medical care. LIF is also a service organisation for the members and continously informs them of developments in fields which can influence the work conditions for their operations in Sweden.

The EuroScience Foundation

The EuroScience Foundation has been created in 2000, in order to financially support the Euroscience association and thus to allow it to be representative and independent. The complete name of the Foundation is "Euroscience-Stiftung zur Förderung der europäischen Wissenschaften und Kulturen" and the seat is in Hanover. Its goal is the promotion of European sciences and cultures by means of granting awards and funding workshops as well as to raise funds for international scientific cooperation, especially for the benefit of Euroscience.

The Sigma-tau group was founded in 1957 by Emilio and Claudio Cavazza, and is now made up of several domestic and international companies which include Avantgarde, specializing in the production of pharmaceutical drugs for dermatological and gynecological applications and sigma-tau HealthScience developing nutritional supplements and medical foods that meet the same standards as the company’s pharmaceutical products. Biosint SpA is sigma-tau’s manufacturer of L-carnitine and its derivates. In 2001, sigma-tau launched Biofutura Pharma, a new subsidiary headquartered in Milan,. Biofutura is developing pharmaceutical products designed to treat central nervous system problems and respiratory tract diseases. The sigma-tau group also operates several research centers throughout Italy. sigma-tau devotes 16 percent of total annual revenue to scientific research, a figure that exceeds the pharmaceutical industry average.