Debate and Engagement Will be ESF’s Hallmarks as Prof. Ian Halliday Becomes Next President

Professor Ian Halliday, former Chief Executive of the UK’s Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), is the new President of the European Science Foundation (ESF) from January 1, 2006.

Prof. Halliday’s appointment was ratified by ESF’s General Assembly at the 2005 annual meeting in Strasbourg on November 25. Prof. Halliday takes over from Dr. Reinder van Duinen whose six-year extended term as President ends at the end of the year.

As next President, the 65-year-old plain-speaking Scotsman has a clear vision for the role he wants to see ESF play in a rapidly-changing and evolving science environment in Europe.

“ESF must position itself in this new environment perhaps in a different way to the past,” Prof. Halliday said. “While the five-year strategic plan that was approved by the General Assembly is a useful device for carrying out such positioning, the emphasis must be on getting involved in a more serious way with science strategy in Europe. I see this as a real opportunity for ESF.”

Prof. Halliday said that an open question facing the Foundation and its Member Organisations is which areas of science are best suited and where the real opportunities lie. “That’s where the science choices will happen,” he said. “The strategic plan addresses mechanisms but not the science details – that will be for debate with the Member Organisations.”

He continued, “It’s going to be very important for everyone that we work together effectively. ESF, the Member Organisations, the scientists – we all want the same result which is better science in Europe. While everyone’s interests might be different, the real goal we have is the same. I’d very much like to create an environment where we are seen as working together.”

Debate and engagement with the Member Organisations will be hallmarks of the ESF positioning Prof. Halliday believes is necessary for the strategic plan to become an effective instrument of delivery rather than purely a framework for discussion. “We must be clear what it is that we are trying to achieve and then design the structures that will make that happen,” he said, stating that more effective engagement by ESF with its Member Organisations is essential for the realisation of this goal.

“It is clear to me that we do need to pull in our Member Organisations and engage with them,” he stated. “I think the Forward Looks are a very natural dynamic.” He said a prime example is the 2005 Latsis Prize for nano engineering , awarded to Professor Donal Bradley of Imperial College, London. “This is a huge area with huge investments in the rest of the world,” he said. “What is the plan for Europe? What are the possibilities and what scale of money should be invested? It could be that the decision is lots of little grants; it’s not necessarily big facilities and big structure. But that is surely the debate, not just about responsive-mode grants. You do need some idea about where you want to take nano engineering.”

In outlining his vision for how ESF and the Member Organisations can work together in partnership, Prof. Halliday said he recognises that there are some concerns among the membership about ESF’s quality of delivery.

“It is clear there are worries,” he said. “Now, I don’t agree with all the worries, but there is certainly a task for ESF which is to quantify and make visible just how good we are. ESF is very good but it’s not doing a very good job of proving how good it is. So there’s a lot of opportunity there.”

In key areas such as Forward Looks, Prof. Halliday believes that ESF must be able to prove to the Member Organisations that it can deliver, to their time scale and against their criteria, and to budget.

“Can we rise to that challenge inside ESF?” he said. “I believe we can. It’s part of the dynamic.”

Profile Ian Halliday:(PDF KB)

Contact

Claus Nowotny
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 76 71 32
Fax: +33 (0)3 88 76 71 80

Category: Media Centre, Press Releases 2005