The 5 th Gago Conference on European Science Policy

[...]. Considerable time should be devoted to setting up a dialogue in each member State on the issue of human resources for science, engineering and technology, helping policy-makers understand what is required, and building bridges between national and European actors. Dialogue between industrial and academic organizations in Europe should also be pursued.

José Mariano Gago In "Europe needs more scientists", European Commission, Brussels, 2004


Heidelberg

October 6 th 2022

PROGRAMME

The Gago Conferences on European Science Policy

The Gago Conferences on European Science Policy provide an international forum to strengthen the debate on emerging issues of research and innovation policy in Europe, as well as to promote the necessary involvement of major stakeholders in policy making and the diffusion of knowledge in science education and culture. The Conferences seek also to strengthen international scientific and technological cooperation networking in Europe towards a positive impact on a global scale.Science and technology (S&T) are key global resources for our collective future, our wealth, job creation and shared prosperity, both at home and abroad. The impact of S&T and innovation are the result of a cumulative, long-term, collective and uncertainty process, involving an extensive division of labour, which requires massifying the training of human resources and qualifying the labour force in many economic sectors. Increasing interest in these processes has been driving innovative research and practice across a wide range of businesses and academic disciplines - from management, marketing, engineering and economics to public policy, sociology, history and law.

"Science is a battle ground, it´s not neutral.And if you know it´s not neutral, it becomes interesting.It can become part of the modern youth culture.You must choose between generosity and greed,between peace and war,and choose between disclosing or hiding the truth"...

José Mariano Gago (2001)

The primary objective of these conferences is to bring together leading representatives from academic, business, social, culture and government sectors worldwide to present and discuss current and future issues of critical importance for European science and technology, including their impact to foster social and economic development and shared prosperity both at home and abroad. Multidisciplinary perspectives are encouraged to provide state-of-the-art and useful knowledge to decision makers in the private, public and social sectors - including informed and effective education, culture, business, government policies and strategies for Europe.

Cancer research: society at the frontiers of knowledge

5th Gago Conference on European Science Policy

A joint organization of Ciencia Viva and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

DKFZ , Heidelberg, 6th October, 2022

Programme

(Time zone CEST)


6 October 2022

9:00 - Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Michael Baumann, Chairman and Scientific Director of DKFZ – German Cancer Research Center; and EACS - European Academy of Cancer Sciences 
  • Rosalia Vargas, President of Ciência Viva
  • Manuel Heitor,  IN+/IST - Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research, University of Lisbon; and former Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education

9:10  - Session 1: Emerging developments in European cancer policy

Chair:

  • Manuel Heitor,  IN+/IST and former Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Portugal

Brief initial interventions

  • Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary States Secretary, Ministry of Research and Education, Germany (video message)
  • Maria da Graça Carvalho , Member European Parliament (video message)
  • Angel Font, La Caixa Foundation Barcelona, Spain; President of President of PhileaCancer and Philanthropy in Europe
  • Francesco De Lorenzo, ECPC - European Cancer Patient Coalition 
  • Jeliazko Arabadjiev, Bulgarian Scientific Society of Immuno-Oncology 

 

Keynote Speech (15 min)

Chair:

  • Julio E. Celis, European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS) and Danish Cancer Society Research Center (DCRC)

Bridging the gaps between research and healthcare delivery

  • Ulrik Ringborg, European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS)

 


10:30 - Coffee Break


10:45 - Session 2: Understanding cancer

Chair: 

  • Eric Solary, Inserm- National Institute of Health and Medical Research, France

Speakers: 

  • Eric Solary , Inserm (20 min) Introduction to the  UNCAN.eu CSA
  • Christine Chomienne , Université de Paris (15 min) What we do not understand, we cannot address effectively
  • Lena Maier-Hein , DKFZ (15 min) Solving the right problem

Roundtable (6 min each):

  • Alexander Eggermont, Princess Máxima Center
  • Elisabete Weiderpass, IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer 
  • Michael Boutros, DKFZ
  • Pedro Oliveira, Patient Innovation, Copenhagen Business School

Discussion


12:30 -   Lunch break


13:15 - Session 3: Interconnected high-quality infrastructures for translational research, clinical and prevention trials, and outcomes research

Chair:

  • Anton Berns, EACS

Speakers (10 min each):

  • Alexander Eggermont, Princess Maxima Center Infrastructures for translational research in therapeutics
  • Joachim Schüz, IARC Infrastructures for translational prevention research
  • Elena Garralda, VHIO - Val d´Hebron Institute of Oncology Clinical trials required for implementation
  • Nils Wilking, Karolinska Institutet Infrastructures for outcomes research

Roundtable (7 min each):

  • Simon Oberst, OECI - Organization of European Cancer Institutes
  • Stéphane Lejeune, EORTC-European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 
  • Francoise Meunier, EACS
  • Margarida Goulart, Joint Research Centre, European Commission (tbc)

Discussion


15:00 - Coffee break


15:15 - Session 4: Digital transition in cancer

Chair:

  • Marc Lawler, Queen´s University, Belfast

Speakers:

  • Alfonso Valencia, Barcelona Super Computing Center, Spain Cancer from a computational perspective
  • Fátima Carneiro, University of Porto, São João Hospital and Ipatimup/i3S; Former Chair of the European Society of Pathology Advisory Board Digital transformation of patology
  • Marc Lawler, Queen´s University Belfast Creating a culture of shared data

Roundtable :

  • Helena Canhão, Nova Medical School, Lisbon, and Patient Innovation
  • Markus Wartenberg, Chair of the National Center for Tumor Disease (NCT)  

Discussion

16:15 - Session 5:   Functional networks of Comprehensive Cancer Centers (CCCs) and other centres: Structuring cancer activities in Member States

Chair:

  • Michael Baumann, DKFZ

Speakers:

  • Michael Baumann, DKFZ (15 min) The German DKTK and NCT model
  • Tit Albreht, National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia (10 min) Comprehensiveness as the central element in organising cancer Infrastructures in Europe
  • Paolo Casali, Istituto Nazionale Tumori (10 min, video)

Roundtable (7 min each) :

  • Rui Henrique , IPOPORTO - Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto Francisco Gentil
  • Peter Nagy, National Institute of Oncology

Discussion

17: 45 -   Concluding remarks

  • Michael Baumann, DKFZ and EACS
  • Julio Celis, DCRC and EACS
  • Rosalia Vargas, Ciencia Viva

18:00 - Adjourned, cheese and wine

GAGO AWARDS in European Science Policy

Fátima Carneiro

Fátima Carneiro is Professor of Pathology at the Medical Faculty of the University of Porto, Head of Department of Anatomic Pathology (Centro Hospitalar Universitário São João) and Senior Researcher at Ipatimup/i3S. From 2011 to 2013, she was President of the European Society of Pathology, and she is a member of the scientific committee for its annual  Congresses. She is Coordinator of the Portuguese Network of Tumour Banks, council member of the International Gastric Cancer Association, member of the International Gastric Cancer Linkage Consortium, board member of the European Academy of Cancers Sciences, and President of the Portuguese Academy of Medicine. She is a member of the Mission Assembly for Cancer in the EU framework programme Horizon Europe. She was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of ERA-NET on Translational Cancer Research (TRANSCAN) (2011 - 2014) and TRANSCAN II (2015- ). Fátima Carneiro was awarded by the President of the Portuguese Republic "for outstanding services to science" and was nominated as "The most influential pathologist in the world" by The Pathologist Power List 2018. She is (co)author of more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and 36 book chapters. She co-edited the WHO Blue Book on "Tumours of the Digestive System" (4th Edition), and was a member of the WHO Blue Books Editorial Board for the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours series (2018-2020). 
Fátima Carneiro's research is focused on the understanding of the etiopathogenesis and molecular pathology of cancer, specifcicaly on gastric carcinoma.

Michael Baumann

Michael Baumann has a doctorate in medicine from the University of Hamburg. He  worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, in Boston. Trained as a specialist in radiation therapy, he completed his habilitation also in Hamburg in 1994, and in 1995 he moved to the Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty in Dresden as head of experimental radiation oncology. In 2001 the he was appointed  Professor for Radiooncology by the Dresden University of Technology. 
He was the founding director of the Dresden University Cancer Center, from 2003, and from 2010 he was Director of Radiation Therapy and Radiooncology at the University Hospital Dresden, and  Director of the Institute of Radiooncology at the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf.  His research focuses on translational-orientated experimental radiotherapy and radiobiology, as well as the treatment of lung and head and neck cancer, and this work has been honored with several scientific awards, including the Michael Fry Research Award of the Radiation Research Society, the Breur Gold Medal and Regaud Medal Award of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Michael Bauman is a member of the National Academy of Science (Leopoldina) and has been President of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO). He is the Chairman of the Board and Scientific Director of DKFZ since 2016.

Anton Berns

Anton Berns studied biochemistry at the University of Nijmegen, where he received his his PhD. After his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Rudolf Jaenisch, he returned to the University of Nijmegen where he worked on the identification of new oncogenes using proviral insertional mutagenesis. In 1985 he was appointed staff scientist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and in 1986 he became head of its Division of Molecular Genetics. In 1999 he was appointed Director of Research and Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital. His research is focused on defining the genetic aberrations that are critical for lung tumour development, while identifying targets for intervention. His lab uses genetically engineered mouse models to understand the mechanisms of action of lesions found in lung cancer in humans.
Anton Berns is a member of The Netherlands and European Academy of Sciences; the European Academy of Cancer Science; EMBO; the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Academy of Sciences. From 2016 to 2018, he was president of the European Association for Cancer Research.

Venue

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Communication Center

Main Building, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280

69120 Heidelberg

Directions to the conference location can be found here .

 

Useful information

 

Hotel Accommodation

We advise you to book your hotel as soon as possible, as October is a very busy period in Heidelberg. Hotels nearby are the following:

 

Transfer Advice

If you arrive by plane via Frankfurt we recommend you organize your transfer to Heidelberg (approx. 1 h) either via airport shuttle or limousine service or the train (Deutsche Bahn) to Heidelberg Central Station.

Airport Shuttle bus

Limousine - Service .

Deutsche Bahn (railway)

 

 

Speakers Dinner on October 5th 2022

All speakers and round table panelists arriving the day before the conference are invited to join a speakers dinner, please let us know by beginning of September if you will join the dinner. Details will be communicated to you in due time.