Welcome to this Special Issue of EuroScientist on: ESOF 2020 Trieste!

ESOF 2020 Special Issue is sponsored by

What is ESOF?

The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) is a biennial, pan-European, general science conference dedicated to scientific research and innovation. Each conference aims to deliver stimulating content around the latest advancements and discoveries in the sciences, humanities and social sciences and to foster the dialogue between the disciplines, the different sectors and with the society.

ESOF 2020 Trieste

The 2020 edition of ESOF was held in Trieste, Italy. Trieste was nominated host city because of its long tradition as a dynamic hub for research, science and innovation, focused on sustainable growth and development and its unique position at the crossroads between the north and south and the east and west of Europe. Its impact reaches far beyond Italy to the rest of Europe and the developing world. It is internationally renowned for the high concentration of scientific institutions.

The 2020 edition was special not only because it was the first major science conference in Europe after the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 virus but also because it was the first ESOF conference organised as hybrid event with interconnected physical and virtual parts. This setup allowed ESOF to create a forum dedicated to debate and open dialogue safeguarding participants safety.

About this Special Issue

This special issue of EuroScientist aims at following up on featured topics from ESOF 2020 to be discussed in the scientific community and the society. It will present the different topics through video interviews and written articles. We invite you to follow the different publications and enjoy listening, reading and participating at spreading the voice of research all over Europe!

Matthias Girod, EuroScience Secretary General

Matias Barberis Rami, EuroScientist Office

Content

Interview #1 Michael Matlosz, President of EuroScience
by Federica Bressan

Interview #2 Clive Cookson, Science Editor of Financial Times
by Federica Bressan

Interview #3 Dominiek Lootens and Ibon Santiago, Travel Grantees
by Federica Bressan

Interview #4 Stefano Fantoni, Champion ESOF 2020 Trieste
by Federica Bressan

Interview #5 Ilaria Capua, Director of One Health Center of Excellence
by Federica Bressan

The interdisciplinary experience at ESOF2020
by Tamara Rexroth, Centre for Dialogue

COVID-19 consequences exposing existing inequalities in Academia
by Tanja Vuckovic Juros, University of Louvain

Who is responsible for transferable skills and how can RRI and open science help
by Ana Slavec, co-coordinator of the Eurodoc Open Science Work Group

The voice of early-career researchers on research culture
by Brian Cahill, member of the governing board of EuroScience and Chloë Deelkens , Alexander John Cruz, Catherine Meyer and Ibon Santiago