PRESS RELEASE
of the German Physical Society
Physical Expertise for Europe
The German Physical Society welcomes the appointment of Rolf-Dieter Heuer to the scientific advisory board of the European Commission
Bad Honnef, GERMANY, November 11, 2015 – Rolf-Dieter Heuer, CERN boss and President-elect of the German Physical Society (DPG), is one of seven leading scientists who prospectively advise the European Commission on research.
The dismissal of Chief Scientific Adviser, Anne Glover, came as surprising for many late last year, but this decision opened up the opportunity to adjust the scientific advice to the European Commission on a new and wider basis. The currently appointed three women and four men come from different research disciplines.
Known as SAM, the European Commission presented its new Scientific Advisory Mechanism. SAM consists of two pillars: (1) the seven-member advisory board made up of independent and highly respected scientific experts, and (2) a six million-euro grant for European networks of academies and learning societies which is included in the 2016 work program for Horizon 2020. Both measures are designed to ensure that the Commission receives optimal advice.
Since January, 2009, Rolf-Dieter Heuer (born 1948) has been Director General of the European Particle Acceleration Centre (CERN) near Geneva. His term there ends in December, 2015. In November, 2014, the Council of the DPG unanimously elected particle physicist Rolf-Dieter Heuer as next President of the German Physical Society. The DPG has more than 62,000 members and is the largest physics society in the world. In April, 2016, Heuer will take over the presidency from Edward G. Krubasik who then becomes statutory Vice-President.
The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft e. V. (DPG), which was founded way back in 1845, is the oldest national and, with more than 62,000 members, also the largest physical society in the world. As a non-profit-making organisation it pursues no economic interests. The DPG promotes the transfer of knowledge within the scientific community through conferences, events and publications, and aims to open a window to physics for the curious. Its special focuses are on encouraging junior scientists and promoting equal opportunities. The DPG’s head office is at Bad Honnef am Rhein. Its representative office in the capital is the Magnus-Haus Berlin. Website: www.dpg-physik.de