The first annual FORTHEM conference "FORTHEM - For the Future" wants to bring researchers from all kinds of disciplines together to discuss how they can jointly contribute to shaping the future of Europe - may it be in terms of a general global competitiveness, or more concretely, by contributing to defined priority areas, challenges and missions. We want our community to grow and to involve as many disciplines and topics as possible. Networks should expand beyond the borders of FORTHEM, engaging researchers from other alliances, research institutions, and also non-academic partners.
Joining forces in research makes us stronger in confronting unpredictable phenomena like the pandemic or a war right in the middle of Europe, the consequences of which will be reflected in society well into the future. And, it will help us address the increasingly fast-moving societal and technological developments. Basic research and applied research must not be seen as contradictory, but as the two engines of creativity and innovation, which will make FORTHEM an attractive research environment. To pave the way for mutual and inspiring cooperation in the future, in ten sessions we want to share, discuss, and evaluate research results in highly topical fields. By opening FORTHEM to researchers from other alliances, universities and research organizations all over the world, with this conference, FORTHEM invites the participants to explore common strongholds in research and get connected to each other.
We highly encourage researchers not only to present their results, but also to focus on aspects of Open Science, Responsible Research and Innovation and ethical issues in sciences. Two dedicated sessions will focus on research done by early-stage researchers. Their contributions can be experimental, presenting preliminary results or even discussing unsolved questions or research not necessarily leading to positive results. Those sessions are designed and chaired by ESRs. Still, experienced researchers are invited to join, contribute, advise, and learn from the next generation of highly motivated and skilled future experts.
General sessions:
- Europe as a hub for inclusiveness and democratic values
- Cultural heritage, a testimony of the past and reference book
- Physical and mental health in complex times of crisis, and economic and political instability
- Overpopulation and overconsumption triggering hunger, resource scarcity, migration, climate change, and the pollution of the atmosphere, the soil and the oceans
- The role of life sciences in an increasingly aging society
- The chemistry of the Green Deal
- The physics of Climate Change
- Digitization and artificial intelligence as key drivers for science in the future?
Cross-disciplinary morning sessions specially targeted at early-stage researchers:
- Social Sciences and Humanities – Creative research ideas and their potential societal impact
- Natural Sciences – Be innovative and shape the future in your field
