World Science Forum

The World Science Forum is an international conference series on global science policy. Since 2003, it is being organized biannually in Budapest, Hungary.

The World Science Forum or WSF traces back its origin to the first World Conference on Science, organised by UNESCO and ICSU and held in Budapest in 1999. The first WSF was organised in 2003, followed by the second in 2005 and the third in 2007. The forth WSF will be held in 2009. The World Science Forum aims at being the "Davos of Science" and achieving the same global strategic impact on science and science policy as the World Economy Forum does it in the field of global economic policy.

Origin, vision and mission

By the end of the 20th century, science and knowledge became essential parts of Mankind's everyday lives. Scientific knowledge is not only the result of Humanity's inherent curiosity and scientific endeavor, it is a powerful means of understanding human nature, society, and the Nature in which humans live. Advance in science is a major contributor to society's socio-economic development, the global welfare of humankind, man's relation to Nature, and the quality life.

In past centuries the predominant role of science was the production of new knowledge to satisfy the curiosity of the human mind. In recent years, the role of science has undergone changes, as scientific inquiry has increasingly become the motor of development in society. By the end of the 20th century, science has acquired a number of new roles. These novel roles may - and should - contribute in a decisive manner to the daily life of humankind in the 21st century.

In spite of its spectacular development and new opportunities, the science of 21st century faces wavering confidence, unseen dilemmas and brand-new questions. These problems can be solved only if the main procedures and users of knowledge are able to reach common ground for the new roles of knowledge and science in 21st century's global Society.

These issues have been discussed by the first World Conference of Science, organised by UNESCO and ICSU, with the participation of over 2000 delegated from 186 countries on 26 June - 1 July 1999 in Budapest, Hungary.

As a follow-up to the World Conference on Science the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), in partnership with UNESCO and ICSU, initiated a unique forum series for a much needed genuine debate and hopefully lasting interaction between the scientific community and Society. Three members of HAS played a key role in establishing the World Science Forum series: István Láng, the organiser of the 1999 World Conference of Science; Balázs Gulyás, the founding director of the WSF series; and E. Sylvester Vizi, the then president of HAS.

Organisers

The main organising institution of the WSF is the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in close partnership with UNESCO and ICSU. The preparatory activities of the Forum are led by a Governing Board, helped by an international Steering Committee.

Patrons

Patrons of the WSF are the President of Hungary, the Director-General of UNESCO, the President of ICSU, and the President of the European Commission. At present, they are László Sólyom, Koichiro Matsuura, Goverdhan Mehta and José Mañuel Barroso.

International Steering Committee

The Steering Committee of the WSF consists of 16 internationally renowned scientists and science politicians. Its chair is E. Sylvester Vizi, former president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and its co-chair is Werner Arber Nobel Laureate (1978). Members of the Steering Committee include Arden L. Bement, Jr. Director, National Science Foundation (NSF), USA; His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, President, Club of Rome; Walter Erdelen, Assistant Director General, UNESCO; Mohamed Hassan, Executive Director Third World Academy of Science (TWAS); Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director geenral of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN); Yee-Cheong Lee, chairman of the governing board of the International Science, Technology and Innovation Center (ISTIC) of the G77+China group; Alan I. Leshner, Chief Executive Officer American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); László Lovász, director of the Mathematical Institute of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest; Yongxiang Lu, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Marja Makarow, chief executive officer of the European Science Foundation; Yuriy I. Osipov, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Janez Potocnik, Commissioner for Science of the European Commission; Tomas Rosswall, Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU); Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, President of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan.

Governing Board

The chairman of the Governing Board of the WSF is József Pálinkás, president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and president of the World Science Forum. The Board's honorary chair is E. Sylvester Vizi, former president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; its vice chair is Tamás Németh, secretary general of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Members of the board are Balazs Gulyas, executive director of the WSF; Gusztáv Hencsey, executive secretary of the WSF; Mustafa El-Tayeb, director, Science Policy and Sustainable Development Division of UNESCO; Norbert Kroó, vice president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; József Hámor, president of the Hungarian UNESCO Commission; István Láng, head of the organising committee of the World Conference on Science 1999; István Szemenyei, representative of the Hungarian prime minister's office; and Péter Grosschmid, secretary of the Board.

The forthcoming WSF

The next WSF will be held in Budapest on 5-7 November 2009. The Forum's theme at this time will be "Knowledge and Future".

External links

* [http://www.sciforum.hu/ Homepage]