ECTRI's presence in 2005 conferences

European Transport Conference, Strasbourg, France, 3 - 5 October 2005

The European Transport Conference was held in Strasbourg from 3 to 5 October 2005. The conference was shared between sessions and an exhibition in which ECTRI was present through a booth. Out of a total of 261 presentations, 41 were presented by seniors from 11 ECTRI member organisations, which represents 1/6 of the participation. The three “winners” of the Young Researchers Seminar 2005, Nicolas Dapzol from INRETS (First Prize), Ringo Liebscher from FHG (Second Prize) and Juliette Marais from INRETS (Third Prize), were invited to present their papers as an award for their excellent participation at the seminar through a special session arranged by ECTRI and AET on 3 October. This session was chaired by Neil Paulley from TRL (United Kingdom) who made a small presentation of ECTRI.

The following presentation was made during the conference:

ECTRI, European Institutes working together, Neil Paulley (257 kB)

1st FERSI Scientific Road Safety Research Conference, Köln, Germany, 7 & 8 September 2005

This conference was more a forum for researchers to exchange information on the results of European research projects, to debate on scientific issues and to disseminate knowledge. Four scientific presentations put forward the main challenges to road safety research. Then 12 workshops were gathered in three general topics. A first topic focused on data, strategies and communication. A second topic was dedicated to driver behaviour and safety education, including the themes of training and licensing, the problematic of the use of alcohol and drugs, the fitness to drive. A third one was on the technical applications and covered road infrastructures, ITS and HMI, speed management and enforcement. ECTRI was represented in this conference by many young and senior researchers and through a booth.

ECTRI supported this conference.

Communicating European Research, Brussels, Belgium,
14 & 15 May 2005

The conference was organised by The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and focused on the manifold aspects of science communication. The conference was officially opened by Commissioner  for Research, Mr Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for Information Society, Mrs Viviane Reding and as a special guest by Asimo, the most advanced humanoid robot in the world. The Opening Ceremony was hosted by Mr Philippe Busquin. Around 2,100 participants, including project-coordinators, journalists and communication professionals as well as representatives from research organisations were present during the two-day conference.

The conference was shared between “main sessions”, “forum sessions”, “How to...? sessions” and media events. The main sessions were on various themes such as: “Science at school – lost cause or real winner?”, “Science by SMS serving science in a swift moving society”, “Science journalism in Europe: luxury or necessity?” or “Prospects and perils of science communication: the researcher’s experience”. Forum sessions provided subjects such as “How to reach the business media?” “Practical tips for Press officers” or “Communicate to the public: science festivals & science weeks”. "How to" sessions were dedicated to practical information on the way to communicate on research, media events and were dedicated to journalists.

In parallel with the conference, a major exhibition was held, hosting 244 exhibits on 9,000 m2. Many different subjects were presented such as research initiatives or communication strategies of research organisations. The exhibition was attended by many delegates as a complement to the programme. The exhibits were grouped in 4 themes: "EU projects", "Professional services", "International, national and regional research initiatives", "Education, publications, public events". ECTRI was present at the exhibition through a booth and experimented an interactive presentation which attracted many delegates to the stand who asked for some more information. ECTRI’s presence at this conference could be considered as successful.