The event is taking place on 12 of March, 9.00–12.30 including a networking lunch.
In person only at the Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU, Avenue des Arts 23, Brussels
Register until 6th of March to save your seat!
As we navigate through the Horizon Europe mid-term evaluation and shape the next FP10, understanding the key factors contributing to the success of CERN projects in EU programs is crucial. Especially, it is important in the context of challenges that some EU partners from emerging innovation ecosystems have faced when trying to secure EU funding.
Latvia is in closely cooperation with CERN since 2012 and became an Associate Member of CERN in 2021 and within two years has successfully assumed key roles and engaged in research projects with real life applications.
We invite you to explore Latvia's approach in showcasing how the EU countries can strategically invest in CERN cooperation, fostering scientific excellence and becoming pivotal partners in innovation projects, which matter for Europe, as well as globally.
Join us at IGLO OPEN to gain insights into CERN's ongoing initiatives and discover how Latvia has leveraged EU-funded projects to jumpstart innovative ideas.
This session will highlight EU-funded and CERN lead projects. Latvia as an emerging innovator according to the European Innovation scoreboard serves as an example in utilizing CERN collaborations to drive innovation within the country.
Event is organized by Latvian office for Innovation & Technology in Brussels (Lat.tech) together with the Latvian office for Innovation & Technology in Geneva.
Programme
- 9.00–9.30 arrival coffee
- 9.30–9.40 Welcome words
- Mr Mārtiņš Kreitus, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative (COREPER I) of the Republic of Latvia to the European Union
- 9.40–10.00 EC and CERN – The role of CERN in the EU`s research infrastructure programme
- Ms Patricia Postigo McLaughlin, Policy officer for research infrastructures
- 10.00-10.30 The iFAST project as an example of involvement of partners from smaller countries in a global research project with societal applications
- Mr Maurizio Vretenar, Senior physicist and Coordinator of European Projects at CERN
- 10.30–11.00 Strategic steps of Latvia in CERN: to use CERN capacity to grow Latvia’s excellence
- Mr Toms Torims, Professor of RTU, Cooperation Associate at CERN
- 11.00–11.30 Q&A with the key-note speakers
- 11.30–12.30 Networking lunch
Profile of the speakers
Patricia Postigo McLaughlin is a policy officer at the European Union’s research infrastructures team, where she oversees EU relations with CERN and works on the development of technology for scientific instruments and on access to these instruments across the EU. A political scientist and journalist by training, she joined the EC’s research directorate in 2004 and has held a number of different positions, mostly connected with scientific dialogue with industrial partners.
Maurizio Vretenar is an accelerator physicist who joined CERN in 1988 to take part in the design, construction, and operation of linear accelerators. From 2008 to 2017 he has been Project Leader for the construction of Linac4, the new particle injector for the CERN accelerator complex. Since 2013 he is engaged in a parallel activity as Coordinator of large EU-supported projects for joint particle accelerator R&D, taking responsibility of EuCARD-2, of ARIES, and of the new innovation-oriented IFAST. In recent years he has been increasingly active in the field of societal applications of accelerators, in particular in the medical field where he is presently leading the Next Ion Medical Machine Study (NIMMS), a new CERN initiative in the field of accelerators for cancer therapy with ions.
Toms Torims holds a doctoral degree in engineering sciences from Riga Technical University (RTU). He is full professor at RTU and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Particle Physics and Accelerator Technologies, Cooperation Associate and Latvian National Contact point at European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN). Prof. Torims is conducting his scientific and research activities in several international research projects (I.FAST, HITRIplus, NIMMS etc.) at CERN and is supervising number PhD students in the field of the manufacturing engineering and accelerator technologies. He is author of more than 100 scientific articles, co-author of 5 university textbooks and several international patents. Current research interests: advanced manufacturing technologies and in-situ repair technologies, societal applications of the accelerator technologies.
https://iglortd.org/ IGLO is an informal association of 28 Brussels-based National level non-profit R&D Liaison Offices representing in Brussels National Innovation or Research authorities. National authorities are executive agencies of Ministries responsible for R&D policies.
Funded by the NextGen project
