Third World Congress for Freedom of Scientific Research

EU Preparatory meeting
November 14-15, 2013
European Parliament, Brussels

Draft Program – also in PDF

Thursday 14th
(2.30pm – 8pm)

Opening Session

Introduction and Chair:
Marco Cappato – World Congress Coordinator
Emma Bonino – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy
Guy Verhostadt * – Leader, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Tonio Borg – European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy

First Session
What and Who is Science For?

• What are the obstacles to scientific research?
• How can citizens benefit from scientific knowledge?
• Does political liberty need science freedom?
• Do constitutional democracies need basic science education?
• Can we measure the freedom of research worldwide?
• How can basic research improve clinical treatment?

Chair:
Simona Giordano – Reader in Bioethics, University of Manchester,
Niccolò Rinaldi – Member of the European Parliament, Italy

Presentation of World Congress Studies
• Ideas and analyses for an “International Science Freedom Index”
by Andrea Boggio – Assistant Professor of Legal Studies, Bryant University

• A bibliometric analysis of the freedom and innovation in biomedical research worldwide
by Andrea Ballabeni – Adjunct Assistant Professor of Natural and Applied Sciences, Bentley University

Lectures
John Sulston – Biologist, 2002 Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine
John Harris – Director, Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation, University of Manchester
Paola Testori Coggi – Directorate-General for Health and Consumers, European Commission

• Polio vaccinations WHO program under fundamentalists’ threats
by Bruce Aylward * – Assistant Director-General for Polio & Emergencies, World Health Organization

• A new agenda for patients’ and citizens’ empowerment in the life sciences
by Giuseppe Testa –

• The power of the stem cell movement
by Bernard Siegel – Executive Director, Genetics Policy Institute

Discussants:
Filippo Buccella * – Executive Committee, Treat-NMD Alliance
Joep Geraedts – Professor of Genetics and Cell Biology, Maastricht University
Nathalie Griesbeck – Member of the European Parliament, France
Marisa Jaconi – Department of Pathology, University of Geneva
Lucio Piccirillo – Professor of Radioastronomy Technology, University of Manchester
Evy Reviers – Board of Directors, International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations

Friday 15th
(9am – 2pm)

Second Session
Regulating innovations without penalising wellness and freedom

– Patent laws between economy and epistemology
– Open access to innovations: a solution for every season?
– New frontiers of biomedicine regulation: the challenges of regenerative cell therapies
– The social cost of clinical trials
– Is it possible to innovate in illiberal and theocratic countries?
– The regulation of reproductive technology: the need for an European harmonisation

Chair:
Gilberto Corbellini – Professor of history of medicine, “La Sapienza” University of Rome
Maria Da Graça Carvalho – Member of the European Parliament, Portugal

David Harmon – Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science

Presentation of World Congress Studies
• Intellectual property and scientific research freedom: investigating a complex relationship
by Amedeo Santosuosso – President, European Centre for Law, Science and New Technologies

Carlo Colombo – University of Pavia

• Social Role of Science and WHO
by Aabdul Ghaffar – Executive Director, Alliance for Health Policy and systems research (World Health Organization)

Lectures
• Science and Islam: fundamentalist threats to scientific knowledge
by Faouzia Farida Charfi – Physicist, former Secretary of State for Higher Education, Tunisia

Bernat Soria – Scientist and former Minister of Health, Spain

• The role of supranational Courts in protecting the right to health and the freedom scientific inquiry
by Filomena Gallo – Secretary General, Luca Coscioni Association

[French decision makers about the new law on human embryonic stem cell research]*

Discussants:
Paolo Bianco – Professor of Anatomy and Histopathology, “La Sapienza” University of Rome
Philippe Busquin – former European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
Marielle De Sarnez – Member of the European Parliament, France
Cristiana Muscardini – Member of the European Parliament, Italy
Oreste Rossi – Member of the European Parliament, Italy
Piergiorgio Strata – Professor Emeritus of Neurophysiology, University of Turin
Marco Pannella – Leader, Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty

* invited/TBC

III Session
The road ahead

Chair:
Michele De Luca – Co-President, Luca Coscioni Association

Marco Perduca – former Senator (Radical Party), Italy

Among those participating:

Sarah Chan – Deputy Director, Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation, University of Manchester

David Lawrence – Research Administrator, Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation, University of Manchester

Open-ended discussion on actions to be taken and the new issues to be discussed in preparation of the Third World Congress to be held in Rome, 4-6 April 2014.

           
The World Congress for Freedom of Scientific Research is an intellectual and political area of international discussion on emerging issues related to scientific research and technological innovations which turn out to be morally, religiously, politically, legally and socially controversial. It is sponsored by Luca Coscioni Association for Freedom of Scientific Research and Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty. The World Congress for Freedom of Scientific Research was founded in Rome in 2004 and in view of the first decennial anniversary and of the third international meeting, the promoters organise – with the help of ALDE group – at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels a preliminary meeting.
            The goal of the Bruxelles’ meeting is to address some hot issues concerning the international debates on the social role of science and the challenges that the regulation of technological innovations are facing, in a critical transition phase of the global and local economies and policies of research and development. The initiative is also aimed at fostering the discussion on the issues that will be more helpful to address as part of the Third World Congress to be held in Rome from 4 to 6 April 2014.
            The preliminary discussion is also open to those who were invited but could not attend the meeting in Brussels. The organising committee will evaluate and respond to all proposals of interventions and topics in view of the organisation and planning the programme of the third world meeting.

Versione in italiano