High-level event during ERC visit to Denmark

The ERC governing body will gather in Copenhagen from 7-10 October for its plenary meeting and two public events will take place, in conjunction with Denmark’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. A livestreamed event on competitiveness will feature leading voices from the world of research such as Denmark’s Minister for Higher Education & Science Christina Egelund, Nobel Laureate Anne L’Huillier and Millennium Technology & Breakthrough Prize Laureate Sir David Klenerman. Another event will focus on frontier research in Denmark. In partnership with the University of Copenhagen, the visit will also serve as opportunity for the ERC Scientific Council to meet policy-makers, ERC grantees and the research community. 

Watch the event

Tuesday 7 October 2025

15.00 - 18.00 | Competitiveness through frontier research
 
In person attendance upon invitation only.

Programme

Amongst the speakers in this event with an international outlook are: 

• Christina Egelund, Minister for Higher Education and Science of Denmark
• Anne L’Huillier, Nobel laureate and ERC grantee
• Sir David Klenerman, Millennium Technology & Breakthrough Prize Laureate and ERC grantee
• Maria Leptin, ERC President
• Jesper Q. Svejstrup, ERC Vice-President
• David D. Lassen, Rector of University of Copenhagen
• Manuel Heitor, former Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal and Chair of Expert Group for Horizon Europe
• Maria Cristina Messa, Scientific Director of the IRCCS Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation and former Minister of University and Research, Italy
• Ernst Kuipers, Vice President (Research) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and former Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands
• Diarmuid O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer, Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland

 Watch the event

Wednesday 8 October 2025

09.00 - 12.30 | Frontier Research in Denmark

In person event.

Programme

The University of Copenhagen and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences invite the scientific community to join this event highlighting groundbreaking research taking place in Denmark and exploring the "Danish Model" in frontier science. Speakers include the ERC leadership and ERC grantees, amongst others.

Pre-event

As a prelude to the ERC visit, an event took place on 17 September in Copenhagen at the French Embassy to Denmark with Minister Christina Egelund, ERC Vice-President Jesper Q. Svejstrup and other speakers from the field of science and in the presence of ERC Scientific Council member Liselotte Højgaard and Ambassador Christophe Parisot. The event explored how Europe can safeguard curiosity-driven science in a rapidly changing world, with an emphasis on the next framework programme for R&I, as well as the role of organisations that back independent, ambitious and long-term science. The discussions also focused on how foundations contribute in Denmark and France to the fundamental research ecosystem.