In a big election year, Brussel’s first Nobel Prize Dialogue will gather Nobel Prize laureates, thought leaders and scientists for an exciting evening about how to strengthen democracy.

For the first time, Nobel Prize Outreach and the European Research Council are partnering to organise a Nobel Prize Dialogue in Brussels. In a year when citizens will cast their votes in elections across the world, not least the European elections in June 2024, we are turning our attention to the art and science of democracy and decision-making.

A constellation of Nobel Prize laureates, world-leading scientists and thinkers will discuss how to make democracies stronger for tomorrow’s global challenges, not least through the latest science.

Democratic societies rely on fact-based world views and science but also on the narratives that can bring together large, diverse communities. At a time when democracies are straining to cope with ongoing crises and long-term existential challenges, this topic is more important than ever.

This event is organised under the auspices of the Belgium Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Watch the recording
 

Programme:

19.00 - 21.00 | Bozar, Brussels  

Opening remarks  

• Maria Leptin, ERC President, and Anna Sjöström Douagi, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Nobel Foundation

Facts, fictions and democracy
Meet two remarkable women risking their lives to protect democracy and human rights. 

• Maria Ressa, Journalist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2021
• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 2022

Interviewer: Adam Smith

Decoding democracies
What goes through our minds when we think about voting? Scientists are exploring how the digital revolution affects voter behaviour, polarisation and movement building. This can inform how we protect democracies.

• Michael Bruter, ERC grantee, Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science
• Emilie Caspar, ERC grantee, Professor at Ghent University, Belgium
• Stefania Milan, ERC grantee, Professor at University of Amsterdam

Moderator: Méabh Mc Mahon

AI, science and society
AI will have a big impact on science, society and democracy. We are at the beginning of this journey. How do we capture the opportunities and manage the risks?

• Demis Hassabis, Co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind
• Věra Jourová, European Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency 
• Paul Nurse, Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2001
• Ben Feringa, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry 2016, ERC Scientific Council member

Moderator: Maria Leptin

Valuing democracy
Have faith in democracy. It is the best way to drive human progress. The good news is that democratic processes can be made stronger.

• Maria Ressa, Journalist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2021
• Paul Nurse, Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine 2001
• Ben Feringa, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry 2016, ERC Scientific Council member
• Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 2022

Moderator: Adam Smith

Closing remarks

Contact:  

For media enquiries please contact ERC, or Rebecka Oxelström