Dublin’s bid for the 2012 European City of Science was unveiled today by Lord Mayor Eibhlin Byrne and Technology Minister Dr Jimmy Devins.
The capital city’s aim is to attract 8,000 Irish and international delegates to the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF) in four years’ time. Barcelona held the most recent event, which took place earlier this month and attracted around 5,000 participants.
With the deadline for proposals in September, Vienna is the only other declared candidate at this stage with Copenhagen also expressing interest.
Ms Byrne said that in 2012 it will have been 80 years since Ernest Walton won the Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on atomic structures. He remains the only Irishman to have won the prestigious prize for science. The Lord Mayor said a successful Dublin bid would be a fitting way to celebrate his achievements.
Mr Devins said the forum would provide a unique opportunity to promote the value of investing in science and showcase the research being carried out in Ireland across all disciplines.
The European City of Science is a relatively new EU supported programme that chooses a city every other year.
Stockholm was the first city in 2004, followed by Munich in 2006 and Barcelona this year.