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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, today welcomed Dublin’s hosting of the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF). ESOF is Europe’s largest general science meeting and is held in a leading European city every two years in a city selected as the "City of Science".

The Forum attracts the world’s leading scientific researchers, business leaders and senior EU officials who come to discuss the best of European science and to address the current major global scientific challenges, including the important topic of Food Security.

Over 5,000 international delegates are expected to attend ESOF throughout the week and the Minister acknowledged "the significant boost to the economy arising from Dublin’s hosting of the event".

One of the keynote events of ESOF from an agriculture perspective takes places on Friday 13^th July when Teagasc, on behalf of the EU Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change, will host the ‘Great Debate on the Battle to Feed a Changing Planet.’ Minister Coveney welcomed this initiative saying "I would like to congratulate Teagasc for bringing such a topical issue to the forefront of a major international scientific conference. We are all aware of the huge challenges facing the planet in terms of feeding an increased population with ever decreasing natural resources". The Minister went on to reaffirm Ireland’s commitment to JPI’s saying "Ireland is fully committed to the concept of Joint Programming Initiatives and I have no doubt that the Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change JPI will drive the scientific advances needed to substantially increase world food production in a sustainable manner".

The Minister went on to say he "welcomed all European officials and scientists attending the Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change Scientific Mapping meeting which is scheduled to coincide with the ESOF Conference". The event, which is the 3rd mapping meeting in the series, is taking place on the 11-12^th July at the Department’s Backweston Campus. The objective of the mapping meetings is to identify all relevant research being carried out across all member countries with the ultimate aim of facilitating alignment of relevant research programmes.

The Minister concluded by acknowledging the role of the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Paddy Cunningham saying "I would like to sincerely congratulate Paddy for his tireless efforts in bringing the ESOF Conference to Ireland which has resulted in Dublin being acknowledged as the City of Science throughout 2012".

Note for Editor

ESOF conference from 11^th - 15^th July at the Convention Centre is the marquee event of a year long celebration of Dublin being the 2012 City of Science".