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01/11/14
Research, Innovation and Science

Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn delivers keynote address at the International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI)

© EU, 2014 - Commissioner at the Acropolis Museum, together with Mr. Dimitrios Pandermalis, President of the Board of Directors of the Acropolis Museum, and Mr. Christos Vasilakos, Secretary General for Research and Technology at the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.
"Europe's genius for innovation and invention can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece but […] the innovation challenges that our continent faces are so great that they demand action on a Europe-wide scale"


 

International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI)

Athens, 2 April 2014

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted to be with you in Athens today.

It's a pleasure to see you again, Minister Arvanitopoulos, and also Dr Christos Vasilakos, who I know is an expert in research infrastructures from his time at the European Commission.

Who can come to Athens without seeing one of the jewels for which the city is most famous?

Earlier today I had the privilege of a guided tour of the Acropolis museum. There I saw a wonderful demonstration of research infrastructure in action. High-power laser technology is being used to preserve ancient works of art.

This is a great example of state-of-the-art technology meeting ancient craftsmanship. It shows perfectly how research infrastructures cannot just support cutting edge research, but can also preserve and showcase our cultural heritage – something that is so important for Greece and for Europe.

Europe's genius for innovation and invention can be traced all the way back to ancient Greece. But coming back to the present, the innovation challenges that our continent faces are so great that they demand action on a Europe-wide scale.

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