European Group of Life Sciences Wraps Up: Conclusions of 4 years work

The European Group of Life Sciences (EGLS), established in 2000 to advise the Commission on current and future life science technologies, has completed its mandate. The group wrapped up its work with a number of conclusions on the relationship between science and society, as well as other challenges facing Europe in the future.

As highlighted by Victor de Lorenzo, EGLS President since 2002, modern life sciences have led to huge expectation in relation to improving health, agriculture and the environment. They have also opened up new avenues for key industrial sectors, including energy production, chemical engineering and the development of materials. Yet these advances have not always gained acceptance by society.

The EGLS has identified 15 scientific challenges that it believes can contribute to tackling the above societal problems, and which could be used to shape the European research agenda in the coming years. The areas selected are diverse, and include food supply and natural resources, microbial lifestyles and the microbial metagenome, stem cells, infectious diseases, regulations, systems biology, synthetic biology and education. Some of these must be priorities in Europe in order to ensure human survival, while others promise a better quality of life. Knowledge in all of these fields is also likely to boost economic competitiveness, particularly in those that are only beginning to emerge now.

Read the full story, and download the final report, here.

News Source: Cordis Rapidus