Press release: ScanBalt Academy launched at the opening of ScanBalt Forum

ScanBalt Academy launched at the opening of ScanBalt Forum.

Press Release:  21 September 2006.

Today at the opening of ScanBalt Forum in Tartu, Estonia, the ScanBalt Academy was officially launched by it’s President, professor Kaare Norum, Norway.

ScanBalt Academy is an independent advisory body to ScanBalt. The aims are to ensure quality of research, education and projects within ScanBalt BioRegion. At the launch twenty five members were inaugurated into the Academy, among them nobel prize laureate Arvid Karlsson.

Other speakers expressed on the first day of ScanBalt Forum their belief in the role of ScanBalt.

Vice secretary general Kristjan Haller, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research said that an organisation like ScanBalt can assist to reverse brain drain and attract highly qualified people back to ScanBalt BioRegion.Vice president Esa Toumi, Nordea in Poland, proposed ScanBalt to take the initiative creating a financial round table, which can lead to public-private partnerships in ScanBalt BioRegion. ScanBalt by vice chairman Jaanus Pikani agreed to the proposal.

Per Unckel, general secretary of the Nordic Council of Ministers, told it is not necessary to go to China to find interesting investment possibilities, they are right here in the Baltic Sea Region. He added that collaboration within the Baltic Sea Region is of great importance for the region and gives critical mass to collaborate with others outside the region.

Valdis Krastins, Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) expressed that ScanBalt is a concrete and important step in the right direction to break down barriers in the Baltic sea region. He underlined the importance of the link between the project activities in ScanBalt and the policy level in CBSS.

For further information please contact:
Peter Frank
General secretary, ScanBalt
Arne Jacobsens Alle 15, 2
2300 Copenhagen S
Mob +45 27 14 1078
www.scanbalt.org