From left to right: Pavel Kabat, Caroline Zorn, Warwick Anderson, Takeshi Akamatsu
On July 21st, Caroline Zorn, Vice President of the Eurométropole of Strasbourg, France, presided over a meeting that included His Excellency Mr. Takeshi Akamatsu, Consul General of Japan, Strasbourg, the outgoing HFSPO Secretary-General, Warwick Anderson and his newly appointed successor, Pavel Kabat. Other participants were Jacques Demotes-Mainard, Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI), who represents France on the HFSPO Board of Trustees, Kazuhiko Saigo, Director of the Strasbourg office of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and representatives of the Eurométropole and HFSPO.
Consul General Akamatsu thanked Warwick Anderson for his outstanding achievements in modernising HFSPO and negotiating a new agreement of the HFSPO Members that implement the Program.
Warwick Anderson thanked Japan for their continued support of HFSPO and for maintaining the vision of its founder, former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Nakasone, to create HFSPO as a way to foster science without borders. He emphasized that biology has changed dramatically by adopting quantitative approaches and therefore HFSPO’s mandate is still crucial in providing support for basic research. He went on to say that during his six-year tenure, one could see biology changing in real time with new approaches and technologies emerging constantly.
Pavel Kabat, the newly appointed HFSPO Secretary-General, thanked Warwick for his help during the transition period and expressed his desire to engage closely with the Eurométropole of Strasbourg. He provided an outline of his vision for HFSPO to evolve as an international hub for science in Strasbourg.
Jacques Demotes-Mainard highlighted the close and successful relationship between Warwick Anderson and the Board of Trustees. He emphasized the need for maintaining HFSPO’s funding programs as signals of support for international collaboration and multidisciplinary research.
Caroline Zorn welcomed the vision and ideas of the new Secretary-General as they align well with the ambitions of the Eurométropole of Strasbourg.
The Eurométropole of Strasbourg is recognized as a center of excellence for scientific research and local scientists are very successful in gaining financial support from HFSP and continue to be competitive in the global research landscape. Strasbourg is also an important host city for foreign scholars that join local research laboratories and Strasbourg based research contributes significantly to the overall success of France in HFSP competitions. Beyond support for academic research, HFSPO’s prestige adds to the Eurométropole of Strasbourg’s reputation as an international hub for research excellence.