30/11/2022

EU-LIFE marks its 10th anniversary with a call for envisioning the research centres of the future

The alliance of research institutes EU-LIFE celebrates its 10th anniversary with the conference Envisioning the research centres of the future, which will be held on 6-7 June 2023 and hosted by the distinguished Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal.

EU-LIFE conference ‘Envisioning the research places of the future’


The objective of the conference is to imagine how the places where research takes place shall be in the future to empower scientists, promote ground-breaking discoveries and actively engage with society. Members and leaders of the scientific community, as well as policy makers, are invited to join the event.

“The first ten years of EU-LIFE were a fantastic ride. Now we want to create opportunities to go beyond the practical approach of everyday life and imagine what the ideal places to do science can be. The goal of this conference is to inspire researchers, professionals in the interface of science and policy makers, and to provide them with time and space to creatively imagine our future,” said Mónica Bettencourt-Dias, Chair of EU-LIFE and Director of Instituto Gulbenkian Ciência (IGC).

The programme includes inspirational sessions and keynote talks on proactivity, creativity, collaboration and multidisciplinarity. In order to provide a platform for our members and stakeholders to showcase initiatives that are enhancing research organisations, there will be the chance to present a poster. The call for posters opens today and abstracts will be admitted until mid-February.

During the event there will be also time to highlight the most impactful EU-LIFE activities to date, as well as its vision for the future. 

“We are immensely proud of EU-LIFE’s first ten years of work towards excellence in research and of our success in being a voice for independent research institutes in European policy. Expanding the alliance with new members and broadening the interaction with the scientific community at large and other players in the research ecosystem, as well as citizens, are some of our immediate priorities,“ said Marta Agostinho, Executive Director of EU-LIFE.

In addition, the essay contest Utopia Research Institute will be launched early next year in collaboration with Nature. The aim of the contest is to encourage reflection and generate new ideas on the ideal research institute. If you are interested in sharing your vision, please sign up here to receive updates and tips on how to write a good essay.

The ideas generated in the conference and the essay contest will be taken into consideration by EU-LIFE for future initiatives.