Manchester takes on mantle of European City of Science
MANCHESTER has been officially named the European City of Science at a ceremony in Copenhagen.
The honour will be held for two years as the city builds towards hosting Europe’s largest general scientific conference, ESOF – the EuroScience Open Forum – in summer 2016.
ESOF is a biennial, pan-European convention that will attract 4,500 delegates to Manchester, generating more than £8m for the city region’s economy.
The event is dedicated to scientific research and innovation. It has just completed its 2014 programme in the city of Copenhagen.
Speaking at the handover ceremony held today in Copenhagen, Manchester Lord Mayor Susan Cooley, said: “We’re thrilled that Manchester is now recognised as the European City of Science and will be pulling out all stops to build on the incredible effort that has made ESOF 2014 such a huge success here in Denmark.
“Manchester has a long and proud association with scientific achievement from the work of John Dalton on atomic theory to the first programmable computer and the recent discovery of the advanced material, Graphene.
“And with Manchester presently making significant progress across numerous exciting areas of discovery including artificial intelligence, smart textiles, and acoustics technology, there has never been a better time for the city to be recognised in this way.”
Klaus Bock, ESOF champion for 2014, said: “Manchester has a lot to live up to; however, with such a rich scientific history we are certain that the city will deliver a brilliant event in 2016.”
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, ESOF Champion for 2016, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Europe’s greatest scientific gathering. This will bring to Manchester outstanding scientists and technology business leaders from all over the world and will open our doors to those at the very first stages of a scientific career.”
