Foundation of the Non-Profit "BEL Center"
Pictures of the event are HERE
Press release HERE
(FR version, NL version)
| On September 8th, 2020, the
Rectors of the 4 universities (KULeuven, UClouvain, VUB,
ULB) or their representatives met in Brussels to sign the convention creating the "BEL Center" non-profit. This makes now the collaboration of these leading institutions in Fundamental Interactions research official, and opens the way to the planned activities (see the manifest here). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ceremony was kept to a small number of participants (see below). Apart from the Rectors or their representatives, the members of the non-profit General Assembly and Board had to attend. |
| Inspiration was given
through 2 keynotes speeches, one by Minister
Barbara Trachte, Secretary of State (Brussels Region),
which offered the beautiful location of the Tournay
Solvay castle, and, of course of Nobel
Laureate 2013 François Englert, who reminded us
of the history of this collaboration, but also insisted
on the importance of fundamental research.These words
will serve as inspiration for the action of the BEL
Center and are reproduced below. |
"I wish however
to issue a final comment: Fundamental research in
science is the
quest for a rational understanding of nature. But presently, it is losing its appeal and is even often despised in some parts of the western world where in fact it was born with the Renaissance revolution and became an essential element of our Culture. Its fading may signal the surge of irrational, destructive and dangerous ideologies, which so often in the past have been the support of barbarity and are again threatening today by the violence they carry. It is therefore essential that BEL be not only a success in research but invent and provide an adequate diffusion to all levels of learning of the results stemming from fundamental research." |
| Pictures of the event are HERE |
| Participants : representatives of the instiutions: Profs. Yvon Englert, Rector, ULB, Caroline Pauwels, Rector, VUB Gerard Govers, Vice-Rector, KULeuven, Jean-Cristophe Renauld, Pro-Rector, UCLouvain, and M. Pierre Gurdjan, Chair of the Board, ULB, members of the" BEL Center" board : Profs Jean-Marie Frère (chair), Ben Craps (vice-Chair), Fabio Maltoni (secretary) and Piet Van Duppen (treasurer) other members of the General Assembly: Profs Daniele Carati, Michel Devillers, Alexander Sevrin, Antoine Van Proeyen, |