DRAFT PROGRAMME
Thursday 9th April 2026
10:00 – 10:40 | Welcome/Opening session
- Allen WEEKS, Director General, ELI ERIC
- Tomas SZUNYOG, Director South and South East European Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
- Belen DEL CERRO GORDO, Board of PERIIA – Pan European Research Infrastructure ILO Association, CDTI
- Alessandro LOMBARDO, Central European Initiative, co-chair of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance
- Catarina SAHLBERG, Programme Director, Big Science Sweden
10:40 – 11:15 | Keynote: what is Big Science?
- Paolo ACUNZO, ELI ILO Network, PERIIA, ENEA
- Jose Luis MARTINEZ PENA, Chair of ESFRI – European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure, CSIC
11:15– 12:15 | Perspectives and experiences
- BSBF – Big Science Business Forum.
Jan VISSER, BigScience.NL coordinator & CERN ILO Network, PERIIA, Nikhef - Industry in Big Science.
Belen DEL CERRO GORDO, Vice-chair F4E ILO Network, PERIIA, CDTI - Big Science Diplomacy in Switzerland: Universities, Industry, and Future Workforce.
Barbora BRUANT GULEJOVA, University of Zurich / CHEF Swiss High Energy Physics for FCC - Multidisciplinary training for Big Science Organizations: creating a European Big Science Masterclass program.
Simone ARNALDI, University of Trieste
12:15– 12:30 | Q/A and open discussion
- Paolo ACUNZO, ELI ILO Network, PERIIA, ENEA
12:30– 13:30 | Lunch break
13:30– 14:15 | A geographic focus on Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
- Little Big Science.
Jana PIVONKOVA, Shareholder Liaison at European XFEL - Curculating Excellence: Rethinking Research Mobility in Western Balkans'
Pradeep GHOSH, Head of International Cooperation, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH. - ILO Iniative on Ukraine.
Jan LUNDIN, CEO of RI Logistica
14:15– 14:45 | Keynote: what is Science Diplomacy?
- Mitchell YOUNG, Charles University
14:45– 15:30 | Perspectives and experiences
- Science Diplomacy at ELI.
Naďa WITZANYOVA, External Affairs, ELI ERIC - Marek VYŠINKA, Responsible for RI programme, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic
- COST Action “Science in Diplomacy network” (SiDnet): multidisciplinary, intersectoral perspectives on Big Science.
Gianluigi RIVA, SiDnet COST Action
15:30 - 15:45 | Q/A and open discussion
Chair: Alessandro LOMBARDO, Central European Initiative, co-chair of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance
16:00 | Conclusions and follow ups
16:30 | Tour of ELI - Extreme Light Infrastructure
