Event to discuss appliance of science

Turning astronomy into business, helping more spin-outs to form, and how companies and win research money from the EU are just a few of the topics up for discussion during the Euroscience Open Forum conference taking place this July in Dublin.

The conference includes a major Science-2-Business section with a wide range of topics all linked to helping encourage researchers to commercialise their discoveries and turn ideas into companies and jobs.

Minister of State for Research Seán Sherlock was on hand earlier today to unveil the ESOF 2012 Science-2-Business programme at Trinity College Dublin. The programme was closely linked to current Government policy to transform the outputs of publicly funded research into successful business and products, Mr Sherlock said.

The ESOF meeting will bring 5,000 delegates to Dublin in July. It includes a number of sections, including an extensive science programme, the Science-2-Business and a careers programme and entire day of talks related to science policy.

Science-2-Business includes presentations on how companies and university researchers can benefit from collaborating, why gender seems to make a difference when it comes to entrepreneurship and how to turn astronomy into business.

An Invention Convention is planned for July 12th where academic would be entrepreneurs get a chance to pitch their ideas. The top 15 will go forward and meet business "angels" who will help them bring their ideas to market.

The programme includes keynote addresses by business leaders including Dr Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech. He started with €8,000 and built up an international billion euro company.

ESOF will be the largest single science meeting occurring anywhere in Europe during 2012. It takes place from July 11th through 15th at the Dublin Convention Centre. There are also a wide range of free public events taking place across Dublin during that week. For more information visit esof2012.org and dublinscience2012.ie