SPEECH00313.doc

SPEECH/00/313 Mr Philippe Busquin Member of the European Commission responsible for Research Science, Technology and Society in the 21st century Conference: Science, Technology and Society in the 21st century Santander, 18 September 2000 Minister, State Secretary, Ladies and Gentlemen, At the end of last year, following a wide-ranging consultation process, the American Time magazine decided to award the title of Personality of the 20th Century to Albert Einstein. The reason given for this choice, a difficult one considering all the possible candidates, was that no other personality, however important their role may have been, better symbolised the century that was coming to an end than the illustrious physician. The 20th Century was, therefore, the century of science and technology, but all the signs are that this will apply even more to the 21st Century. However, it will undoubtedly be different. As the great biologist Peter Medawar put it so succinctly, science will no doubt remain the most successful human activity ever undertaken. And it will continue to have a decisive impact on innovation, industrial competitiveness and economic growth for which research accounts for 50% or more. However, the relationships between science, technology and society will inevitably change significantly, as has constantly happened in the past. The changing relationships between science, technology and society The image of science and technology today and their relationships with society are significantly different from what they were 20 or 30 years ago. The following examples can be given: the proliferation of scientific and technological knowledge production sites in addition to the additional specialised institutions; the fact that the bulk of research (and even basic research) activities are conducted with a view to possible applications; the growing link between advances in knowledge and technologies and economic, financial and commercial interests; the increasingly systemat