Jan Hrusak appointed new Chair of ESFRI

In the setting of the Old Fortress of Corfu, Greece, during the 65th Plenary Forum Meeting, Jan Hrušák has been elected by the delegates and appointed new Chair of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures – ESFRI, his two-year term starting on 1 January 2019. Inmaculada Figueroa was the second candidate for the postition.

 

With a vision to enable ESFRI to become a global partner in the RI ecosystem and an active player in discussions concerning RIs, EOSC and open science agenda, Jan Hrusak will begin his term a few months after the official announcement of Roadmap 2018, the strategic report on Research Infrastructures which demonstrates the dynamism of the European scientific community and the commitment of Member States to develop new research infrastructures at the European level.

 

As Jan has stated right after the announcement of his election:

 

"My priorities, in the short term, consist of tasks such as continuously improving the Roadmap processes including monitoring mechanisms. I also consider it very important to built on the collective expertise of ESFRI improving its capicity to provide stratigic advice in RI related areas. In the longer term, my wish would be to strengthen the role of ESFRI in contribuiting to the European integration and turn it into a global player"

 

Giorgio Rossi, the outgoing ESFRI Chair expressed his deepest wishes for a successful chairmanship.

 

Dr Jan Hrušák is working at the Czech Academy of Sciences and since 1995 has accumulated sizable experience in the fields of research infrastructures. He has been deeply involved in research policies including strategy setting for the Operational program “Research and Development for Innovation”. Since 2007, Jan Hrušák has been a member of the “Council for large research infrastructures”, an advisory body at the Ministry of Education, Youth and sports (MEYS), the authority for research in the Czech Republic. Jan Hrušák has served for more than ten years as the Czech delegate to ESFRI, the last 4 years also acting as an EB member. More recently he was chairing the ESFRI ad hoc Working Group on Long Term Sustainability of RIs.