Elvira Fortunato appointed to new group of scientific advisors to the European Commission

The European Commission today launched its new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) with the announcement of the composition of the first High-Level Group of scientific advisers to the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas. Among the seven advisors is Elvira Fortunato , Director of CENIMAT and i3N, Full Professor and member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT-NOVA).

Elvira Fortunato paved the way for transparent electronics in Europe by demonstrating that oxide materials behave like true semiconductors and creating thin-film transistors based on oxide semiconductors. In 2008 he received an Advanced Grant , in the first Call from the European Research Council (ERC). That year, with his colleagues, he built the first paper transistor, launching a whole new field – paper electronics.

His work has been recognized internationally through numerous scientific and civil awards, such as the decoration with the Grand Order of Infante D. Henrique (by the President of the Republic, in 2010). Elvira Fortunato was a member of the National Council for Science and Technology (CNCT) and also a member of the advisory board of DG CONNECT.

The High Level Group of Scientific Advisers supports the development of European policies or legislation by the European Commission with high-quality, timely, independent scientific advice based on the best available scientific evidence. The advisors also have the mission of supporting the Commission in identifying public policies that need independent scientific advice.

The members of the High Level Group , selected following a call for nominations and based on the recommendations of an independent identification committee, are:

• Janusz M. Bujnicki ( Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering , International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology , Warsaw)
• Pearl Dykstra (Professor of Sociology, Erasmus University , Rotterdam)
• Elvira Fortunato (Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universidade Nova de Lisboa)
• Rolf-Dieter Heuer (Director General, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN))
• Julia Slingo ( Chief Scientist , Met Office , Exeter)
• Cédric Villani ( Institut Henri Poincaré , Paris)
• Henrik C. Wegener ( Technical University of Denmark )

The Commission's SAM mechanism includes €6 million in funding to support collaborations between European scientific societies and academies to provide scientific advice on public policy. According to the Commission, this funding and the High Level Group signal “a new approach to independent scientific advice in the European Commission’s policy-making process”.