Research Councils from Europe at ICM 2010

For mathematicians the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2010) in Hyderabad, India, is an outstanding event. From 19 to 27 August 2010 several thousand scientists will meet and discuss questions from all areas of mathematical research. In 2010 the three major research councils from Europe, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the British Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), take the opportunity to jointly present their work. At their joint exhibition booth visitors can interact with programme managers and gather information on national research funding activities in these three European countries and on opportunities for the support of international cooperation and joint research projects. The international visitors get an idea about how research funding in Europe is organised and how scientists from abroad can benefit.

The exhibition is open during the whole congress in the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), and the joint European booth is organised with the strong support of the DFG Office India in New Delhi. Staff from all three councils will be present to provide information about existing mathematical research or national and international funding opportunities. Handouts, booklets and other material will be available.

The ICM takes place every four years. The last one was held in 2006 in Madrid, Spain. At the opening of the congress the renowned Fields Medals will be awarded to outstanding mathematicians. The scientific questions discussed during the ICM cover the whole spectrum and scope of mathematical research. In 20 sections researchers deal with topics from the foundations and history of mathematics over theoretical mathematics to rather applied problems. The ICM also offers fora on mathematics education and its interactions with science, technology, society and public.

The DFG, the EPSRC and the NWO provide funding, in competition, for a significant percentage of all mathematical research in their respective country. The agencies have their national research priorities, but also pay a lot of attention to fostering international cooperation and the rapidly increasing cooperation between the European councils in the field of mathematical research. As a consequence new opportunities for cooperative research have come up.