Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, met with Ecsite President Robert Firmhofer at Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland, on 1 July, 2011.

Barosso made clear that he is very impressed by the Copernicus Science Centre after previewing its state-of-the-art full dome planetarium and browsing its galleries of experiments.

“This is the kind of spirit that I’d like to see all over the Europe, a spirit of commitment to science, to innovation, to research, to keep Europe in the front line of this area – that is in fact where we can really get more benefits for our competition,” Barosso said.

During the visit, Barroso also acknowledged the role science centres can play in the dissemination of EU- funded research projects.

Firmhofer, in discussion with Barosso, presented science centres as places of innovation, both technological and social, where all stakeholders of the innovation process meet – including researchers, innovators, investors, policymakers, media and the public.

Barroso was in Poland for the start of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council.