The Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has been observing the 20th anniversary of its origin. This month we feature an interview with the first president of the ASCR. Professor Rudolf Zahradnik, who merited attained international acclaim by restoring the strength and integrity of this scientific institution. Professor Zahradnik also provided the cntical impetus to not only democratize the Czech Academy but to reintegrate it within the global scientific community.
The mission of the conference held from 7 to 10 October 2008 was two-fold. The first was to focus on these women from all over the world who discussed their own experiences, both good and bad. The participants promoted their own individual research, as well as established contact with international colleagues in an effort to have greater access to funding for continuing their research. The second aspect of the conference directly addressed a problem of the low numbers of women entering the field of physics. Delegates discussed efforts to promote women in physics in their own country as well as promoting women in physics on the international scale. and Raji Heyrovska, Jarmila Kodymova, Vera Hamplova.
In this issue, we feature an interview with Phillipe Lebaube, head of the CORDIS Unit of EU’s Publication, for a detailed view on its activities. CORDIS, information space devoted to European research and development and technology transfer, has been in operation for nearly two decades now. and Anna Vosečková.