French President Hollande to EuroFora: Shanghai link to Strasbourg Franco-German Education/Research

 

 
*Strasbourg/ISIS-University Palace/Angelo Marcopolo/- A clear intention to develop Franco-German integration, particularly at its Historic and GeoPolitical Core : Strasbourg's area of Superior Rhine ("OberRhine"), mainly on Education and Research, in order to boost Europe's role in the World, starting on the occasion of the forthcoming, Bilateral Inter-Governemental Summit, scheduled for February 19 at the Elysée Palace in Paris, may be extended, sooner or later, in one way or another, also as far as up to China's Shanghai, it  results from what French President François Hollande said here in reply to "EuroFora"'s questioning, and other relevant developments :

- "Yes !", Strasbourg-related High-Tech Research/University Education "could develop certain relations" also "to what France has recently created at Shanghai", in China, f.ex. the "Paris-Tech" Training for Engineers, established inside the famous Jiao Tong University Campus, while also boosting some Bio-Tech Research Projects at the local "Pasteur" Labos, during the 1st Official Visit of the French President in China on April 2013, Hollande replied positively, in substance, to a relevant "EuroFora"s Question Today.         

Significantly, the French President engaged willingly in that question/reply with "EuroFora" while visiting the famous "Science and Supra-Molecular Engineering Institute" ("ISIS" in French), of Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry, Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, in the exceptional presence also of recent Nobel co-winner Martin Karplus (USA), Director of its Bio-Physical Chemistry Labo, before arriving at Professor Marescaux's well-known "IRCAD" Research Institute against Cancer, where he has notoriously developed a Visualy-Driven Mini-Invasive Surgery and PC-managed long-distance Tele-Surgery (as f.ex. his landmark 2001 achievement to operate a patient in Strasbourg from New York), recently boosted by his "Visual Patient" 3D-Picture Software for simulation/operation help, while also Training, meanwhile, almost 40.000 Surgeons from more than 100 Countries.

Lehn and Marescaux were already the main Winners, since 2011-2012, among the 1st "Initiatives of Excellence", funded by the "Investments for the Future", which had been established by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the base of the "Great Loan" launched then for a Total Sum of some 35 Billions €, succeeding to bring Strasbourg's University Research almost at the 1st rank among the 8 Best Universities in France, chosen for the pertinence of their projects. Developing further his main theory on "Supra-Molecular Chemistry", with a focus on "Self-Organisation" and "Adaptative" processus, able to "respond" to external environment Stimulus, up to the level of Genes, Lehn attracted to ISIS also Karplus' research on Chemical reactions and Biology, including equations on translating  Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (RMN in French) signals into structural information at a Molecular level. While, at the same time, Marescaux was extending his 3D Image-driven mini-invasive Surgery towards including even Human Brain, as well as down at a Nano-Technology level, operating through PC-monitored Robotic devices approaching a Supra-Molecular level, (i.e. probably heading towards making a junction with Lehn's research area)...

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    At any case, Hollande stressed the importance of "International Cooperation,  Visibility, Attractivity and Mobility" for University Education and Research, as a matter of priority, in the "aim to get among the Best Universities in the World, which will allow us to keep our rank in the Scientific and Economic Competition Worldwide", as he said.

*     At a subsequent Question raised by "EuroFora", on how will be measured the "International Visibility" (etc) of those Universities which are due to be funded by the extension of such "Investments for the Future", (i.e. "according to the famous Shanghai's Ranking of World Universities, or with the Alternative International University Ranking curently prepared by EU Commissioner on Education Androula Vassiliou from Cyprus (Comp. Vassiliou's relevant Statements to "EuroFora"), or some other Criteria ?", the French Presidency's Reply pointed rather at the 3rd Option, by reminding that during Hollande's recent Visit to China on April 2013, "Shanghai (Jiao Tong) University's President, told me that, Comparing among Foreign Universities was like measuring Animals in a Zoo !"...

    => - "In fact, until now, there are various Ranking methods for Universities, with deficiencies and advantages, but not yet an ideal one. That's why it's still better to use multiple approaches, based on pertinent, concrete facts, the French Presidency's 2nd reply to "Eurofora"s subsequent question went on to add. While Elysée's Education Counselor pointed, f.ex. to "the University of Grenoble", (base of current University/Research Minister Fioraso's husband), which didn't  yet get any IF award at the 1st round, but could, probably, succeed this time (i.e. to be inside the Group of "Other Universities", (in addition to the 1st Group of 8 Universities, starting with Strasbourg, which had  won the 1st round of selected projects to be funded with "Investments for the Future", already during his precedessor; Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential mandate.

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+ But what was more original, this time, was Hollande's wish to stress Franco-German cooperation prospects in Higher Education and Research, supported by Strasbourg University's President, Alain Beretz (a Pharmacologist due to  take over the rotating Chair of the "League of European Research Unhiversities  : LERU, from May 2014), during a landmark Debate, together with nearby Friburg University's Rector Hans-Jochen Schiever, (a specialist of European Culture, who succeeded to attract several "Initiatives of Excellence" funded by "Investments for the Future" at Friburg, and long-time LERU Leader), with several Young Students of Strasbourg University's Bi-Lingual, Franco-German courses, which can cover all areas (from Natural to Human and Social Sciences, Literature, Management, Journalism, etc), delivering Bi-National Degrees at the level of Bachelor and/or Master, in partnership with German Universities :

- Beretz (who had been complaining in the Past about alleged Bureaucratic Difficulties in Franco-German Universities' Cooperation) suddenly asked Hollande if it could become possible to "Hire a Professor" paid by (and used at) both a French and a German Universities, taken together, from both sides of the Rhine River... This gave an opportunity to trigger a  Fast Reply by Hollande, who anounced that the creation of such a kind of Franco-German University, extending  manifold Cooperation activities in Education and Research on both sides of the Rhine, could be discussed, at the forthcoming Franco-German Summit, next February 19, at Elysée Palace in Paris. 

 

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    + Such Franco-German cooperations could also be usefully extended even abroad, i.e. in Education and/or Scientific Research Etablissments located at several key Foreign Countries, where, until now, EU Member Countries face separated, and, therefore, comparatively weaker, a too Strong Competition mainly from American, particularly USA-related preparatory High Schools, Colleges and Private Universities which can gather important material means and exerce an important Influence on Foreign Students' choice of the Country towards which they plan to pursue a University career, as observed f. ex. to "EuroFora" a Young Scientist from Strasbourg University, Dr. Constantin Marcopoulos, who acquired an Experience in Teaching Physics and Science in English language  for almost 2 Years in Shanghai, China's most Internationalized and super-active, fast-developing Mega-pole. - "Why, then, doesn't the EU, at least starting by its Franco-German core, create joint European High Education establishments throughout certain Strategic Importance Cities at key countries accross the World, including f.ex. here at Shanghai, in order to become really able to succesfully face a strong American a.o. Competition, instead of each one staying alone in his comparatively small national outlets ?", he wondered.

        Meanwhile, however, Minister for Higher Education and Research, Geneviève Fioraso, questioned by several Journalists right in front of "EuroFora" about Statistics reportedly revealing a growing number of Young French Scientists being expatriated in order to work at Foreign Countries, repeatedly Promised that "we (the French Government) shall convince them to return back to France", by adequately attractive policies.

 

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     In fact, the potential creation of an "Ober-Rhein" area University, bringing together French, German and Swiss Highest Education and Scientific Research at the Upper Rhine Trans-Border Region, had been earlier discussed also between "EuroFora" and Strasbourg University's former vice-President in charge of Research, world-famous Professor Michel Granet, Head of the "Globe Institute", a seismologue expert consulted by mainstream Global Media on various exceptionaly important events around the World, during a Press Conference that he had given as early as back since the Autumn 2012, after a Hearing organized at this same Historic University Palace building, but upstairs, for the preparation of his Report on the current situation and the Future of Scientific Research in the Alsace Region.

    But with the important Difference that the main Focus of that Superior Rhine Euro-Region's mega-University, discussed 2 Years earlier by Professor Granet and "EuroFora", was supposed to point rather at the Direction of lato-sensu "Earth Sciences", (i.e., f.ex., Geology, Space, Environment, History, Sociology, Economy, Law, Politics, Energy,  Transports and Communications, etc, according to a Distinction established since 2005 by the PanEuropean Foundation of Science vis a vis the "Bio-Sciences", such as : Medicine and Health, Drugs, Genetics, Psychology, BioEthics, Morals, Population, Biology, Cognitive sciences, Artificial Intelligence, etc), as we initially suggested, and/or towards "Sustainable Development", as Granet reacted to our proposal, by pointing at Alsace Region's President Philippe Richert's idea, which included Nature, Environment and Climate protection, Energy efficiency and Buildings' Thermal Isolation, Forestry and Agricultural Research, preventing Air Polution and boosting Air Quality both Outdoors and in Confined Spaces, CO2 Emissions' reduction and innovative E-Transports, etc). 

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    However, by limiting now that Franco-German ambition only to "Bio-Medical" issues, as Hollande was apparently incited to imply Today not only by Beretz's personal specialisation in Pharmacology/Drugs, and/or  even Fioraso' Husband's reported use of Nuclear/sub-Atomic Beams in order to Explore and/or Act on Human Bodies (as it's becoming recently usual in several adequately equiped Big Hospitalo-Universitarian complexes in the USA and many other Countries), but also by mentioning as unique example a "need to massively Invest in Systems' Biology", with all its "Mathematical and/or Computer Tools", in order "to handle a growing Mass of Data", etc.,  i.e. the focus turning exclusively on Human Biology, Health and development, (an area of unquestionably crucial Importance Today and linked to many High-Tech. Innovations), it naturally also synonumous into entering inside a space which has recently started to inevitably raise more and more BioEthical issues of fundamental importance for Humankind, (as reminded, f.ex., indirectly but surely, the two latest controversial "BioEthic Forum" Annual Events, organized in Strasbourg on 2013 and 2014, which focused mainly on Genetic Manipulations of Human Embryos, and on manipulating the Human Brain, respectively, by a coincidence just a few Months after a controversial Fioraso Law  just abolished in France the Interdiction of Genetic Tests on Human Embryos from 2013)..

 

    + French President Hollande reminded, by the way, that the latest among the 3 Nobel Prize co-Winners who work or cooperate systematically with Strasbourg's University, Professor Karplus, a North-American Citizen of Austrian origin, had already been obliged to leave Europe with his Family in order to search Refuge in the USA because of the NAZI persecution of Jews and various Dissidents, (a fact which could also explain why Karplus had already created Personal Links with Strasbourg : A City with a notoriously strong Jewish Community, much of which came from former Refugees who had fled persecution, as his impressively Thoughtful, Serious and a little-bit Sad Expression that he spontaneously showed us when "EuroFora" simply evoked in front of him the reasons for which his Family had personal links in Strasbourg in the Past, apparently revealed.

 

    => Topically, Hollande's move at Strasbourg's University came the Same Day that Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann, together with the new President of CoE's PanEuropean Assembly, Anne Brasseur from Luxembourg, (comp. other NewsReport with Brasseur's Replies to "EuroFora"s Questions), and other Officials from the CoE, the Israeli Knesset, etc, officially commemorated, in a special Ceremony in front of the CoE, the 2014 Annual Anniversary for the Memory of the Holocaust, during which Chancellor Fayman denounced the fact that NAZI's concentration camps had esterminated even "any Thousands of Children", launching a call to be always vigilent so that "it never happens again", while President Brasseur focused on a formerly Deported dissident's Letter where he described mainly the fact that the most Horrible sufferings for NAZI's detainees were those who threatened to destroy their "Human Dignity".

    >>> In addition, indeed, to the infamous so-called "Medical Tests" with which Aushwitz's NAZI Concentration Camp's "Dr. Mengele" has notoriously destroyed Thousands of defenceless People, (reproducing at a greater scale the First Horrible, Deadly "Tests" to which the former Othoman-Turc Empire had reportedly submitted defenseless prisoners during the 1915-1922 Armenian Genocide), the "European Centre of Deported Resistants", in cooperation with the Network for Shoa's Memorial, invited "EuroFora" this week in a series of events organized on the occasion of the "International Day for the Memory of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity", recognized and celebrated also by the UNO, during which it was officially reminded that the nearby NAZI Concentration Camp of Struthof/Natzweiler, had been used also in order to "collect" a selection of Jewish a.o. People kidnapped from various Countries all over Europe in order to be submitted into Atrocious "Anatomic Tests", their Heads, Bones and Muscles being abused as banal "Raw Material" for the Experiments and "Studies" of a Maverick "Dr. Hirt", former Professor of Anatomy in Strasbourg's University during the NAZI Occupation, for the purposes of which, some 110 Victims were chosen among the Detainees, <<86 of whom, Men and Women, were killed by Gas, in order to serve as Guinea Pigs in the name of "Science">>, their Names  being remembered in a special Memorial built later-on inside Strasbourg's Israeli Graveyard at the Cronenbourg district.      

 

    As "EuroFora" found after the Annual Ceremony at Strasbourg's Israeli Graveyard, that specific Memorial has written at the Marble that "here lay the Bodies of 86 Jews, Men and Women, brought from various Concentration Camps of Eastern Europe, to the Struthof Camp. Dead after Atrocious Sufferings, having being abused as Human Guinea Pigs, in the name of a Science serving the Evil".

    - On the contrary, "there mustn't be any Distinction between Science and Progress for all Humanity", added topically the French President to his written, Draft Speech at the ISIS (comp. Supra).                  

    This special Memorial, obviously calling for Vigilence against more Crimes against Humanity by some abusive Technocrats, reminds facts until "September 1945", was erected on "1955", and put at the lime-light during this year's (2014) commemoration, i.e. practically at the eve of its 2015  Anniversary next year...