Since the crisis started in Wuhan, global cities have been hit the hardest. The spread of the virus around the world has forced governments to cooperate, both horizontally and vertically. Why is science diplomacy key to addressing global health crises? How can local institutions deploy a diplomatic strategy to deal with them? Cities like Barcelona have a world-class research and innovation ecosystem. What is the global contribution of their research groups and companies to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Speakers for this event include:
- Oriol Mitjà. Associate Professor at Research Institute Germans Trias i Pujol and Associate researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) (TBC)
- Alfonso Valencia. Director of the Life Sciences Department at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS)
- Laura Lechuga. Leader of the Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2)
- Esteve Almirall. Director of the Center for Innovation in Cities at ESADE Business School
- Moderator: Miquel Molina. Deputy Director at La Vanguardia.
This is the third event of the #SciDipTalks series. SciTech DiploHub has partnered with other organizations to put forward 5 online sessions with leading world experts that will explore the role of international cooperation in the current crisis; the European response to COVID-19; the impact of cities, and particularly Barcelona, in global mitigation efforts; the responses to pandemics in Iberoamerica and the threats and opportunities of new technologies. Be sure to check the other ones out.