Bira Van Kolck, director of research in the Pole of Theoretical Physics, was elected at the beginning of August at the Academia Europea. This academy is a European non-governmental association, founded in Cambridge in 1988 on the initiative of Hubert Curien, in particular, which aims to promote education and research. Its aim is to express the ideas and opinions of scientists to make recommendations to national governments and international agencies on issues affecting science, scholarships and academic life in Europe.
The Academia Europaea brings together more than 2,000 personalities from 35 European countries and 8 non-European countries in a wide variety of research fields. Each department has a committee which elects new members: membership of the Academia Europaea is a distinction awarded to people who have demonstrated "sustained academic excellence".