Seite 1 von 9 Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung DIE SENATORIN Senatsempfang anlässlich der Particles and Nuclei International Conference 2014 am 25. August 2014, 19 Uhr, Rathaus, Festsaal Es gilt das gesprochene Wort. Dear Vice-President of the Hamburg Parliament, Dear Prof. Graener, Dear Prof. Mnich, Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to our city. On behalf of the Hamburg senate, I take great pleasure in welcoming you to the Grand Ballroom here in our city hall.
Seite 2 von 9 I am very pleased to see you have chosen to come in such large numbers. I know exactly what receptions at scientific meetings are like: quite tired from attending the many presentations you would like nothing more than to relax a little, together with a few colleagues you haven t seen for a long time. And you have no desire to spend the evening listening to even more speeches... But then you might have thought to yourself: the food is probably good (I can assure you: it is!) And maybe the setting will at least allow some time to chat and talk with other conference participants... Yes, there'll be time for that, too. We'll do our very best to make you feel at home. I think the best place to start is with a brief look at Hamburg s history: maybe one or two of you asked yourselves when you registered for the Panic conference: Why exactly is it called the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg?
Seite 3 von 9 Let me explain this by drawing your attention to this mural painting by Hugo Vogel. It dates from 1906 and appears to show a bishop blessing the air in front of him. A respectful distance away some down-trodden looking men are standing around and looking slightly perplexed. The scene actually depicts the Christianisation of Hamburg by Archbishop Ansgar under Charlemagne in 830. In the two previous versions of the same scene, a heathen kneels before the archbishop waiting to be blessed. The story goes that when the senate saw this picture, they claimed it simply couldn't be true, because the kneeling heathen could never be a free citizen of Hamburg. Nobody from Hamburg would ever go down on his knees before a bishop -- or even for the emperor for that matter. His civic pride would forbid such a demonstration of inferiority.
Seite 4 von 9 Which is why the artist had to paint over the kneeling figure. In the final version there is no kneeling person shown at all, and the bishop is shown blessing empty space. Ladies and Gentlemen, this picture reflects the essence of Hamburg s selfidentity. It symbolises the pride of Hamburg s merchants and illustrates the importance attached by the Free and Hanseatic city to its freedom and its independence. The shield on our coat of arms the Hammaburg with its closed gate has also symbolised the city s independence for many centuries. And although we may laugh about this anecdote today, the desire for the greatest possible autonomy continues to characterise our business and political activities today. I am sure our chancellor, Angela Merkel, would confirm that at any time...
Seite 5 von 9 Which brings me to the topic of our inherent respect for the freedom of others. This is an attitude embodied for example in our interpretation of the constitutionally guaranteed freedom for research and teaching - more specifically: the autonomy of the universities and the independence of non-university research institutions within our city. Of course we want to know how universities and nonuniversity research organisations are spending our tax money. I think it is equally natural for us to ask how science can help shape the future here in Hamburg and in our society in general. Our universities and non-university research organisations have developed individual profiles in some cases: international renown. They cover a broad range of disciplines. This is the level a ministry pays attention to in order to identify deficiencies and strengths of the scientific output as a whole.
Seite 6 von 9 Having said that, ever since Archimedes we are aware that the best results come from researchers whose circles are disturbed as little as possible - from those who can freely pursue their curiosity and follow their urge to discover the novel, the innovative. Scientists bear a great deal of responsibility for society. Still, they should not feel pressured to prove that their findings have some sort of short-term practical application. This bottom-up approach is very much to my liking. We seek to support the curiosity of science. We deliberately promote researchers with a long-term vision; who delve into the questions of humanity, even if they themselves have little prospect of actually arriving at a final solution during their own lifetimes. Regard for instance the particle physicists! The emotional tears of a certain professor Higgs during that historic press conference on 4 July 2012 at CERN
Seite 7 von 9 are absolutely understandable against this background. And I am sure that here in Hamburg some colleagues will have shed a tear or two, as well. As far as Hamburg as a city of science is concerned, the discovery of the Higgs particle was definitely a welcome reward for more than 50 years of support for DESY, the German Electron Synchrotron, and the Bahrenfeld university campus; and of nearly one century of excellent physics research at the University of Hamburg. The fact that Hamburg is host to PANIC 14, the 20th Particles and Nuclei International Conference, is also a pleasing endorsement of the outstanding reputation enjoyed by Hamburg s particle physics throughout the world. Ladies and Gentlemen, as you see, even politicians can sometimes look beyond the immediate parliamentary term. Let me add
Seite 8 von 9 that especially amongst us Hamburg politicians, scientists definitely enjoy a great degree of trust. However, the discovery of the Higgs particle marks not only the start of a new era in particle research. It is also true that new strategies are needed in research communications despite all respect for scientific curiosity. Any field of science requiring major research facilities in their present day dimensions and dependent on funding at its current scale will be under pressure to provide justification for the investment. In order to construct the XFEL, the European x-ray free electron laser, expenditure by the federal government, Hamburg and other German states in excess of one billion Euros is necessary. The building needed for the Center for Free Electron Laser Science was financed by Hamburg to the tune of 50 million euros. Not to mention a whole series of other projects and research
Seite 9 von 9 investments in the field of biological structure research and in many other fields. Ladies and Gentlemen, bearing this background in mind, we would indeed be more than happy if you soon came up with some first indications about the nature of dark matter. Who knows, maybe Archbishop Ansgar is actually gazing into dark matter or even into a black hole in the painting. Let me close by wishing you a pleasant evening and an enjoyable conference!