08:30
09:00
Symposium Agenda
SESAME - ALLAN, JORDAN - 28 OCTOBER 2026
09:00
09:30
Opening remarks
Speakers
Maria Cristina Russo
Deputy Director-General for Innovation, Prosperity and International Cooperation, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
Abou Amani
Assistant Director-General for Sciences a.i., UNESCO [tbc]
Petra Kežman
Deputy Secretary-General, Union for the Mediterranean
Khaled Toukan
Director, SESAME
Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas
Head of the EU Delegation to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Azmi Mahafzah
Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Moderator
Gihan Kamel
IR Beamline Principal Scientist, SESAME
09:30
09:45
Opening keynote
Speaker
Maria Cristina Russo
Deputy Director-General for Innovation, Prosperity and International Cooperation, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
09:45
11:00
Session 1
Science diplomacy in a fragmented world
Speakers
Robbert Dijkgraaf
President, International Science Council (ISC)
Karen Hallberg
Secretary-General, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry
Co-chair, PRIMA Foundation (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area), former President, Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI)
Shani Edri
Director of International Relations, Israel Ministry of Innovation, Science & Technology [tbc]
Maria Rentetzi
Chair, EU Science Diplomacy Alliance
Moderator
Jan Marco Müller
Team Leader Global Approach, Multilateral Dialogue and Science Diplomacy, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
11:00
11:30
Coffee break
11:30
12:00
Keynotes
Moderator
Zehra Sayers
Professor of Biophysics, Sabancı University
Keynote 1
The role of research and technology infrastructures in science diplomacy
Speaker
HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan
President, Royal Scientific Society
Keynote 2
CERN and SESAME as lighthouses of science diplomacy
Speaker
Rolf-Dieter Heuer
President, SESAME Council
12:00
13:15
Session 2
Research and technology infrastructures as instruments of international cooperation and peace building
Speakers
Atish Dabholkar
Director, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Tareq Abu Hamed
Director, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Steffen Seibert
Former Ambassador of Germany in Israel
Kherieh Rassas
President, Union of Mediterranean Universities (UNIMED)
Najat Saliba
American University of Beirut, Member of Parliament, Lebanon
Muhammad Adeel
Science Diplomacy Coordinator, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan [tbc]
Moderator
Amal Kasry
Chief of Section for Basic Sciences, Engineering, Technology & Innovation, UNESCO
13:15
15:15
Lunch break & SESAME tours (in groups)
15:15
15:30
Coffee break
15:30
16:45
Session 3
Research and technology infrastructures as instruments of competitiveness
Speakers
Krystel Khalil
Programs Director, Berytech, Lebanon [tbc]
Wejdan Abu Elhaija
President, Princess Sumaya University for Technology [tbc]
Fabio Taucer
Adviser for Research Infrastructures, Joint Research Centre, European Commission [tbc]
Moderator
Giuseppe Provenzano
Research and Innovation Lead, Union for the Mediterranean
16:45
17:30
Voices of young researchers providing examples of research at SESAME
Speakers
Ali Karatutlu
Assistant Professor, Sivas University of Science and Technology
Anis Fatima
Technical Research Specialist, The Cyprus Institute
Devis Montroni
Research Fellow, University of Bologna [tbc]
Zeynep Reyhan Öztürk
TXPES Beamline Scientist, SESAME
Yuko Miyauchi
Research Fellow, SESAME
Moderator
Ahmed Bassalat
An-Najah National University, Palestine
17:30
17:45
Break
17:45
19:00
Session 4
Possible futures for SESAME
Speakers
David Nusbaum
Senior Science Diplomacy Advisor, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) [online intervention]
Nisreen AL-Hmoud
Director Bio-Safety & Bio-Security Centre, Royal Scientific Society
Sherine Khattab
Ministry Coordinator for Relations with the European Union, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt; Co-Chair of the UfM Working Group on Mobility of Researchers, Capacity Building and Science Diplomacy [tbc]
Marilena Rossano
Head of International Relations, National Research Council (CNR), Italy; Co-Chair of the UfM Working Group on Mobility of Researchers, Capacity Building and Science Diplomacy
Ed Mitchell
Head of Business Development, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
Simon Connell
Chair of the Executive Committee, African Light Source Foundation
Arash Sadeghipanah
Deputy Director for Science and Technology, Iranian Light Source Facility (ILSF), Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences [online intervention]
Moderator
Ursula Bassler
Director for Stakeholder Relations, CERN
19:00
19:15
Closing remarks
Speakers
Maria Cristina Russo
Deputy Director-General for Innovation, Prosperity and International Cooperation, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
Khaled Toukan
Director, SESAME
Moderator
Vassilis Tsakalos
Director of Research and Technical Support, The Cyprus Institute
19:15
19:30
End of symposium
19:30
22:00
Dinner / Cultural event
22:00