9-11 November 2008

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The regular EIROforum Spring Assembly 2008 (the joint meeting of the EIROforum Directors General and the Coordination Group) took place at the ESO Paranal Observatory, the primary observing site of ESO and home to the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced ground-based, optical/near-infrared telescope. The Paranal Observatory is located far away from human civilisation in one of the driest areas on Planet Earth that conjures up images of the surface of Mars or similar to the visitors.

EIROforum has passed through a complete cycle of chairmanships, so the participants used their visit to this isolated place as an opportunity to take stock of the partnership, including an in-depth assessment of the results achieved so far, and to consider the future direction for EIROforum. The Council saw the following areas as focus areas for EIROforum in the time to come:

• Recruitment & mobility of high-level workforce
  Attracting skilled technicians and engineers
  Balancing of gender, diversity
• Technology (including IT and instrumentation)
  Exchange of best practice
  Flexibility in Technology Transfer
• The role of Europe's Intergovernmental Research Organisations on the global stage
  Continuing the development of a balanced relationship with EU Providing focused support of Education and Outreach activities, especially science teachers and national media; continued support for Science in School

Following a well established tradition in connection with visits to the host organisation, organised tours were arranged to ESO's facilities at Paranal as well as a post-meeting tour of the Chajnantor site, at 5 000 m elevation, where ESO is currently involved in the construction of the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA) in collaboration with North American and East Asian partners.