DLD Video
Science Works: The Power of Basic Research
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown both the benefits of science as well as the need to explain its benefits better, as Ann-Kristin Achleitner (University of Munich) and Robbert Dijkgraaf (Institute of Advanced Study) discuss in their DLD Summer conversation.
The corona crisis is “a pivotal moment for science”, Dijkgraaf says, because it demonstrated that basic research pays off. “The vaccines that were delivered were amazing… The earliest vaccines were also based on the most innovative technology – a technology that was in development for at least 30 years.”
The pandemic also shows, the Princeton researcher says, that “we are indeed in an extremely complicated world that only gets more complicated”.
Robbert Dijkgraaf
Institute for Advanced Study
Robbert Dijkgraaf is director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He is known for his significant contributions to string theory and to the interface between mathematics and particle physics. In 2003, he received the Spinoza Prize, the top scientific award in the Netherlands. (Photo: Gabi Porter)
Ann-Kristin Achleitner
Technical University Munich (TUM)
Ann-Kristin Achleitner is Professor of Entrepreneurial Finance at Technical University of Munich (TUM). She has held the Chair of Entrepreneurial Finance since 2001 and has been Scientific Co-Director at the Center for Entrepreneurial and Financial Studies TUM since 2003. She is a member of the supervisory boards of Deutsche Börse AG, Linde AG, METRO AG, MunichRe and serves on the board of directors of ENGIE SA.