Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting opened with attendance of German president

The 65th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting was opened on Sunday in southern German city of Lindau, attracting 65 Nobel Laureates and 651 selected young scientists from all over the world.

Forty-four Chinese young scientists, the third largest group after Germany and the United States, attended the yearly event, which will last until Friday, according to the official statistics.

Among guests from about 88 countries and regions, German President Joachim Gauck, who is the fifth president to take part in the meeting, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, calling for open debate in science.

Gauck stressed that research should primarily serve the people and researchers should always consider whether their inventions and scientific methods are consistent with human dignity enshrined in the Basic Law.

"To inspire and motivate young scientists and researchers is the key concern of this meeting," said the president of the council Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg in her opening speech, adding that the dedicated and inquisitive young people were the main reason for the Nobel laureates to be here.

This year's meeting is dedicated to three scientific Nobel Prize disciplines, medicine, physics and chemistry. In the light of the increasingly interdisciplinary science sector, the programme addresses among other issues the question of whether future breakthroughs in key areas can be expected from the interplay of different research branches, according to the organizer. Endit