60 years of science for society: 1957-2017: An artist's view

The Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's science and knowledge service, turned sixty in 2017. Established in 1957 as part of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) with the initial name Joint (Nuclear) Research Centre it was created as a collaboration with the original six Member States to do research on the development of nuclear technology for civilian purposes. After its foundation the JRC established its first four sites (Ispra/Italy, Karlsruhe/Germany, Petten/The Netherlands, and Geel/Belgium). From the exclusive focus on nuclear research, over the years the JRC expanded into many non-nuclear research fields and today its mission is to support EU policies with relevant scientific evidence through knowledge management. In the booklet three main periods of the JRC's history are reflected: the early years from 1957 to 1967 when the sites and international teams of young brilliant scientists were set up; the phase from 1968 to 1986, a period of transition and redefinition of priorities beyond nuclear research; and the period from 1987 until present during which the fifth JRC site in Seville (1994) was established and in 2016 the DG JRC developed its actual mission and strategy.The "JRC's Strategy 2030" defined the JRC as the science and knowledge service of the Commission, supporting EU policies with independent scientific evidence throughout the whole policy cycle. Having the life of the citizen at its core, the JRC contributes as a knowledge producer and knowledge manager with its activities dedicated to secure energy supplies, economy and finance, a healthy and safe environment, sustainable mobility and consumer health and safety providing its expertise to the policy making process. This booklet attempts to tell the story of the JRC with a new science-based artistic visualisation of information and data contained in 60 years of archived documents. On the basis of an initial body of documents the JRC's history is depicted as a visual experiment with keywords and their relations over time. The interplay of science, ICT and art becomes a journey through JRC's history.JRC.A.3-Inter-institutional, International Relations and Outreac