The ERCIM Working Group "Matrix Computations & Statistics" is changing its name to "COMPUTING & STATISTICS". The WG will expand its aims and scopes and attract more members from researchers working in the interface of computing and statistics.
Keith Jeffery, Director for IT at CCLRC, has been reelected ERCIM president for the next 2 years during the bi-annual Board of Directors meeting in Nice, France,in October 2006.
Keith took office as ERCIM president on 1st January 2005.
ERCIM has signed the 'Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities' on 30 October 2006. The Berlin Declaration states that, "Establishing open access as a worthwhile procedure ideally requires the active commitment of each and every individual producer of scientific knowledge and holder of cultural heritage".
The ERCIM Working Group SESAMI on "Smarts Environments and Systems for Ambient Intelligence" (http://www.ics.forth.gr/sesami/) has been officially formed in mid 2006 and is co-chaired by Anthony Savidis (FORTH) and Norbert Streitz (Fraunhofer). It succeeded in bringing together a selected group of internationally renowned experts in the field, displaying a very good balance of ERCIM and non-ERCIM institutions.