Think of all the things we use that come from basic research: computers, lasers, medical imaging devices like MRIs and CT scans, global positioning systems, encryption systems that allow us to do our banking, Teflon, and the Internet.

Applications will stretch from laser or ink jet printing systems to ultrasonic imaging systems by way of industrial control under extreme conditions.

Health services and medical technologies In addition to these two main targets, the new programme proposed by the Commission should cover a whole range of topics that have either already been studied in the context of previous programmes or are entirely new, concerning several major areas of medical research: age-related health problems (research on cataracts, brain ageing, the epidemiology and prevention of dementia, etc.); health services research (evaluation of screening programmes, the development of out-patient care, etc.); and medical technology (nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging or positron emission tomography, EEG comput ...[+++]er programs, medical applications for lasers, etc.).

In my presentation, I read off all sorts of things that came out of basic research that are important to us: computers, lasers, medical imaging devices, global positioning systems, encryption, Teflon, the Internet, and so forth.