Creativity and imagination play a vital role in the development of science, insofar as one of the main objectives of science is to shape (imagine) the future. Scientific knowledge and understanding springs from such creative, curiosity-driven research where often serendipity provides the final push, which has proven itself to be the only road to new paradigms and true innovation. Moreover, one should not overlook the cultural impact of scientific research, training through research and science-based education. It is the principal method by which members of society mature to critical, rational, and independently thinking citizens. A modern developed scientific society must, therefore, nurture a strong scientific sector, both in education and research, in order to address its technological and societal challenges.

Although important progress has been made and is expected in specific areas of knowledge, the interlinking of different developments in separate areas of science is crucial to address some of the grand scientific and social challenges that lay ahead us, such as the climate change or understanding life. Interdisciplinary allows interconnections to be made between many areas of knowledge (involving physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry) in such a way that the whole body of connected ideas might suddenly expand due to small advances within the islands of specialized knowledge.

In this meeting, we will look at all these aspects to explore what makes us, human beings, really unique in nature: our ability to imagine and shape the future by making use of the scientific method.