Prof. Janusz Bujnicki, Head of the Laboratory of Bioinformatics is one of the members who will form the first High Level Group of scientific advisors appointed by the European Commission.

The objectives and tasks of the Group are set out in a Commission Decision which also establishes how topics will be identified, how the Group will conduct its tasks, and the transparency of the Group's activities.

The seven members of the High Level Group were selected following an open call for nominations and the recommendations of an independent identification committee. They are:

1. Janusz M. Bujnicki, Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Poland
2. Pearl Dykstra, Professor of Sociology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
3. Elvira Fortunato, Professor, Materials Science Department of the Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University, Lisbon, Portugal
4. Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Director-General, European Organization for Nuclear Research
5. Julia Slingo, Chief Scientist, Met Office, Exeter
6. Cédric Villani, Director, Henri Poincaré Institute, Paris, France
7. Henrik C. Wegener, Executive Vice President, Chief Academic Officer and Provost, Technical University of Denmark

The European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Carlos Moedas appointed an Identification Committee consisting of three high-level scientists to propose a shortlist of candidates for the High Level Group of scientific advisors (HLG) under the new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM).

The leading European networks of research organizations and academies were invited to make nominations. Having analyzed the 162 nominations that were submitted by 10 September 2015, the Committee proposed to Commissioner Moedas a short list of suitable candidates for the HLG. The short list included a recommendation for seven identified members to be appointed for the first two and a half years, renewable once.