Together with almost twenty researchers, all from different disciplines, NWO is organising the very first edition of Life on 28 and 29 May 2019 in Bunnik: a brand new, unique, national congress covering the Dutch Life Sciences in the widest sense of the word, from femtometer to kilometer, from cell to planet.
Life is meant to connect senior and junior researchers from all different disciplines in the life sciences. To explore and push boundaries, to lively discuss new or desirable developments in the field, to get inspired by each other’s research and approaches and to start new interdisciplinary collaborations.
“Communication in Life” is the title of Life2019. This is spot-on: Communication is of vital importance for life, from the smallest (cell) to the largest level (planet). Communication between researchers in the broad field of the life sciences is essential to optimally benefit from the enormous amount of research that is being performed, and from the knowledge and expertise that is already present. Communication is what NWO wants to facilitate with this congress.
Several internationally renowned speakers have already confirmed their oral presentation: Iain Couzin (keynote on collective behaviour), Sigal Ben Yehuda (communication between bacteria), Wolf Reik (epigenetic reprogramming), Hans Clevers (communication of stem cells in the intestine). And several other very inspiring researchers from abroad are currently being invited or have provisionally confirmed.
Dolf Weijers (WUR, Botany, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry), chair of the dedicated programme committee: “The Netherlands boasts fantastic researchers in many areas within the life sciences…that never meet. I am very excited to contribute to creating a venue to unite the Dutch life sciences, and look forward to being inspired by new colleagues that I will meet there.”
The website www.nwolife.nl is open for registration from 1 December 2018.