REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 08239097 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1149638
Report of the Trustees (incorporating Strategic Report) and Financial Statements for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
for
THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Hill Wooldridge & Co. Limited Statutory Auditor & Chartered Accountants 107 Hindes Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 1RU THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
Page
Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report 1 to 13
Report of the Independent Auditors 14 to 15
Statement of Financial Activities 16
Balance Sheet 17
Cash Flow Statement 18
Notes to the Cash Flow Statement 19
Notes to the Financial Statements 20 to 28
THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report, which incorporates the strategic report, with the financial statements of the charity for the period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities' issued in March 2005.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number 08239097 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number 1149638
Registered office 98 Regent Street Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB2 1DP
Trustees I Pecht Secretary General appointed 3.10.12 S Papa Chair, Executive Committee appointed 1.1.13 term ended 31.12.13 M A De La Rosa Vice Chair, Executive Committee (1/1/2013 – appointed 1.1.13 31/12/2013); Chair (from 1/1/2014) A Fersht Treasurer appointed 3.10.12 A Szewczyk Congress Counsellor appointed 1.1.13 L Fésüs Chair, Publications Committee appointed 3.10.12 V Rubio Chair, Fellowships Committee appointed 1.1.13 term ended 31.12.13 J Jarv Chair, Advanced Courses Committee appointed 1.1.13 resigned 12.7.13 G G Akdoǧan Chair, Education Committee appointed 1.1.13 J H Weil Chair, Science and Society Committee appointed 1.1.13 M Sprinzl Chair, Working Group on Integration appointed 1.1.13 C Rodrigues Pousada Chair, Working Group on the Careers of Young appointed 1.1.13 Scientists C Arraiano Chair, Working Group on Women in Science appointed 1.1.14 A Hartig (new) Chair, Fellowships Committee appointed 1.1.14 A Gabibov (new) Vice Chair, Executive Committee appointed 1.1.14
Company Secretary I Pecht Secretary General appointed 3.10.12
Auditors Hill Wooldridge & Co. Limited 107 Hindes Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 1RU
Page 1 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Bankers The Royal Bank of Scotland 171 Tottenham Court Road London W1P 0DL United Kingdom
Deutsche Bank Filiale Heidelberg Adenauerplatz 1 69115 Heidelberg Germany
Investment managers Deutsche Bank Filiale Heidelberg Adenauerplatz 1 69115 Heidelberg Germany
Restructuring of FEBS 2012–2013 The reason for the different start dates for the financial statements and summary of activities relates to the restructuring of FEBS in 2012–2013. As explained in the FEBS 2012 Annual Report and Accounts (available from the FEBS website at http://www.febs.org/about us/annual reports/), FEBS has recently changed its structure from an unincorporated charity (registered charity number 261793) to a charitable company. For this restructuring, FEBS first established a company limited by guarantee (registered company 08239097) on 3 October 2012, which was then registered as a charity (registered charity number 1149638) with charitable objects akin to those which FEBS already had. The majority of FEBS' assets were then donated to the new charitable company on 1 January 2013 and limited liabilities were assumed by the new FEBS. Employees of the unincorporated entity were transferred to the new charitable company under TUPE ['Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006'].
A cash fund of €1,233,196 (£1,000,000) was retained by the unincorporated FEBS to settle outstanding liabilities and meet any unanticipated obligations. These funds were donated to the new FEBS in July 2013, and notification to the Charity Commission of the dissolution of the unincorporated FEBS charity was supported by an audited statement of the final fund donation. Removal of the unincorporated FEBS as a registered charity by the Charity Commission was complete by 19 September 2013.
As a result of this restructuring, note that reference to previous years’ expenditure and income figures in this FEBS Annual Report for 2013 for the new FEBS entity relates to the financial statements in the last Annual Report for the unincorporated FEBS entity [FEBS 2012 Annual Report and Accounts (for the period ended 31 March 2013); available at http://www.febs.org/about us/annual reports/].
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MAINTENANCE
Constitution FEBS is registered as a charity (registered charity number 1149638), and is a company limited by guarantee (registered company number 08239097). The Memorandum and Articles of Association by which FEBS was governed in 2013 can be found at Appendix 1.
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Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MAINTENANCE
Organization and membership FEBS was founded on 1st January 1964 and is a Federation of biochemistry and molecular biology societies. In 2013, its Constituent Societies spanned 36 countries in Europe and neighbouring regions, and included 33 Member Societies and 3 Associate Member Societies. The Presidents or Secretaries of the Constituent Societies of the Federation in 2013 are given in Appendix 2, and their membership numbers in Appendix 3 (totalling approximately 35,000 individual members in 2013).
FEBS is governed by a Council composed of one delegate from each of the Constituent Societies as well as the members of the Executive Committee. FEBS Council meets once a year at the annual FEBS Congress. It elects most of the members of the FEBS Executive Committee for three year terms, as well as ordinary members of the FEBS Committees and Working Groups (delegated specific areas of FEBS work) for four year terms, in a secret ballot. (The Vice Chair of the Executive Committee, who after one year becomes Chair, is appointed by the Society hosting the annual Congress and Council Meeting in the previous year.)
Subject to the Council, the administration of the Federation is vested in the FEBS Executive Committee (the 'FEBS Officers'). The Executive Committee consists of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, the FEBS Secretary General, the FEBS Treasurer, the FEBS Congress Counsellor, and the FEBS Committee and Working Group Chairpersons. With the exception of co opted Acting Chairpersons (e.g. following resignations prior to Council elections), FEBS Officers are the FEBS charity Trustees and company Directors responsible for the actions of FEBS. The names and addresses of the members of the Executive Committee and the names of members of other Committees and Working Groups in 2013, together with dates of appointments and geographical distribution, are set out in Appendix 4.
Trustees/Directors are distinguished scientists and (with the exception of the Executive Committee Vice Chair and Chair, as explained above) elected by FEBS Council from nominations put forward by FEBS Constituent Societies. Before formal appointment, newly elected Trustees/Directors sign the Charity Commission's 'Declaration of eligibility for newly appointed Trustees', and are referred to the Charity Commission's guidance on the role of Trustees as well as Companies House information on Director/Secretary roles.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives The objectives of FEBS are to contribute to and promote the advancement of research and education for the public benefit in the sciences of biochemistry, molecular biology and related disciplines (but only in so far as such related disciplines are ancillary to the main object), by all suitable means and in particular by:
• holding and arranging congresses, training and educational courses on matters connected with biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines; • facilitating and supporting the exchange of scientific information between biochemists, molecular biologists and scientists working in related disciplines generally and especially in Europe and other countries of Constituent Societies; • facilitating and supporting the training of young scientists in research, in the form of fellowships; • organising the editing and publication of scientific research and educational material in biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines.
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Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Activities The following paragraphs and their associated appendices outline activities in 2013 from the different Committees and Working Groups of FEBS. Extensive information on FEBS work is also available on the FEBS website at www.febs.org, and highlights appeared in three issues of FEBS News (pdf magazine) in 2013.
Scientific publications FEBS owns four journals for the publication of research papers, reviews and discussion in the molecular life sciences: The FEBS Journal, FEBS Letters, Molecular Oncology and FEBS Open Bio . They are published on behalf of FEBS by Wiley and Elsevier, and aim to provide high quality peer review, fast publication, and a variety of enhanced features for both authors and readers. The FEBS Journal and FEBS Letters also provide income to fund FEBS' other activities.
The Publications Committee oversees the operation and development of FEBS' journals, and in 2013 was under the chairmanship of Prof. László Fésüs. The work of the committee in 2013 and some key journal information is summarized in Appendix 5; in addition, income and costs of the journals in 2013, and the implications for FEBS of the move to open access publishing in the life sciences, are discussed in more detail in the Strategic Report section of this Annual Report.
The internationally recognized high quality of our three subscription journals ( FEBS Journal, FEBS Letters, Molecular Oncology ) ensured maintenance of their subscription base in 2013 in a very competitive environment, and our new open access journal FEBS Open Bio was able to increase significantly the number of published papers.
• The FEBS Journal (www.febsjournal.org), produced in collaboration with Wiley, publishes full length research papers and reviews in all areas of the molecular life sciences. The journal produces issues twice each month (24 issues), which appeared in electronic format only from the beginning of 2013. It continued with initiatives such as special issues, podcasts, illustrated abstracts and database hyperlinking. Full text downloads increased by 44% (to 4.4 million) compared to 2012, the impact factor (published in 2013 for 2012) rose to 4.25 (the highest ever), and submissions to the journal also rose. In 2013 The FEBS Journal contributed 38.54% of FEBS' income.
• FEBS Letters (www.febsletters.org), produced in collaboration with Elsevier BV, publishes short reports describing novel and specific effects with a biologically or biochemically significant function. FEBS Letters produces 24 issues every year, and it also publishes special issues. In 2013 it was distributed mainly in electronic format, although a small portion reached subscribers in hard copy format. The number of downloads reached 3.4 million, and the impact factor (for 2012) was 3.582, close to the one for 2011. In 2013 FEBS Letters contributed 59.92% of FEBS' income.
• Molecular Oncology (www.moloncol.org), launched by FEBS in 2007 in collaboration with Elsevier BV, publishes articles focusing on the translation of laboratory cancer research to clinical applications. 2013 saw further progress, with the journal obtaining a high impact factor (for 2012) of 6.701, and the number of article downloads increased to 200,000; however, financially, the journal continued to make a loss. FEBS' support of Molecular Oncology for publication of papers with potentially high medical impact fits with its charitable objectives in scientific publishing.
• In the face of the gathering momentum of open access publishing, in 2011 the Publications Committee approved the launch by Elsevier BV of a new FEBS owned author pays publication, FEBS Open Bio (www.febsopenbio.org). FEBS Open Bio publishes articles cascaded from the more established FEBS publications (if the papers are judged scientifically sound but unsuitable in topic or scope), as well as direct submissions. In 2013, 78 papers were published, and downloads increased to 77,000; however, the royalty payment made to FEBS by Elsevier for 2013 did not fully cover editorial expenses.
FEBS Fellowships The report (Appendix 6) of the 2013 Chairman of the Fellowships Committee, Prof. Vicente Rubio, provides information on the range of applications received for the various categories of Fellowships and the prizes awarded for distinguished research success. The Long Term Fellowships scheme saw increased fierce competition for these one to three year awards: 9 new Fellowships were awarded in 2013 and were taken (8 in 2012). The total in post during the year was 53 (73 in 2012) (Appendix 7).
There were 31 Short term Fellowships implemented in the year (43 in 2012) to enable active young scientists to work for up to two months in laboratories in another FEBS country, and 2 Summer Fellowships (4 in 2012) were given to promising senior students to provide a similar experience. There were 5 awards of Collaborative Experimental Scholarships (17 in 2012) whose aim is to provide PhD students from Central and Eastern Europe with travel and maintenance support so that they can carry out experiments in laboratories in Western Europe which would be impossible in their home countries. One new Return to Europe Fellowship was awarded and taken (1 in 2012), and the number of Return to Europe Fellows in post during the year was 3. This type of fellowship aims to attract bright postdoctoral scientists back to the European area. Finally, two Distinguished Young Investigator Awards were presented in the year to former Long Term Fellowship holders to recognize the excellence of research during the tenure of the FEBS Long Term Fellowship, and two FEBS Long Term Fellows were awarded the FEBS Fellowships Follow up Research Fund (to assist research on return to their country of origin). The details of these are also in Appendices 6 and 7.
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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Advanced Courses The subjects and venues of 17 FEBS supported events in 2013 (21 in 2012) are given in the report of the Acting Chairperson of the Advanced Courses Committee, Prof. Beáta G. Vértessy, at Appendix 8. These included 6 Advanced Lecture Courses, 3 FEBS/EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) lecture courses, 3 Workshops, 2 Practical courses, 2 Special Meetings and 2 FEBS/BS (UK Biochemical Society) courses/meetings. Grants to organizers totalled approximately €502,938 (Appendix 9; figure excludes returned surpluses for 2013 and 2012). Furthermore, Youth Travel Fund grant support was given to 89 young members of FEBS' Societies from outside the host country (256 in 2012) (Appendix 9).
The 38th FEBS Congress; St Petersburg, Russia (6–11 July 2013) The annual FEBS Congress is overseen by the FEBS Congress Counsellor (Prof. Adam Szewczyk in 2013). The 2013 FEBS Congress was organized by the Russian Biochemical Society. The event was attended by 2448 participants from all over the world. The cohort of invited speakers consisted of over 320 internationally renowned scientists including 11 Nobel Laureates. A total of 1900 abstracts from participants were received and published in electronic form as a Supplement to The FEBS Journal , and 1450 abstracts were accepted for poster presentation during the Congress. FEBS supported the participation of 265 young scientists at the Congress through Congress bursaries and 115 young scientists through its Young Scientists' Forum awards. The full report on the Congress is at Appendix 10.
FEBS organized Science and Society, Education, and Women in Science workshops and events at the Congress, as set out in the reports of the relevant FEBS Committees and Working Groups. The Sir Hans Krebs Medal was presented to Sir Richard Roberts (New England Biolabs, MA, USA), who spoke on "Bacterial methylomes"; the Theodor Bücher Medal to Kurt Wüthrich (La Jolla, USA and Zurich, Switzerland), whose lecture addressed "Structural genomics with soluble and membrane proteins"; and the Datta Medal to Roger Kornberg (Stanford, USA), who spoke on "The molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription". The FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award was presented to Geneviève Almouzni (Paris, France). Lectures were also presented by the winners of the prizes for the best papers submitted to FEBS Journal and FEBS Letters by young scientists in the previous year: the FEBS Journal Prize went to Anna Karin Gustavsson (Gothenburg, Sweden) and the FEBS Letters Young Group Leader's Award to Susumu Mitsutake (Hokkaido University, Japan).
Young Scientists' Forum The Chairperson of the Working Group on the Careers of Young Scientists (Prof. Claudina Rodrigues Pousada in 2013) supervised a committee of young scientists (in 2013 led by Alexey Belogurov and Azad Mamedov in St Petersburg) in the organization of a pre Congress Young Scientists' Forum (3 6 July 2013, St Petersburg). The attendance of 115 young scientists at the YSF and the ensuing Congress was supported by FEBS grants (all costs totalling ~€116,967). The YSF included presentations from the participants as well as round table discussions on career issues such as postdoctoral funding. The event was characterised by a high level of engagement and scientific understanding. A full report is given in Appendix 11.
Support for Constituent Society events FEBS supports scientific events of its Constituent Societies through the FEBS3+ meeting programme and the National Lecture scheme, overseen by the FEBS Congress Counsellor Prof. Adam Szewczyk in 2013. The FEBS3+ meetings programme provides funding for meetings organized through collaborations of at least three FEBS Constituent Societies. In 2013, FEBS supported the meeting 'Proteins: From Birth to Death (IX Parnas Conference)' in Jerusalem, Israel (29 September 2 October 2013), organized by the Ukrainian, Polish and Israeli biochemical societies (€10,000 for general meeting organization; €10,000 to support attendance of young scientists). A report on the event appears in the January 2014 issue of FEBS News .
In addition, FEBS funded the attendance of key speakers from a different FEBS country at Constituent Society meetings through its National Lecture Awards. In 2013, National Lecture Awards went to the following recipients: Ian Hickson (Copenhagen, Denmark), Hungarian Biochemical Society (and related societies) meeting (5–7 April 2013); Erwin Wagner (Madrid, Spain), Danish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting (17–19 April 2013); Pekka Lappalainen (Helsinki, Finland), Polish Biochemical Society meeting (2–5 September 2013); Fiona Watt (London, UK), Spanish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM) meeting (3–6 September 2013); Asifa Akhtar (Freiburg, Germany), Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology meeting (27 September 2013); and Renée Schroeder (Vienna, Austria), French Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting (18–20 November 2013). In addition, FEBS sponsored a symposium session on 'Pathogens and cell response' at the SEBBM annual meeting to commemorate the Spanish society's 50th anniversary.
Other events FEBS co sponsored the 'Crick Memorial Meeting 60th Anniversary of DNA Structure' in Cambridge, UK, 25 April 2013, which comprised talks from scientists working in this field in the 1950s and from historians of science. The event was attended by an audience over 450, including many young researchers, and was also live streamed via the Dept of Chemistry, Cambridge. A report appears in the May 2013 issue of FEBS News .
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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
In addition, in 2013 FEBS supported travel costs for distinguished speakers at annual meetings of learned societies of biochemistry/molecular biology/cell biology in parts of the world with rapidly developing output in molecular life sciences research: the PABMB Annual Congress (9–14 November 2013; Puerto Varas, Chile; Robert Huber and Irene Diaz Moreno); the IUBMB 14th Congress (16–20 November 2013; Marrakech, Morocco; Klaus Rajewsky), and the SBCI Annual Meeting (2–5 December 2013; Hyderabad, India; Felix Wieland). This area of FEBS funding in 2013 was overseen by the FEBS Secretary General, Prof. Israel Pecht.
Science & Society The Committee on Science and Society, under the chairmanship of Prof. Jacques Henry Weil, is charged the task of arranging debates and providing information to FEBS Congress participants and to a wider public on the impact of biochemistry and molecular cell biology on society. The Chairman's report of the Committee's activities in 2013 is at Appendix 12. At the 2013 FEBS Congress in St Petersburg, it held a session on 'Personalized Cancer Medicine' which, along with covering scientific/medical advances in this area, explored ethical and societal aspects.
The terms of reference of the Science and Society Committee also include following European science policy, making recommendations to national and/or European bodies, and interacting with other organizations that pursue similar goals. Promoting support for scientific research primarily by the EU is an ongoing activity of the group 'Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE)' composed of FEBS, EMBO, EMBL and representatives of most other scientific disciplines in Europe (see www.initiative science europe.gov). This body has been a major force in achieving the establishment of the European Research Council. FEBS is also a member of the 'Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe' (BioMed Alliance), an organization composed of over 20 European research oriented medical associations/societies, which was founded to promote excellence in European biomedical research and innovation (see www.biomedeurope.org). Both the ISE and the BioMed Alliance are involved in a number of conferences that bring together scientists, members of the European Commission and European and national parliamentarians to explore ways to provide direct contacts with the European Commission, as well as briefing papers on funding and policy, ultimately to benefit members of FEBS Constituent Societies with research and education opportunities in the molecular life sciences.
Education The Education Committee, whose task is to collate and present educational advances in our fields of interest, arranged a workshop at the 2013 FEBS Congress in St Petersburg entitled 'Molecular Life Sciences Education for the Needs of Industry'. The FEBS Education Committee also organized a poster session (open to all interested Congress participants), and ran CV clinics (for Young Scientists' Forum participants). In addition, during 2013 the Education Committee held workshops on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education in different FEBS countries in collaboration with the national biochemical societies: these took place in Gdansk, Poland, 13 July 2013 ('Teaching Molecular Evolution'); Tbilisi, Georgia, 8–9 October 2013 ('Molecular Life Sciences Education'); and Sofia, Bulgaria, 22 November 2013 ('Molecular Life Sciences Education'). The report from the Chairperson, Prof. Gül Güner Akdoǧan, on the Committee activities is at Appendix 13.
Integration The Working Group on Integration (WGI; formerly called WG on Central and Eastern Europe), under the Chairmanship of Prof. Mathias Sprinzl, explores ways to improve FEBS' assistance to these regions without promoting 'brain drain'. Collaborative Experimental Scholarships (see Fellowships, above) are one result of this. In 2013, WGI work included visits to Georgia and Bulgaria aimed at assisting the Constituent Societies of FEBS in these countries in their support of bioscience research, as well as providing support for concurrent FEBS education workshops. The Chairman's report for 2013 is at Appendix 14.
Women in Science The Working Group on Women in Science (WISE), with Prof. Cecilia Arraiano as Acting Chairperson in 2013, organized a seminar at the Congress given by Elizabeth Pollitzer (genSET programme Director) entitled 'We need to talk about sex'. A lunch meeting was also organized to offer career advice to young women scientists. In addition, in collaboration with EMBO, the FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award 2012 was awarded to Dr Geneviève Almouzni (Institut Curie, Paris, France), who presented her WISE plenary lecture at the Congress. The award comprises a €10,000 sum and an original dedicated statuette commissioned by FEBS. The Group's activity report for 2013 is at Appendix 15.
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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives and activities for the public benefit The overall objective of FEBS is to contribute to and promote the advancement of research and education for the public benefit in the sciences of biochemistry, molecular biology and related disciplines. As indicated by the specific key objectives of FEBS set out above under 'Objectives', FEBS does this particularly through:
• funding forums for presentation and discussion of research results and related areas of interest at its large annual Congress, Young Scientists' Forum (YSF), Special Meetings and other Advanced Courses; promoting training through lectures courses, workshops and practical courses of its Advanced Courses programme, as well as its education workshops; and supporting participation of promising young scientists in these events through YSF awards, Youth Travel Fund grants and Congress bursaries
• facilitating and supporting the exchange of scientific information between bioscientists especially in Europe and other countries of FEBS Constituent Societies principally through these forums and mechanisms, but also through Constituent Society meetings (National Lecture scheme), FEBS3+ meetings, and FEBS Fellowships (which promote mobility)
• providing stipends through its Fellowships programme to allow research to be carried out in host laboratories by talented early career scientists
• offering high quality publication of research findings for both authors and readers through its four international molecular life science journals
Through the many activities of FEBS outlined above, the beneficiaries of FEBS include scientists at all levels directly engaged in research and education in the molecular life sciences, and ultimately humankind across the globe through the contributions of these areas of science to human health, agriculture, biotechnology and related areas, and enrichment of human knowledge.
FEBS wholly owns its international journals, which are of importance to FEBS both by directly contributing to its objectives and as a source of income to supports its other purposes. FEBS follows all directives on Open Access publishing from the UK, EU and relevant research funders across the world. Its journals offer authors an immediate open access option for new articles and an option to turn past papers open access; in addition, authors are able to deposit accepted research articles, as required by funders, in institutional repositories, through which they are accessible to the public, and all published articles in our subscription model journals are freely available after 12 months to all readers. FEBS has also recently launched an entirely open access journal, FEBS Open Bio .
FEBS events are normally open to scientists throughout the world. Recipients of FEBS grants for fellowships and for support of participation in meetings are normally required to be members of FEBS' Constituent Societies (where membership criteria are those expected of learned societies) and resident within the FEBS area of Europe and neighbouring countries. Some FEBS programs particularly benefit disadvantaged scientists.
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the organization's aims and objectives and in planning future activities.
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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Grant Making Policy The overall objective of FEBS is to contribute to and promote the advancement of research and education for the public benefit in the sciences of biochemistry, molecular biology and related disciplines. Policies for key grants awarded by FEBS to achieve these goals are outlined below.
Fellowships As part of our commitment to young scientists under the FEBS Fellowship programme set up in 1978 and to further research in the molecular life sciences we offer both Short Term and Long Term fellowships to members of Constituent Societies, as well as Summer Fellowships to promising young students, and awards and follow up grants to past holders of a FEBS Long Term Fellowship. As part of our Fellowships programme, we also offer scholarships designed exclusively for members of our Constituent Societies in the currently depressed economies of Central and Eastern Europe, and Return to Europe Fellowships for postdoctoral scientists wishing to come back to the European area. Our Fellowships are intended to allow members of our Constituent Societies working in a FEBS country to work in a laboratory in another FEBS country or, in the case of Return to Europe Fellowships, to work again in a FEBS country.
Eligibility criteria for FEBS Fellowships are set out in detailed guidelines on the FEBS website. The initial applications for Fellowships, and renewal requests for Long Term Fellowships (which are awarded for 1 year in the first instance, with renewal possible for additional years up to a maximum of 3 years in total), are assessed by the FEBS Fellowships Committee on merit. At the end of each six months of the Long term and Return to Europe Fellowships, Fellows must prepare a short report highlighting the progress of their work and, within three months of completion of all Fellowships, awardees are required to prepare a short report detailing the work done while in receipt of the Fellowship. In addition, recipients of the Distinguished Young Investigator Award and FEBS Fellowship Follow up Research Fund grants must produce an audited financial report within 12 months from the time of the award.
Grants for organizing FEBS Advanced Courses Grants for organizing FEBS Advanced Courses (including lecture courses, workshops, practical courses and special meetings) are awarded to senior scientists by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on a competitive basis. Reports (including scientific and financial) from the organizers are required within 3 months after the event.
Grants for young scientists attending Advanced Courses In addition, students participating in FEBS Advanced Courses (including lectures courses, workshops and practical courses) may apply for financial support through the FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF). In 2013, these grants were made to persons travelling from their current country of residence to another country in the European area. Applicants for these grants should normally be registered as a student at an institution of higher learning in a country where there is a FEBS Constituent Society or be within five years of having completed a PhD thesis, be a member of a FEBS Constituent Society, and not have received a grant from the Youth Travel Fund to attend an Advanced Course in the current or preceding year or received a grant to attend the Young Scientists' Forum in the current year. Candidates are shortlisted by the Course organizers on merit.
Grants for organizing the FEBS Congresses and FEBS3+ meetings, and requests for National Lecture support FEBS evaluates bids for organizing its yearly Congresses and also FEBS3+ meetings, as well as requests from Constituent Societies for National Lecture support, according to their quality; the administrative responsibility for these is in the hands of the FEBS Congress Counsellor (Prof. Adam Szewczyk in 2013).
Grants for attending the FEBS Young Scientists' Forum and Congress (YSF awards) : recipients of YSF awards are selected by the Chair of the Working Group on the Careers of Young Scientists (Claudina Rodrigues Pousada) and the local organizing committee on merit, with eligibility criteria that normally include: being a PhD student or postdoctoral fellow within 5 years of finishing his/her PhD at an institution of higher education in a country where there is a FEBS constituent Society; being under 35 years old; being a member of a FEBS Constituent Society; not having attended a recent YSF, and not having received a Youth Travel Fund award in the same year.
Congress bursaries: recipients of bursaries (to assist with registration, travel and accommodation costs for the Congress) are selected by the host society of that year's Congress on merit, with eligibility criteria similar to those for YTF and YSF awards.
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STRATEGIC REPORT
Achievements and Performance
This section summarizes and assesses our principal achievements in 2013 against the formal objectives of FEBS. More details of the activities included in brief here can be found in the 'Activities' section above.
Objective 1: holding and arranging congresses, training and educational courses on matters connected with biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines
Achievements Comments
FEBS Congress, St Petersburg 2448 participants from all over the world; 320 internationally renowned Location of 2013 Congress in Russia scientists as speakers including 11 Nobel Laureates; 1900 abstracts particularly valuable for scientists in received and published; 1450 abstracts accepted for poster presentation; eastern FEBS area. Organization there Congress bursaries to 265 young scientists; 117 young scientists presented some logistical problems that supported for Young Scientists’ Forum and Congress; 6 FEBS awards have been noted for future Congresses. and lectures for scientific excellence; FEBS workshops (science and society, education, and women in science).
FEBS Advanced Courses 17 FEBS supported events, including 5 Advanced Lecture Courses, 3 Emphasis on quality: many strong FEBS/EMBO lecture courses, 3 Workshops, 2 Practical courses, 2 events with good feedback but number Special Meetings and 2 FEBS/BS (UK Biochemical Society) of courses and YTFs lower this year. courses/meetings. Attendance of 89 young scientists supported through YTF awards. Also, online database for applications and reporting re developed.
FEBS Education Workshops Four workshops on molecular life sciences education: St Petersburg, Good ‘value for money’ in raising Gdansk, Tbilisi, Sofia. standards in molecular life science education.
Objective 2: facilitating and supporting the exchange of scientific information between biochemists, molecular biologists and scientists working in related disciplines generally and especially in Europe and other countries of Constituent Societies
Achieve ment s Comment s
FEBS Congress, Advanced Courses and Education Workshops See above See above
Support for Constituent Society scientific meetings FEBS3+ meeting, Jerusalem. Promoted connections between three FEBS Constituent Societies. National Lectures for societies in Hungary, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Effective enhancement of national Austria and France; sponsored symposium at Spanish society’s 50th meetings by funding of distinguished anniversary. speakers.
Other meeting sponsorship Crick Memorial Meeting, UK. Inspiring/educating scientists. ‘Worldwide lectures’ at other learned society meetings in India, Morocco Eminent speakers for meeting; also and Chile. allowed journal promotion.
FEBS Fellowships Fellows move to work in host lab in different country (see Objective 3 Promotion of exchange of below). skills/knowledge.
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STRATEGIC REPORT
Objective 3: facilitating and supporting the training of young scientists in research, in the form of fellowships
Achievement s Comment s
Short Fellowships 2 Summer, 31 Short Term and 5 Collaborative Experimental Scholarships Enhances research possibilities for for Central and Eastern Europe Fellowships awarded or taken up in 2013. young scientists; numbers awarded lower than in 2012 due to limited budget (for long term sustainability).
Long Fe llowships 9 Long Term and 1 Return to Europe awarded (53 such Fellows in post). Very competitive – only the most outstanding scientists successful; 2 Distinguished Young Investigator Awards and 2 FEBS Fellowships numbers awarded down due to limited Follow up Research Funds given. budget. Accounts for major part of FEBS expenditure.
Objective 4: organising the editing and publication of scientific research and educational material in biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines
Achievement s Comment s
In 2013, the journals had significant downloads (all), impact factors Strong performance of FEBS’ journals (The FEBS Journal , Molecular Oncology, FEBS Letters ) and in challenging market conditions, but subscriptions base ( FEBS Journal , FEBS Letters , Molecular Oncology ); open access upheaval in bioscience FEBS Open Bio increased number of articles published. publishing requires an effective journal strategy to be developed for the next DORA recommendations introduced; peer review methods highlighted in few years. FEBS News ; journal prizes reviewed.
Other key achievements in 2013
Trustee/Director training : all Trustees attended a seminar on Duties of Company Directors and Charity Trustees in Rome in March 2013, delivered by Mills and Reeve law firm (Botanic House, 100 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1PH, UK).
FEBS website : a new FEBS website was developed in 2013 to improve the user interface and address security issues. It summarizes FEBS activities/guidelines, links to FEBS journal websites, provides a conference calendar and job listings, and includes an updated database for Advanced Courses applications/reporting.
Page 10 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
STRATEGIC REPORT
Financial Review
Journal income and costs The on going transition of publishing within the life sciences to full open access (author pays) models is leading to serious concerns about long term profitability of subscription journals. The 2013 income from The FEBS Journal and FEBS Letters was maintained at a similar level to that in 2012 (with a slight increase), but income is expected to decrease significantly in the short to medium term.
• Income in 2013 from sales of The FEBS Journal increased very slightly from the previous year (1.19%), and contributed 38.54% of FEBS' income (37% in 2012). The total expenses in running the journal editorial office (including the journal prize and editorial board payments) amounted to 14% of journal income (12.4% in 2012, 17.7% in 2011). • Income in 2013 from sales of FEBS Letters increased slightly from last year (3.87%), and contributed 59.92% of FEBS' income (56% in 2012). The costs in running the journal office in Heidelberg (including the journal prize and editorial payments) amounted to 10% of journal income (8.5% in 2012, 12.3% in 2011). • Sales income in 2013 for Molecular Oncology decreased by 1.2% compared with that in 2012, and office costs were reduced by 22%. Since an overhead was charged by Elsevier and editorial payments together with the cost of running the journal office in Copenhagen was higher than total income, the journal continued to make a loss (€43,670 in 2013). • For FEBS Open Bio , the royalty payment made to FEBS by Elsevier for 2013 was €53,121 (€16,613 in 2012), and office costs decreased by 12%; however, the royalty payment did not fully cover editorial expenses (loss of €2,857 in 2013).
Distribution of expenditure on FEBS activities In 2013, Fellowships remained by far the highest area of charitable FEBS spending (~€1.8 million), followed by Advanced Courses (course grants and YTFs totalling ~€459,000), then the FEBS Congress (~€225,000, excluding FEBS workshops) and Young Scientists' Forum (~€117,000). Prizes and awards for excellence in molecular life sciences totalled ~€27,000, and several other areas of FEBS work – including education, science and society, national lectures and 'integration' – were carried out for under ~€35,000 in total.
Governance and support costs The senior scientists who serve as FEBS Officers and members of FEBS committees all work pro bono, and the holders of key positions in the FEBS Executive Committee generously devote considerable time and energy to FEBS activities. There are a small number of administrative support personnel working in (1) the FEBS Treasury Office dealing with financial matters, central administration and communications, (2) working with the Fellowships and Advanced Courses Committee Chairs to support their work and those of the committees, and (3) working with the Secretary General.
The total governance costs – including the expenses associated with higher level committees (Council, Executive and Finance) within FEBS, central administrative support at the FEBS Treasury Office and Secretary General expenses, as well as auditor and other fees – amounted to about 12% of the size of charitable spending in 2013 (note that these governance costs are not included in the total for charitable spending).
An indication of the support costs involved in running the two activities of FEBS with the highest expenditure can be given by the committee expenses as a percentage of the charitable spending in that area; in 2013, this was approximately 2.8% for Fellowships, and 9.2% for Advanced Courses (although these figures exclude governance costs of central administration at the FEBS Treasury Office). Support costs for the journals are discussed in 'Journal income and costs 'above.
Investment performance The majority of investments (84%) in 2013 were managed by Deutsche Bank. The remaining investments were managed by Hauck and Aufhauser (16%). The annual return for investments managed by Deutsche Bank in 2013 was 4.11%, and for those managed by Hauck and Aufhauser it was 3.9%. The majority of investments are held in European bonds and European shares.
Page 11 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
STRATEGIC REPORT
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
Reduction of income due to changes in journal publishing In addition to directly fulfilling one of the charitable objectives of FEBS, our journals have provided a source of income to fund FEBS' other charitable work. A major risk to FEBS is a loss of income because of the loss of journal subscriptions as publishing in the life sciences moves to open access models.
Background: Until recently, the audience paid to read scientific research, either by personal subscriptions to journals or via libraries that paid general subscriptions, with authors able to publish free of charge. This model provided FEBS with a high level of income from institutional subscriptions. However, open access publishing – where authors and research institutions pay for publishing their work, and the reader has free, open access to the scientific papers – has now become the policy of the UK, in particular, and the EU in general. This led to a flood of cheap journals that will either just break even or make minimal profits. The income of FEBS will disappear in a short number of years, maybe only three years, as existing contracts from libraries will increasingly or dramatically not be renewed. By the law of unintended consequences, open access thus stands to devastate the finances of many learned societies and prevent their funding of academic and socially responsible activities.
FEBS is addressing these concerns by (1) a change in the policy on reserves (see below) so that future income can be derived from investments and (2) a full strategy review of the journals scheduled for 2014.
Low return from investments FEBS is following a standard investment policy with investment in bonds and equities. Owing to the current economic environment, the level of investments held in bonds will reduce and the percentage in equities will increase. The performance of FEBS' investments is monitored regularly.
Fraud Like other organizations, FEBS is susceptible to both internal and external fraud. FEBS' controls include regular bank reconciliations, monthly oversight by accountants, and the annual audit. In 2013, the finance staff and the auditors held a meeting to review systems and potential areas at risk. The conclusion was that the checks and procedures in operation were appropriate for the organization's size and operation.
Limited impact on overall objectives The success of FEBS in promoting the advancement of research and education for the public benefit in the sciences of biochemistry, molecular biology and related disciplines is carefully monitored by stringent peer review and other methods.
Plans for Future Periods
Reserves policy As outlined above, a major risk to FEBS is a significant reduction in income because of the loss of journal subscriptions. It is essential that FEBS be maintained indefinitely as an important funder of life science activities for the benefit of the public and European science. The only prudent course of action is to anticipate the change in journal income and plan accordingly.
A new financial strategy on reserves has therefore been implemented to cover expected loss of journal income in the coming years. Expenditure on Fellowships and Advanced Courses in particular, which were very large areas of spending, has been reduced compared with pre 2013 levels, to allow the excess of income over spending while journal income remains significant to be used to grow our reserves. With careful management of the greater reserves, the aim is then to be able to fund the key activities of FEBS in the future solely from the total return from our investments.
Journals There will be a full strategy review of the journals by the Publications Committee in 2014 addressing concerns such as open access development, the performance of our newer journals and changes in the subscription market. It will include an overview of existing contracts with publishers, management of editorial offices and options for establishing a FEBS publishing platform.
Page 12 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
STRATEGIC REPORT
Plans for Future Periods
Future commitments and plans for other areas of FEBS work We now have firm arrangements for a programme of Annual Congresses until 2016, as these involve substantial forward planning. Of the other areas of upcoming FEBS work with large expenditure, Advanced Courses to be funded in 2015 are currently under assessment, and the costs of annual extensions of Long Term Fellowships to up to 3 years for Fellows already in post are included in our budgets.
With regard to future activities, we are also continuing to attempt to forge closer links with related European and worldwide organizations that cover contiguous/overlapping areas of molecular life sciences (e.g. biophysics, microbiology, immunology, cancer) with the aim of maximising the use of our impacts and resources.
CONCLUDING COMMENTS
FEBS has continued to operate successfully in promoting the advancement of research and education for the public benefit in the sciences of biochemistry, molecular biology and related disciplines, and its current strategy for its long term survival is progressing smoothly.
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES
The trustees (who are also the directors of The Federation of European Biochemical Societies for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; prepare t he financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware; and the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
AUDITORS
The auditors, Hill Wooldridge & Co. Limited, will be proposed for re appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, Signing the Report of the Trustees and Strategic Report :
...... Prof I Pecht Trustee
Date: 26/06/2014
Page 13 Report of the Independent Auditors to the Members of The Federation of European Biochemical Societies
We have audited the financial statements of The Federation of European Biochemical Societies for the period ended 31 December 2013 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account), the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and auditors As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees Responsibilities, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view.
Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board's Ethical Standards for Auditors.
Scope of the audit of the financial statements An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the charitable company's circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the trustees; and the overall presentation of the financial statements. In addition, we read all the financial and non financial information in the Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report to identify material inconsistencies with the audited financial statements and to identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in the course of performing the audit. If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies we consider the implications for our report.
Opinion on financial statements In our opinion the financial statements: give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 December 2013 and of its incoming resources and app lication of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the period then ended; have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Opinion on other matter prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 In our opinion the information given in the Report of the Trustees incorporating Strategic Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.
Page 14 Report of the Independent Auditors to the Members of THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Matters on which we are required to report by exception We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
Lino Perdoni FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Hill Wooldridge & Co. Limited Statutory Auditor & Chartered Accountants 107 Hindes Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 1RU
Date: 26/06/2014
Note: The maintenance and integrity of the The Federation of European Biochemical Societies website is the responsibility of the trustees; the work carried out by the auditors does not involve consideration of these matters and, accordingly, the auditors accept no responsibility for any changes that may have occurred to the financial statements since they were initially presented on the website.
Page 15 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 08239097 (England and Wales) BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1149638
Statement of Financial Activities (Incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account) for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
Unrestricted fund Notes € INCOMING RESOURCES Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income 2 26,949,321 Income from charitable activities: royalties receivable 3 6,236,440 Investment income 4 471,529
Total incoming resources 33,657,290
RESOURCES EXPENDED Costs of generating funds Investment management costs 5 143,835 Charitable activities 6 Charitable activities 3,639,787 Governance costs 10 428,849
Total resources expended 4,212,471
NET INCOMING RESOURCES 29,444,819
Realised gains/(losses) on fixed asset investments 39,117
Net income/(expenditure) 29,483,936
Unrealised gains/(losses) on fixed asset investments 573,316
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 30,057,252
CONTINUING OPERATIONS All incoming resources and resources expended arise from continuing activities which were donated by the unincorporated FEBS on 1 January 2013 (see Report of the Trustees). There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above.
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 16 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 08239097 (England and Wales) BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1149638
Balance Sheet At 31 December 2013
Unrestricted fund Notes € FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 14 56,170 Investments 15 25,070,871
25,127,041
CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 16 1,803,737 Cash at bank 3,481,276
5,285,013
CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 17 (354,802)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 4,930,211
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 30,057,252
NET ASSETS 30,057,252
FUNDS 19 Unrestricted funds (includes investment revaluation reserve of £573,316) 30,057,252
TOTAL FUNDS 30,057,252
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 26/06/2014 and were signed on its behalf by:
...... Sir A Fersht Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 17 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Cash Flow Statement for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
Notes € Net cash inflow from operating activities 1 8,043,343
Returns on investments and servicing of finance 2 446,808
Capital expenditure and financial investment 2 (5,008,875)
Increase in cash in the period 3,481,276
Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net debt 3
Increase in cash in the period 3,481,276
Change in net debt resulting from cash flows 3,481,276
Movement in net debt in the period 3,481,276 Net debt at 3 October
Net debt at 31 December 3,481,276
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 18 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Cash Flow Statement for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
1. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOMING RESOURCES TO NET CASH INFLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
€ Net incoming resources 29,444,819 Depreciation charges 6,603 Interest received (59,788) Interest paid 24,721 Dividends received (411,741) Non cash assets donated from unincorporated FEBS (20,890,708) Increase in debtors (72,929) Increase in creditors 2,366
Net cash inflow from operating activities 8,043,343
2. ANALYSIS OF CASH FLOWS FOR HEADINGS NETTED IN THE CASH FLOW STATEMENT
€ Returns on investments and servicing of finance Interest received 59,788 Interest paid (24,721) Dividends received 411,741
Net cash inflow for returns on investments and servicing of finance 446,808
Capital expenditure and financial investment Purchase of tangible fixed assets (50,063) Purchase of fixed asset investments (13,489,263) Sale of fixed asset investments 8,530,451
Net cash outflow for capital expenditure and financial investment (5,008,875)
3. ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET DEBT
At 3.10.12 Cash flow At 31.12.13 € € € Net cash: Cash at bank 3,481,276 3,481,276
Total 3,481,276 3,481,276
4. MAJOR NON -CASH TRANSACTIONS
As disclosed in note 2 to the financial statements, the Charity received the following non cash donation of assets and liabilities which has been excluded from the cash flow statement.
Total €
Tangible fixed assets at book value 12,710 Investments at market value 19,499,626 Royalties receivable 1,302,917 Prepaid expenses 334,249 Office advances 93,642 Accruals and deferred income (352,436)
20,890,708
Page 19 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Accounting convention The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value, the Companies Act 2006 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
Incoming resources All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
Income from royalties on the publication and sale of scientific journals is included in the financial statements at the amounts remitted from the publishers, based on returns prepared and submitted by them.
Resources expended Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
A distinction has been drawn between direct costs and grants payable in direct pursuance of the aims of the Charity (Charitable Activities – direct costs and grant funding of activities), costs involved in the production of scientific journals and other activities of the Charity (Charitable Activities support costs) and overheads involved in the running of the Charity (Governance).
Allocation and apportionment of costs Allocation of costs is based on the activity which has driven the relevant cost. Costs which are incurred for more than one support activity have been apportioned on one of two basis. For personnel costs the apportionment basis is man hours utilised. For premises costs the apportionment basis is floor space utilised.
Tangible fixed assets Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
Fixtures and fittings 15% on reducing balance Computer equipment and website 25% on reducing balance
Taxation The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Foreign currencies Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the date of transaction. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at the operating result.
Hire purchase and leasing commitments Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
Investments and investment income Investments are valued in the Balance Sheet at the market value on the last day of the accounting period. Gains and losses arising from the sale of investments are disclosed as realised gains or losses, being the difference between the sale proceeds and the market value at the last accounting date. Changes in the valuation of investments during the year are shown as unrealised gains or losses.
Investment income is recognised and dealt with in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.
Page 20 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
2. VOLUNTARY INCOME
Unrestricted funds € Donations 26,940,294 Subscriptions receivable 9,027
26,949,321
On 10 September 2012 the FEBS Council approved a resolution to dissolve the unincorporated charity (charity number 261793) following the transfer of assets and liabilities to a new organisation (charity number 1149638) with similar objects.
In accordance with an 'Agreement for the donation of the undertaking and assets of The Federation of European Biochemical Societies', signed by all FEBS Trustees, the following assets and liabilities were donated to FEBS, a company limited by guarantee (registered company number 08239097), during the period ended 31 December 2013:
Total €
Tangible fixed assets at book value 12,710 Investments at market value 19,499,626 Cash at bank 6,049,586 Royalties receivable 1,302,917 Prepaid expenses 334,249 Office advances 93,642 Accruals and deferred income (352,436)
26,940,294
No restrictions were placed on this donation and the assets are intended to allow FEBS to continue to achieve its charitable objectives. The tangible fixed assets donated continued to be used for charitable purposes at the balance sheet date.
3. INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES: ROYALTIES RECEIVABLE
Unrestricted funds € Royalties receivable 6,236,440
4. INVESTMENT INCOME
Unrestricted funds € Other fixed asset invest FII 411,741 Deposit account interest 59,788
471,529
Investment income from UK investment assets was €7,928. Investment income from investment assets outside the UK was €463,601.
Page 21 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
5. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT COSTS
Unrestricted funds € Portfolio management 143,835
6. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS
Grant funding Direct costs of activities Support costs Totals (See note 7) (See note 8) (See note 9) € € € € Charitable activities 475,231 2,501,996 662,560 3,639,787
7. DIRECT COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
€ FEBS Journal Editors & Referees 126,678 FEBS Letters Editors 120,359 Molecular Oncology Authors, Editor & Sponsorship 28,232 Open Bio Editors 2,071 Congress Events Women in Science 2,240 Congress Events Education Committee 3,930 Congress Events Science & Society 4,604 National Lecture Expenses 3,029 Expenses & Publicity at Other Conferences 8,016 Membership & Funding of other European Science Organisations 14,618 Other education workshops 3,555 FEBS Congress 75,000 FEBS Young Scientist Forum Congress 82,899
475,231
8. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES: GRANTS PAYABLE IN FURTHERANCE OF THE CHARITY'S OBJECTS
€ Charitable activities 2,501,996
The total grants paid to institutions during the period was as follows: € Advanced courses 358,023 Grants/sponsorships to other conferences 49,000
407,023
The total grants paid to individuals during the period was as follows: € Youth Travel Fund grants 95,111 FEBS Congress Bursaries 150,000 FEBS Young Scientists Forum grants 34,068 FEBS Fellowships 1,788,953 Prizes and awards 26,841
2,094,973
Page 22 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
9. SUPPORT COSTS - CHARITABLE AND GOVERNACE
Molecular FEBS Letters FEBS Journal Oncology Office Office Office Expenses Expenses Expenses (Heidelberg) (Cambridge) (Copenhagen) € € € Governance costs Charitable activities 227,569 194,783 58,111
227,569 194,783 58,111
FEBS Open Administrative Bio Office Support and Expenses Committee (Cambridge) Expenses Totals € € € Governance costs 258,780 258,780 Charitable activities 54,646 127,451 662,560
54,646 386,231 921,340
Support costs, included in the above, are as follows:
SUPPORT COSTS - CHARITABLE (JOURNAL)
FEBS Letters Office Expenses (Heidelberg) Charitable activities
€ Personnel costs 224,161 Postage 891 Travel 115 Sundry expenses 2,402
227,569
FEBS Journal Office Expenses (Cambridge) Charitable activities
€ Salaries and National Insurance contributions 124,989 Staff pensions 22,386 Rent 26,517 Rates and water 1,468 Stationery 699 Light and heat 1,505 Telephone, computer and IT 6,185 Meetings 411 Sundry expenses 2,850 Office maintenance and cleaning 6,654 Insurance 1,119
194,783
Page 23 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
9. SUPPORT COSTS – continued - CHARITABLE (JOURNAL)
Molecular Oncology Office Expenses (Copenhagen) Charitable activities
€ Personnel 55,076 Meetings and travel 2,561 Sundry expenses 474
58,111
FEBS Open Bio Office Expenses (Cambridge) Charitable activities
€ Salaries and National Insurance contributions 42,068 Staff pensions 5,829 Rent 3,166 Rates and water 175 Light and heat 180 Telephone, computer and IT 254 Meetings 1,361 Sundry expenses 91 Office maintenance and cleaning 862 Insurance 134 Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 526
54,646
Page 24 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
9. SUPPORT COSTS – continued - CHARITABLE (COMMITTEES) AND GOVERNANCE
Administrative Support and Committee Expenses Charitable Governance activities costs Total activities € € € Executive committee 48,541 48,541 Finance committee 1,665 1,665 Treasury Office expenses (Cambridge. Analysis below) 122,213 122,213 Secretary General's office expenses 73,100 73,100 Other meetings and misc costs 13,033 13,033 Congress Counsellor 228 228 Publications committee 16,640 16,640 Fellowships committee 50,470 50,470 Advanced Courses committee 42,351 42,351 Science & Society committee 6,441 6,441 Education committee 6,083 6,083 Working group women in science 675 675 Working group on integration 4,791 4,791
258,780 127,451 386,231
Treasury Office Expenses (Cambridge) Governance costs € Salaries and National Insurance contributions 88,018 Staff pensions 12,051 Rent 9,894 Rates and water 548 Stationery 623 Light and heat 561 Telephone, computer & IT 2,175 Meetings 1,321 Sundry expenses 797 Office maintenance and cleaning 3,376 Insurance 417 Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 2,432
122,213
10. GOVERNANCE COSTS
Unrestricted funds € Legal fees 5,030 Website Costs 5,526 Auditors' remuneration 13,053 Auditors' remuneration for non audit work 32,300 Congress Expenses 37,566 Foreign exchange losses 46,588 Insurance 1,640 Depreciation 3,645 Interest payable and similar charges 24,721 Support costs 258,780
428,849
Page 25 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
11. NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES
Net resources are stated after charging/(crediting):
€ Auditors' remuneration 13,053 Auditors' remuneration for non audit work 32,300 Depreciation owned assets 6,603 Other operating leases 39,577
12. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the period ended 31 December 2013.
Trustees' expenses The Charity paid travel and subsistence costs for 12 Trustees attending various Committee meetings and conferences during the period. The total cost of Trustees' expenses for the period was a sum of €102,817.
13. STAFF COSTS
€ Wages and salaries 255,075 Other pension costs 40,266
295,341
The average monthly number of employees during the period was as follows:
Publications (Cambridge) 5 Treasury 2
7
No employees received emoluments in excess of €71,850.
Other Personnel Costs
Due to the wide geographical spread of the Charity's activities, some staffing requirements are fulfilled by independent parties and freelancers. Details of the cost and number of personnel contracted in this manner are detailed below:
€ Heidelberg office 224,161 Copenhagen office 55,076 Fellowships committee administrator 27,514 Advanced Courses committee administrator 10,882 Secretary General's office administrator 43,662
361,295
The average number of other such personnel (including part time personnel) engaged by the charity during the period was as follows:
Heidelberg office 4 Copenhagen office 2 Fellowships committee administrator 1 Advanced Courses committee administrator 1 Secretary General's office administrator 1
9
Page 26 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
14. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS Computer Fixtures and equipment fittings and website Totals € € € COST Additions 6,316 56,457 62,773
DEPRECIATION Charge for year 1,052 5,551 6,603
NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2013 5,264 50,906 56,170
15. FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS
Listed investments € MARKET VALUE Additions 32,988,889 Disposals (8,530,451) Revaluations 612,433
At 31 December 2013 25,070,871
NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2013 25,070,871
HISTORIC COST At 31 December 2013 24,497,555
The market value of investment assets in the UK is €1,192,806. The market value of investment assets outside the UK is €23,878,065. All investments are held primarily to provide an investment return.
16. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
€ Trade debtors 1,575,106 Other debtors 101,036 Prepayments and accrued income 127,595
1,803,737
17. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
€ Accruals and deferred income 354,802
18. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS
The following operating lease payments are committed to be paid within one year:
Land and buildings € Expiring: Between one and five years 39,577
Page 27 THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Period 3 October 2012 to 31 December 2013
19. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Net movement in funds At 31.12.13 € € Unrestricted funds General fund 30,057,252 30,057,252
TOTAL FUNDS 30,057,252 30,057,252
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
Incoming Resources Gains and Movement in resources expended losses funds € € € € Unrestricted funds General fund 33,657,290 (4,212,471) 612,433 30,057,252
TOTAL FUNDS 33,657,290 (4,212,471) 612,433 30,057,252
Page 28 COMPANY NOT HAVING A SHARE CAPITAL ______
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION OF
THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Each subscriber to this memorandum of association wishes to form a company under the Companies Act 2006 and agrees to become a member of the company.
Name of each subscriber Authentication by each subscriber
The Biochemical Society
Hungarian Biochemical Society
Israeli Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Dated: 3 October 2012
THE COMPANIES ACT 2006
PRIVATE COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
THE FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
1 Company’s name
1.1 The company’s name is The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (the “Federation ” or “ FEBS ”).
2 Interpretation
2.1 In the articles:
“address ” means a postal address or, for the purposes of electronic communication, a fax number, an e-mail or postal address or a telephone number for receiving text messages in each case registered with the Federation;
“annual membership fee ” means the annual membership fee to be determined by the Council in accordance with article 15.1.10;
“articles ” means the Federation’s articles of association;
“Associate Member Society ” means a Constituent Society admitted as an Associate Member Society in accordance with article 10 and the rights and obligations as set out in article 11.3;
“By-laws ” means by-laws of the Federation in accordance with article 32;
“clear days ” in relation to the period of a notice means a period excluding:
(a) the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given; and
(b) the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect;
“Chairperson ” means the chairperson of the Federation, appointed in accordance with article 19;
“Commission ” means the Charity Commission for England and Wales;
“Committee Chairpersons ” means the chairpersons of the Committees appointed in accordance with article 23.2;
“Committees ” means the Advanced Courses Committee, Education Committee, Fellowships Committee, Publications Committee, Science and Society Committee and any other committee established in accordance with article 26, whose rights and responsibilities shall be set out in By-laws from time to time;
“Committee Members ” means all members of the Committees excluding the Committee Chairpersons;
“Companies Acts ” means the Companies Acts (as defined in section 2 of the Companies Act 2006) insofar as they apply to the Federation;
“Congress ” means a congress of the Federation held in accordance with article 29;
“Congress Counsellor ” means any person elected to perform the duties of the Congress counsellor in accordance with article 22;
“Constituent Societies ” means organisations who are national scientific societies in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology who are admitted either as a Member Society or an Associate Member Society in accordance with article 10;
“Council ” means the council consisting of one Delegate from each Constituent Society and all members of the Executive Committee;
“Council Meeting ” means any meeting of the Council, including an annual general meeting or any other meeting called in accordance with article 17;
“Delegate ” means a Constituent Societies’ nominated representative in accordance with article 16;
“document ” includes, unless otherwise specified, any document sent or supplied in electronic form;
“electronic form ” has the meaning given in section 1168 of the Companies Act 2006;
“Executive Committee ” means the executive committee of the Federation, consisting of all of the Officers as set out at article 18.1, further detailed at article 24;
“Finance Committee ” means the finance committee of the Federation, further detailed at article 25;
“Members ” means the company members of the Federation who will be admitted in accordance with articles 10 and 11;
“Member Society ” means a Constituent Society admitted as a Member Society in accordance with article 10 with the rights set out in article 11.2;
“memorandum’ means the Federation’s memorandum of association;
“Objects ” shall have the meaning given to it in article 4;
“Officer Members ” means the members of the Executive Committee who will upon appointment as an Officer be a Member in accordance with article 11.1.3;
“Officers ” means the officers of the Federation making up the Executive Committee as set out at article 18.1. The Officers are charity trustees as defined by section 177 of the Charities Act 2011 and company directors;
“Secretary General ” means any person elected to perform the duties of the secretary of the Federation in accordance with article 20;
“Special Resolution ” means a resolution passed by a majority of not less than 75% of the Voting Members present and exercising their vote at a meeting present in person or, in the case of Member Societies, by their Delegate;
“Treasurer ” means any person elected to perform the duties of the treasurer of the Federation in accordance with article 21;
“United Kingdom ” means Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
“Vice Chairperson ” means the vice chairperson of the Federation appointed in accordance with article 19;
“Voting Members ” means the Member Societies and the Officer Members;
“Working Group ” means any new working groups formed in accordance with article 26.3; and
“Working Group Chairpersons ” means the chairpersons of the Working Groups appointed in accordance with article 23.2.
2.2 Words importing one gender shall include all genders, and the singular includes the plural and vice versa.
2.3 Unless the context otherwise requires words or expressions contained in the articles have the same meaning as in the Companies Acts but excluding any statutory modification not in force when this constitution becomes binding on the Federation.
2.4 Apart from the exception mentioned in the previous paragraph a reference to an Act of Parliament includes any statutory modification or re-enactment of it for the time being in force.
3 Liability of Members
3.1 The liability of the Members is limited to a sum not exceeding £10, being the amount that each Member undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Federation in the event of its being wound up while it is a Member or within one year after it ceases to be a Member, for:
3.1.1 payment of the Federation’s debts and liabilities incurred before it ceases to be a Member;
3.1.2 payment of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up; and
3.1.3 adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
4 Objects
4.1 The Federation’s objects (“ Objects ”) are and shall be to contribute to and promote the advancement of research and education for the public benefit in the sciences of biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines (but only in so far as such related disciplines are ancillary to the main object), by all suitable means and in particular by:
4.1.1 holding and arranging congresses, training and educational courses on matters connected with biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines;
4.1.2 facilitating and supporting the exchange of scientific information between biochemists, molecular biologists and scientists working in related disciplines generally and especially in Europe and other countries of Constituent Societies;
4.1.3 facilitating and supporting the training of young scientists in research, in the form of fellowships; and
4.1.4 organising the editing and publication of scientific research and educational material in biochemistry and molecular biology and related disciplines.
4.2 The quality of science shall be of prime importance for decisions concerning support of any and all activities of the Federation.
5 Powers
5.1 The Federation has power to do anything which is calculated to further its Objects or is conducive or incidental to doing so. In particular, the Federation has power:
5.1.1 to raise funds. In doing so, the Federation must not undertake any taxable permanent trading activity and must comply with any relevant statutory regulations;
5.1.2 to buy, take on lease or in exchange, hire or otherwise acquire any property and to maintain and equip it for use;
5.1.3 to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the property belonging to the Federation. In exercising this power, the Federation must comply as appropriate with Part 7 of the Charities Act 2011;
5.1.4 to borrow money and to charge the whole or any part of the property belonging to the Federation as security for repayment of the money borrowed or as security for a grant or the discharge of an obligation. The Federation must comply as appropriate with Part 7 of the Charities Act 2011, if it wishes to mortgage land;
5.1.5 to co-operate with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities and to exchange information and advice with them;
5.1.6 to establish or support any charitable trusts, associations or institutions formed for any of the charitable purposes included in the Objects;
5.1.7 to acquire, merge with or to enter into any partnership or joint venture arrangement with any other charity;
5.1.8 to set aside income as a reserve against future expenditure but only in accordance with a written policy about reserves;
5.1.9 to establish or acquire subsidiaries;
5.1.10 to employ and remunerate such staff as are necessary for carrying out the work of the Federation. The Federation may employ or remunerate an Officer only to the extent it is permitted to do so by article 7 and provided it complies with the conditions in that article;
5.1.11 to:
(i) deposit or invest funds;
(ii) employ a professional fund-manager; and
(iii) arrange for the investments or other property of the Federation to be held in the name of a nominee;
in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the trustees of a trust are permitted to do by the Trustee Act 2000;
5.1.12 to provide indemnity insurance for the Officers in accordance with, and subject to the conditions in, section 189 of the Charities Act 2011; and
5.1.13 to pay out of the funds of the Federation the costs of forming and registering the Federation both as a company and as a charity.
6 Application of income and property
6.1 The income and property of the Federation shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the Objects.
6.2 An Officer is entitled to be reimbursed from the property of the Federation or may pay out of such property reasonable expenses properly incurred by him or her when acting on behalf of the Federation.
6.3 An Officer may benefit from trustee indemnity insurance cover purchased at the Federation’s expense in accordance with, and subject to the conditions in, section 189 of the Charities Act 2011.
6.4 An Officer may receive an indemnity from the Federation in the circumstances specified in article 39.
6.5 An Officer may not receive any other benefit or payment unless it is authorised by article 7.
6.6 Subject to article 7, none of the income or property of the Federation may be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend bonus or otherwise by way of profit to any Constituent Society or Officer. This does not prevent a Constituent Society or Officer receiving:
6.6.1 a benefit from the Federation in the capacity of a beneficiary of the Federation; and/or
6.6.2 reasonable and proper remuneration for any goods or services supplied to the Federation.
7 Benefits and payments to Officers and connected persons
7.1 No Officer or connected person may:
7.1.1 buy any goods or services from the Federation on terms preferential to those applicable to members of the public;
7.1.2 sell goods, services, or any interest in land to the Federation;
7.1.3 be employed by, or receive any remuneration from, the Federation;
7.1.4 receive any other financial benefit from the Federation;
unless the payment is permitted by articles 7.2 to 7.7 or authorised by the court or the Commission.
In this article a “ financial benefit ” means a benefit, direct or indirect, which is either money or has a monetary value.
7.2 An Officer or connected person may receive a benefit from the Federation in the capacity of a beneficiary of the Federation provided that a majority of the Officers do not benefit in this way.
7.3 An Officer or connected person may enter into a contract for the supply of services, or of goods that are supplied in connection with the provision of services, to the Federation where that is permitted in accordance with, and subject to the conditions in, section 185 to 188 of the Charities Act 2011.
7.4 Subject to article 7.8 an Officer or connected person may provide the Federation with goods that are not supplied in connection with services provided to the Federation by the Officer or connected person.
7.5 An Officer or connected person may receive interest on money lent to the Federation at a reasonable and proper rate which must be 2% (or more) per annum below the base rate of a clearing bank to be selected by the Executive Committee.
7.6 An Officer or connected person may receive rent for premises let by the Officer or connected person to the Federation. The amount of the rent and the other terms of the lease must be reasonable and proper. The Officer concerned must withdraw from any meeting at which such a proposal or the rent or other terms of the lease are under discussion.
7.7 An Officer or connected person may take part in the normal trading and fundraising activities of the Federation on the same terms as members of the public.
7.8 The Federation and its Officers may only rely upon the authority provided by article 7.4 if each of the following conditions is satisfied:
7.8.1 the amount or maximum amount of the payment for the goods is set out in an agreement in writing between the Federation or its Officers (as the case may be) and the Officer or connected person supplying the goods (the “ supplier ”) under which the supplier is to supply the goods in question to or on behalf of the Federation;
7.8.2 the amount or maximum amount of the payment for the goods does not exceed what is reasonable in the circumstances for the supply of the goods in question;
7.8.3 the Executive Committee is satisfied that it is in the best interests of the Federation to contract with the supplier rather than with someone who is not an Officer or connected person. In reaching that decision the Executive Committee must balance the advantage of contracting with an Officer or connected person against the disadvantages of doing so;
7.8.4 the supplier is absent from the part of any meeting at which there is discussion of the proposal to enter into a contract or arrangement with him or her or it with regard to the supply of goods to the Federation;
7.8.5 the supplier does not vote on any such matter and is not to be counted when calculating whether a quorum of Officers is present at the meeting;
7.8.6 the reason for the Executive Committee’s decision is recorded in the minute book; and
7.8.7 a majority of the Officers then in office are not in receipt of remuneration or payments authorised by article 7.
7.9 In articles 7.2 to 7.8:
7.9.1 “Federation ” includes any company or charity in which the Federation:
(i) holds more than 50% of the shares;
(ii) controls more than 50% of the voting rights attached to the shares; or
(iii) has the right to appoint one or more directors to the board of the company or charity; and
7.9.2 “connected person ” includes any person within the definition in article 41 (Interpretation).
8 Declaration of Officers’ interests
8.1 An Officer must declare the nature and extent of any interest, direct or indirect, which he or she has in a proposed transaction or arrangement with the Federation or in any transaction or arrangement entered into by the Federation which has not previously been declared. An Officer must absent himself or herself from any discussions of the Officers in which it is possible that a conflict will arise between his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the Federation and any personal interest (including but not limited to any personal financial interest).
9 Conflicts of interests and conflicts of loyalties
9.1 If a conflict of interests arises for an Officer because of a duty of loyalty owed to another organisation or person and the conflict is not authorised by virtue of any other provision in the articles, the unconflicted Officers may authorise such a conflict of interests where the following conditions apply:
9.1.1 the conflicted Officer is absent from the part of the meeting at which there is discussion of any arrangement or transaction affecting that other organisation or person;
9.1.2 the conflicted Officer does not vote on any such matter and is not to be counted when considering whether a quorum of Officers is present at the meeting; and
9.1.3 the unconflicted Officers consider it is in the interests of the Federation to authorise the conflict of interests in the circumstances applying.
9.2 In this article 9 a conflict of interests arising because of a duty of loyalty owed to another organisation or person only refers to such a conflict which does not involve a direct or indirect benefit of any nature to an Officer or to a connected person.
10 Members
10.1 The subscribers to the memorandum are the first members of the Federation.
10.2 Subject to meeting the requirements as set out in article 11 prospective members, being national scientific societies representing scientists in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology in Europe or in countries of the Federation’s area of interest, who wish to be admitted as Members, shall need to:
10.2.1 apply to the Federation in the form required by the Council; and
10.2.2 be approved by the Council.
10.3 The procedure for admission is set out in the By-laws.
10.4 The annual membership fee due to the Federation and payable by the Member Societies is determined by the Council.
10.5 Membership is non-transferrable.
10.6 For the avoidance of doubt, only one Constituent Society may be admitted as either a Member Society or Associate Member Society per country.
10.7 For the purpose of this article the Executive Committee shall have the final decision with regard to:
10.7.1 the interpretation of ‘country’; and
10.7.2 which organisation is any particular country’s national scientific society representing scientists in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology.
11 Classes of membership
11.1 The Federation has the following categories of Members:
11.1.1 Member Societies, who shall have the rights and responsibilities as set out in article 11.2;
11.1.2 Associate Member Societies, who shall have the rights and responsibilities as set out in article 11.3;
11.1.3 Officer Members, who shall have the rights and responsibilities as set out in article 11.4; and
11.1.4 any other category as may be determined by the Executive Committee from time to time.
11.2 Member Society
11.2.1 A Constituent Society which has been accepted as a Member Society by the Council shall pay the annual membership fee.
11.2.2 A Member Society has voting rights in the Council.
11.2.3 A Constituent Society which has been accepted as a Member Society by the Council but does not pay the annual membership fee will be considered as an Associate Member Society (with no voting rights) until the annual membership fee is paid.
11.2.4 A Member Society may nominate a Delegate to act as its representative at Council meetings in accordance with article 16.
11.3 Associate Member Society
11.3.1 A Constituent Society which has been accepted as an Associate Member Society by the Council does not pay the annual membership fee.
11.3.2 An Associate Member Society has no voting rights in Council meetings.
11.3.3 An Associate Member Society may nominate a Delegate (with no voting rights) to attend Council meetings in accordance with article 16.
11.4 Officer Member
11.4.1 The members of the Executive Committee are Officer Members.
11.4.2 Subject to the articles, Officer Members shall be Members and have voting rights in the Council for so long as they are Officers. Such a voting right is personal to each individual Officer Member and cannot be delegated.
11.4.3 Whenever an Officer ceases to be an Officer they shall also cease to be an Officer Member.
12 Obligations of Members
Membership of the Federation implies strict adherence to the articles, the By-laws and any lawful decision made or to be made by the Council or Executive Committee.
13 Termination of membership
13.1 Constituent Societies
13.1.1 A Constituent Society’s membership of the Federation ends in case of
(i) a dissolution or winding up of the Federation; or
(ii) a notice of withdrawal pursuant to article 13.1.2 by the Constituent Society; or an expulsion of the Constituent Society pursuant to article 13.1.3;
13.1.2 Any Constituent Society is free to withdraw from the Federation at a meeting of the Council provided written notice of such withdrawal has been communicated to the Secretary General at least one month before the Council Meeting.
13.1.3 Expulsion of a Constituent Society may be decided by the Council with a two-thirds majority of Council Members if the continued affiliation of such a Society with FEBS would, in the opinion of the Council, injure the reputation or interests of the Federation. The particular Constituent Society must be heard before a decision is made.
13.2 Officer Members
13.2.1 An Officer Member’s membership of the Federation ends if they cease to be an Officer.
14 Structure of the Council
14.1 The Council shall be composed of:
14.1.1 one Delegate from each Constituent Society; and
14.1.2 all members of the Executive Committee.
14.2 The Council shall be directed and represented by the Chairperson.
14.3 The Council shall conduct its activities in accordance with these articles, rules set out in the By-laws, Council resolutions and the applicable law.
15 Competence of the Council
15.1 Subject to the powers of the Executive Committee as set out in article 24.2, the Council has all such competencies that have not been conferred upon another organ of the Federation under the present articles. In particular the Council shall be required to:
15.1.1 approve any adoption and/or modification of the articles and By-laws;
15.1.2 approve any decision to dissolve, wind-up or merge the Federation;
15.1.3 approve the acceptance and/or expulsion of Constituent Societies;
15.1.4 consider all basic aspects of science policies of the Federation as proposed and formulated by the Executive Committee and approve those modifications and changes which the Council believes adequate and appropriate;
15.1.5 approve the establishment of Committees and Working Groups;
15.1.6 elect, by secret ballot:
(i) the Executive Committee (with the exception of the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson, who will be appointed in accordance with article 19); and
(ii) all Committee Members.
15.1.7 approve the work directives for the Executive Committee, other Committees and Working Groups and to monitor the operation of the Federation;
15.1.8 approve the appointment of one or more of the Constituent Societies to be the host society of a Congress;
15.1.9 approve the appointment of the Statutory Auditors and receive their annual audit at the Council Meeting;
15.1.10 determine the annual membership fee with details of the annual membership fees to be spelt out in the By-laws; and
15.1.11 approve the annual budgets and statements of account.
16 Delegates of Constituent Societies
16.1 Each Constituent Society shall have the right to appoint a Delegate as their representative to attend Council meetings.
16.2 Each Constituent Society shall notify the Secretary General in writing of their nominated Delegate from time to time, and in any event at least one month in advance of any meeting at which the Delegate is to attend on behalf of the Constituent Society. Until the Secretary General is further notified otherwise in writing any nominated Delegate shall have authority to represent the Constituent Society that nominated them as such.
16.3 If the Council, acting reasonably, considers a Delegate to be disruptive, or is bringing the Federation into disrepute, they can require a Constituent Society to appoint an alternative Delegate.
17 Meetings of the Council – Voting
17.1 The Council shall hold at least once a year an ordinary Council Meeting normally at each Congress of the Federation.
17.2 Further to article 17.1, additional Council Meetings shall be held upon the request of one third of the Constituent Societies. The request has to be addressed in writing to the Secretary General who shall convene a Council Meeting within four months after receipt of the request.
17.3 Unless explicitly stated otherwise in these articles (including articles 13.1.3, 31 and 33) or as otherwise required by the Companies Acts:
17.3.1 the Council Meeting has a quorum if at least two-thirds of the Voting Members are present;
17.3.2 each matter shall be decided by simple majority of the number of votes cast; and
17.3.3 each Delegate of a Member Society and each Officer Member has one vote.
17.4 Subject to articles 31 and 33, the Council can pass resolutions as written resolutions in accordance with the provisions of Part 13 Chapter 2 of the Companies Act 2006.
17.5 Additional provisions on the structure and the organisations of the Council may also be defined in By-laws.
18 Appointment and Term of Officers to the Executive Committee
18.1 The Officers of the Federation (the “ Officers ”) are:
18.1.1 the Chairperson,
18.1.2 the Vice-Chairperson,
18.1.3 the Secretary General,
18.1.4 the Treasurer,
18.1.5 the Congress Counsellor,
18.1.6 the Committee Chairpersons; and
18.1.7 the Working Group Chairpersons.
18.2 The Officers, except for the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson (whose term shall be in accordance with article 19), shall serve for a term of three years, and then may not serve in the same capacity for more than two additional terms (a total of nine years). Save with the approval of the Members, a retiring Officer who has served for nine consecutive years will not be eligible to be re-elected as an Officer for a period of two years.
18.3 No Officer shall be a Delegate of a Constituent Society.
19 The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson
19.1 The functions and responsibilities of the Chairperson are in particular:
19.1.1 to chair Council Meetings;
19.1.2 to chair meetings of the Executive Committee;
19.1.3 to perform any other tasks conferred by the Council on the Chairperson; and
19.1.4 together with the Secretary General, to prepare and organise the Council Meetings, including the calling of such meetings and the preparation and distribution of documents and minutes.
19.2 The Chairperson shall be proposed and nominated by the Constituent Society hosting the annual Congress. The application of the Constituent Society for hosting a Congress shall specify the qualification of the proposed Chairperson for such office. The Council shall confirm the nomination of the Chairperson together with the election of the Constituent Society which shall host the next Congress.
19.3 The Chairperson proposed by the host Society shall take office as Vice-Chairperson of the Federation on the 1st of January following the Congress. He/she will become the Chairperson one year later: the previous Chairperson leaves office at that time.
20 The Secretary General
20.1 Subject to article 24.2, the Secretary General shall be responsible for conducting all general administrative issues and matters of the Federation in accordance with these statutes and in particular:
20.1.1 maintain and promote the contacts and exchange of information between Council, the Executive Committee and Constituent Societies;
20.1.2 together with the Treasurer, negotiate and execute contracts on behalf of the Federation where appropriate within the restrictions and limits set by the Council or the Executive Committee from time to time;
20.1.3 together with the Chairperson, prepare and organise the Council Meetings, including the calling of such meetings and the preparation and distribution of documents and minutes. In particular, all Constituent Societies shall be asked, in due time, to nominate candidates for the elections of Officers and Committee members; the Secretary General shall circulate the respective Curricula Vitae of the nominated candidates to the Constituent Societies and members of the Executive Committee at least three months prior to a Council Meeting;
20.1.4 give an annual report to the Council;
20.1.5 organise the meetings of the Executive Committee, including the calling and preparation of such meetings and the preparation and distribution of minutes;
20.1.6 may participate ex officio in meetings of all Committees and Working Groups of the Federation with voting rights;
20.1.7 promote contacts with other scientific organisations and international bodies; and
20.1.8 provide a summary of Executive Committee minutes to the Constituent Societies.
20.2 The Secretary General shall be elected by the Council. If the term of the Secretary General is due to end, the next Secretary General shall be elected one year before the last meeting of the Council convened by the outgoing Secretary General.
21 The Treasurer
21.1 Subject to article 24.2, the Treasurer shall:
21.1.1 chair the Finance Committee;
21.1.2 report to the Council about the financial status at every Council Meeting, and to the Executive Committee and the Finance Committee at least twice a year and on the occasion of events significantly affecting the finances of the Federation;
21.1.3 execute relevant decisions made by the Council and the Executive Committee;
21.1.4 propose every year a budget to the Council, in line with decisions reached in the Executive Committee and Finance Committee;
21.1.5 be responsible for keeping all financial records as required under the Charities Act 2011; and
21.1.6 together with the Secretary General, negotiate and execute contracts on behalf of the Federation where appropriate within the restrictions and limits set by the Council or the Executive Committee from time to time.
21.2 The Treasurer may participate ex officio in all Committees and Working Groups of the Federation with voting rights.
21.3 The Treasurer shall be elected by the Council. If the term of the Treasurer is due to end, the next Treasurer shall be elected one year before the last meeting of Council at which the accounts of the Federation will be presented by the outgoing Treasurer.
22 The Congress Counsellor
22.1 The Congress Counsellor shall prepare for the election of Congress organisers and supervise the preparations and arrangements of each Congress. The details of the tasks of the Congress Counsellor are set forth in the By-laws.
22.2 The Congress Counsellor chairs the Congress Programme Board (as defined in the By-laws) that ensures the quality, consistency and international visibility of the annual FEBS Congress.
22.3 The Congress Counsellor shall be elected by the Council.
23 The Committee Chairpersons and Working Group Chairpersons
23.1 Each Committee Chairperson and Working Group Chairperson shall be responsible for the functioning of the Committee and Working Group that he/she chairs, including the meeting schedule and the supervision of committee functions. Further details of the tasks of the respective Committee Chairpersons and Working Group Chairpersons are set out in the By-laws.
23.2 Each Committee Chairperson and Working Group Chairperson shall be elected by the Council.
24 The Executive Committee
24.1 The members of the Executive Committee are the Officers.
24.2 The Executive Committee members agree, with their acceptance of the respective position within the Executive Committee, to also assume the responsibility of a trustee in the sense of the Charities Act 2011 and to be jointly responsible together with the other members of the Executive Committee for the actions of the Federation being in line with all charity law requirements applicable to the Federation. The members of the Executive Committee must in particular comply as trustees with the legal requirements as to the keeping of financial records, the audit of the accounts and the preparation and transmission to the Commission of the annual statements of account.
24.3 The members of the Executive Committee are collectively responsible to the Council for handling the administration of the Federation in agreement with the policies laid down by the Council.
24.4 Notwithstanding article 24.2, the Council delegates to the Executive Committee all of its responsibilities with respect to the general control of the Federation, which is vested in the Council, between Council Meetings. The Executive Committee is especially empowered to:
24.4.1 fulfil the Objects of the Federation in accordance with article 4;
24.4.2 administer the assets and property of the Federation;
24.4.3 assist the Secretary General in preparing the Council Meetings;
24.4.4 implement Working Groups and Committees (subject to approval of Council) entrusted with special tasks within the general framework of the Federation;
24.4.5 appoint delegates or representatives of the Federation to scientific conferences or meetings;
24.4.6 execute decisions of the Council;
24.4.7 receive reports from the Finance Committee and all other Committees and Working Groups on a regular basis; and
24.4.8 report to the Council on a regular basis.
24.5 Any proposal that would substantially alter the scope or balance of FEBS expenditure needs to be approved by the Council.
24.6 The Executive Committee makes decisions based on a majority vote. In case of a tie the Secretary General has two votes.
24.7 Should any position held by an Officer become vacant, the Executive Committee shall take immediate action to arrange the appointment of a temporary replacement Officer.
24.8 Further details of the organisation of the Executive Committee are set out in the By- laws.
25 The Finance Committee
25.1 The Finance Committee consists of the Treasurer (Chairperson), two persons elected by Council, the Chairperson of the Publications Committee ex officio and the Secretary General ex officio .
25.2 The Finance Committee shall assist the Treasurer in all financial matters and in communicating with the Constituent Societies, the Executive Committee and with all other Committees and Working Groups of the Federation. The Finance Committee shall draw up the overall budget and submit it to the Executive Committee and Council for adoption before the start of the financial year. After the end of the financial year, the Finance Committee will prepare the financial report and the annual
accounts. Next year’s budget, financial report and annual account of the previous year are presented at a Council meeting in due course.
25.3 The Finance Committee shall consider requests from all other Officers in preparing the annual budget.
25.4 The Finance Committee must ensure accounting records are kept as required by the Companies Acts and that the accounts are prepared to show a true and fair view and follow accounting standards issued or adopted by the Accounting Standards Board or its successors and adhere to the recommendations of applicable Statements of Recommended Practice.
25.5 Further details of the duties of the Finance Committee are set out in the By-laws.
25.6 Finance Committee members shall serve for a four year term of service (but this does not apply to the Treasurer, Publications Committee Chairperson or the Secretary General, whose terms shall be in accordance with article 18.2).
26 Other Committees and Working Groups
26.1 In addition to the Executive Committee and the Finance Committee, the Federation has so far established the following Committees:
26.1.1 Advanced Courses Committee;
26.1.2 Education Committee;
26.1.3 Fellowships Committee;
26.1.4 Publications Committee; and
26.1.5 Science and Society Committee.
26.2 Further committees may be formed if necessary. Their creation and composition shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and approved by the Council. The working mode of the committees is spelled out in the By-laws.
26.3 The formation of Working Groups and their objectives, structure and regulation will be approved by Council.
26.4 Committee Members shall serve for a four year term and will not be eligible for re- election in another capacity for at least two years after completion of his or her term of service. The same rule applies to elected members of Working Groups (but does not apply to the Chairpersons of such Working Groups, whose term shall be in accordance with article 18.2).
27 Nomination Rules
27.1 Constituent Societies and members of the Executive Committee shall be asked by the Secretary General with a sufficient time lead to nominate relevant candidates for the respective positions to be filled in future and to provide the relevant information on the candidate (including a Curriculum Vitae) on the standard nomination form provided.
27.2 The Committee Chairpersons shall inform Council of the qualifications of the candidates needed by the Committee with due regard to geographical and gender
representation. The Secretary General shall provide the nomination forms of all the candidates proposed at least three months prior to the Council Meeting at which elections are held. The members of Council may vote for a candidate from among those proposed in due time.
27.3 Persons elected must gain more than 50% of the votes cast by those present and voting. If after two rounds of voting there is no such majority for a candidate, Council must decide how to proceed.
28 Cessation of Officers and Committee Members
28.1 All Officers and Committee Members have to fulfil their duties with due care in accordance with the laws, in particular in accordance with these articles, the By-laws, the Council resolutions and any other rules which the Federation may adopt.
28.2 An Officer or Committee Member may be removed from his or her office by a Council decision if he or she:
28.2.1 acts unlawfully;
28.2.2 endangers the reputation of the Federation through his or her behaviour; or
28.2.3 is absent without the permission of the Officers or Committee Members (as applicable) from all their meetings held within a period of six consecutive months and the Officers or Committee Members resolve that his or her office be vacated.
The Officer or Committee Member in question shall be heard by Council before its decision is made.
28.3 An Officer or Committee Member shall cease to hold his or her office if he or she:
28.3.1 ceases to be an Officer or Committee Member by virtue of any provision in the Companies Acts or is prohibited by law from being a director;
28.3.2 is disqualified from acting as a trustee by virtue of section 178 of the Charities Act 2011 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that provision);
28.3.3 becomes incapable by reason of mental disorder, illness or injury of managing and administering his or her own affairs; or
28.3.4 resigns as an Officer or Committee Member by notice to the Federation (but an Officer’s resignation in accordance with this article 28.2.6 will only be effective provided that at least two Officers will remain in office when the notice of resignation is to take effect).
29 The Congress
29.1 The Congress of the Federation shall be held normally at least every year at a place proposed by the hosting Constituent Society and approved by the Council. The Congress Counsellor is responsible for the appropriate preparation of the Congress
in cooperation with the hosting Constituent Society and the Congress Programme Board (as defined in the By-laws).
29.2 The Congress of the Federation is a scientific meeting and exhibition and shall provide opportunities for the presentation of original communications, demonstrations and symposia. Further details are set out in the By-laws.
29.3 The Congress of the Federation will be financed by registration fees of participants and by sponsoring funds, including specific grants from the Federation approved by Council as proposed by the Executive Committee. The financial arrangements for a Congress are the responsibility of the hosting Constituent Society and approved by the Finance and Executive Committees. They will be represented by the Congress Counsellor as set forth in the By-laws.
30 Statutory Auditors
30.1 The Council shall approve the appointment annually of a firm of statutory auditors who shall report on the accounts of the Federation. The Council may also appoint at its discretion two individuals from among its Constituent Societies to act as auditors. At all times, these auditors may require that the books and all relevant documents or reports are presented to them and they may examine the cash and financial situation of the Federation. All organs of the Federation, in particular the Treasurer and the Finance Committee, must cooperate with both the statutory auditors and any other auditors appointed by the Council (if any).
30.2 The statutory auditors may be re-elected.
31 Alterations of the articles
31.1 The articles of the Federation may be amended at any Council Meeting by a Special Resolution (which is a resolution passed by a majority of not less than 75% of the Voting Members present and exercising their vote at a meeting present in person or, in the case of Member Societies, by their Delegate), provided that there is a quorum of least three-quarters of the Voting Members.
31.2 Proposals for changes of the articles must be submitted to the Executive Committee and the Secretary General at least three months prior to a Council Meeting at which it is intended to hold a vote to amend such articles. The Secretary General shall notify all Constituent Societies of such a proposal at least two months prior to the Council Meeting.
31.3 No change shall be made which would extend the Objects of the Federation beyond those set out in article 4.
32 By-laws of the Federation
32.1 The Executive Committee may from time to time make such reasonable and proper rules or bye laws as they may deem necessary or expedient for the proper conduct and management of the Federation (the “ By-laws ”).
32.2 The Council has the power to alter, add or to repeal the By-laws.
32.3 The Executive Committee must adopt such means as they think sufficient to bring the By-laws to the notice of Constituent Societies.
32.4 The By-laws shall be binding on all Members. No By-law shall be inconsistent with, or shall affect or repeal anything contained in, these articles.
32.5 The Executive Committee may amend the By-laws on application by the relevant Committee or Working Group provided that the alterations apply to the operating rules of that Committee or Working Group. Budgetary amendments should be supported by the Executive Committee. Any amendment which would substantially alter the scope or purposes of a Committee or Working Group would need the approval of Council.
33 The dissolution or merger of the Federation
33.1 A resolution to dissolve or merge the Federation can only be passed by a Council Meeting by a Special Resolution (which is a resolution passed by a majority of not less than 75% of the Voting Members present and exercising their vote at a meeting present in person or, in the case of Member Societies, by their Delegate), provided that there is a quorum of at least three quarters of the Voting Members. A motivated proposal for dissolution must be submitted in writing to the Secretary General at least four months before the Council meeting.
33.2 If at any time a Council resolution to dissolve or merge the Federation is passed, the Officers will remain in office as charity trustees and will be responsible for the orderly winding up of the Federation’s affairs. They shall send to the Commission a final report and statement of account relating to the Federation once the winding up is completed.
33.3 On the dissolution or merger of the Federation any surplus assets of the Federation shall be transferred to a body or bodies having aims similar to those of the Federation or for charitable purposes.
34 Remuneration of Officers
The Officers must not be paid any remuneration unless it is authorised by article 7.
35 Validity of Officers’ and Committee Member’s decisions
35.1 Subject to article 35.2, all acts done by the Executive Committee, or of a Committee and Working Group, shall be valid notwithstanding the participation in any vote of an Officer and/or Committee Member who:
35.1.1 was disqualified from holding office;
35.1.2 had previously retired or who had been obliged by the constitution to vacate office; and/or
35.1.3 was not entitled to vote on the matter, whether by reason of a conflict of interests or otherwise,
if without:
35.1.4 the vote of that Officer and/or Committee Member; and
35.1.5 that Officer and/or Committee Member being counted in the quorum,
the decision has been made by a majority of the Officers and/or Committee Members participating at a quorate meeting.
35.2 Article 35.1 does not permit an Officer or connected person to keep any benefit that may be conferred upon him or her by a resolution of the Executive Committee or of a Committee or Working Group if, but for article 35.1, the resolution would have been void, or if the Officer has not complied with article 8.
36 Minutes
36.1 The Federation must keep minutes of all:
36.1.1 elections of Officers and Committee Members made by the Council;
36.1.2 proceedings at meetings of the Council;
36.1.3 meetings of the Executive Committee, Committees and Working Groups including:
(i) the names of those present at the meeting;
(ii) the decisions made at the meetings; and
(iii) where appropriate the reasons for the decisions.
37 Annual Report and Return and Register of Charities
37.1 The Officers must comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 with regard to the:
37.1.1 transmission of a copy of the statements of account to the Commission;
37.1.2 preparation of an Annual Report and the transmission of a copy of it to the Commission; and
37.1.3 preparation of an Annual Return and its transmission to the Commission.
37.2 The Officers must notify the Commission promptly of any changes to the Federation’s entry on the Central Register of Charities.
38 Means of communication to be used
38.1 Subject to the articles, anything sent or supplied by or to the Federation under the articles may be sent or supplied in any way in which the Companies Act 2006 provides for documents or information which are authorised or required by any provision of that Act to be sent or supplied by or to the Federation.
38.2 Subject to the articles, any notice or document to be sent or supplied to an Officer in connection with the taking of decisions by Officers may also be sent or supplied by the means by which that Officer has asked to be sent or supplied with such notices or documents for the time being.
38.3 Any notice to be given to or by any person pursuant to the articles:
38.3.1 must be in writing; or
38.3.2 must be given in electronic form.
38.4 The Federation may give any notice to a Constituent Society either:
38.4.1 personally;
38.4.2 by sending it by post in a prepaid envelope addressed to the Constituent Society at the Constituent Society’s address;
38.4.3 by leaving it at the address of the Constituent Society;
38.4.4 by giving it in electronic form to the Constituent Society’s address; or
38.4.5 by placing the notice on a website and providing the Constituent Society with a notification in writing or in electronic form of the presence of the notice on the website.
38.5 A Constituent Society who does not register an address with the Federation shall not be entitled to receive any notice from the Federation.
38.6 A Constituent Society whose Delegate is present in person at any meeting of the Federation shall be deemed to have received notice of the meeting and of the purposes for which it was called.
38.7 Proof that an envelope containing a notice was properly addressed, prepaid and posted shall be conclusive evidence that the notice was given.
38.8 Proof that an electronic form of notice was given shall be conclusive where the Federation can demonstrate that it was properly addressed and sent, in accordance with section 1147 of the Companies Act 2006.
39 Indemnity
39.1 The Federation shall indemnify any relevant Officer against any liability incurred by him or her or it in that capacity, to the extent permitted by sections 232 to 234 of the Companies Act 2006.
39.2 In this article a “ relevant Officer ” means any Officer or former Officer of the Federation.
40 Disputes
If a dispute arises between Members about the validity or propriety of anything done by Members under these articles, and the dispute cannot be resolved by agreement, the parties to the dispute must first try in good faith to settle the dispute by mediation before resorting to litigation.
41 Interpretation
41.1 In article 7, article 9.2 and article 35.2, “ connected person ” means:
41.1.1 a child, parent, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister of the Officer;
41.1.2 the spouse or civil partner of the Officer or of any person falling within paragraph 41.1.1 above;
41.1.3 a person carrying on business in partnership with the Officer or with any person falling within paragraph 41.1.1 or 41.1.2 above;
41.1.4 an institution which is controlled:
(i) by the Officer or any connected person falling with paragraphs 41.1.1, 41.1.2 or 41.1.3 above; or
(ii) by two or more persons falling within paragraph 41.1.4(i) above, when taken together;
41.1.5 a body corporate in which:
(i) the Officer or any connected person falling within paragraphs 41.1.1 to 41.1.3 above has a substantial interest; or
(ii) two or more persons falling within sub-paragraph 41.1.5(i) above who, when taken together, have a substantial interest.
41.1.6 Sections 350 – 352 of the Charities Act 2011 apply for the purposes of interpreting the terms used in this article.
1 FEBS CONSTITUENT SOCIETIES – 2013
Association of Armenian Biochemists Dr. Varduhi Knaryan H. Buniatin Inst. of Biochemistry Paruir Sevak Str. 5/1 0014 Yerevan REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA [email protected] U0T
Österreichische Gesellschaft für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Biotechnologie (ÖGMBT) DI (FH) Alexandra Khassidov University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Institute of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology Dept. of Applied Plant Sciences and Plant Biotechnology Muthgasse 18 A-1190 Vienna AUSTRIA Tel: +43 (1) 47654-6394 Fax: +43 (1) 47654-6392
E-Mail: [email protected] U0T
E-Mail: [email protected] U0T
Société Belge de Biochimie et de Biologie Moleculaire Prof. Thierry ARNOULD Unité de Biologie et Biochimie Cellulaire (URBC) NAmur Research Institute for LIfe Sciences (NARILIS) Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix (FUNDP) 61, rue de Bruxelles B-5000 Namur BELGIUM c/o Treasurer: Prof. em. Yves Engelborghs KULeuven-Biomolecular Dynamics & BioSCENTer Celestijnenlaan 200 g-box 2403- VAT BE 0419.052.173 B3001 Leuven
[email protected] .be U0T
Bulgarian Society for Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Dr. Diana Petkova Inst. Of Biophysics Bulgarian Academy of Sciences G. Bonchev st. bl. 21 BG – Sofia 1113 BULGARIA [email protected] U0T
Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Dr. Zrinka Kovarik 31/12/2013 2 Ksaverska cesta 2, POB291 HR-10000 Zagreb CROATIA [email protected] U0T Dr. Zrinka Kovarik Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Ksaverska cesta 2, POB291 HR-10000 Zagreb
Cyprus Biological Society Dr. Andreani Odysseos EPOS-Iasis, R&D 5 Karyatidon Street, Suite 202 Nicosia 2028 CYPRUS [email protected] U0T
Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Dr. Irena Krumlová Kladenská 48 CZ – 16000 Prague 6 CZECH REPUBLIC [email protected] U0T
Danish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Dr. Sten Gammeltoft Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry Glostrup Hospital DK – 2600 Glostrup DENMARK [email protected] U0T Tuula Kallunki Vicechairwoman of Danish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (DSBMB). [email protected]
Estonian Biochemical Society Prof. Peep Paluuma-President Tallinn Technical University ESTONIA [email protected] Dr. Vello Tougu – Academic Secretary Tallinn Technical University
Societas Biochimica, Biophysica et Microbiologica Fenniae Dr. Saara Tikka Meilahti Clinical Proteomics Core Facility Bionedicum Helsinki
31/12/2013 3 P.O.Box 62 (Haartmaninkatu 8) 00014 University of Helsinki FINLAND
[email protected] U0T Tl: 358-9-191-25202
Société Francaise de Biochimie et de Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM) Alain Krol, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS Architecture et Réactivité de l'arN Université de Strasbourg - CNRS Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire 15 Rue René Descartes. 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France tel: 33(0)3 88 41 70 50; fax: 33(0)3 88 60 22 18 e-mail: [email protected] FRANCE http://www-ibmc.u-strasbg.fr
Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie e.V. GBM-Geschaftsstelle Dr. Anke Lischeid Morfelder Landstr. 125 60598 Frankfurt/Main GERMANY lischeid@gb0TU m-online.de U0T
Hellenic Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 11 Soufliou Street Athens 115 27 Tel: +30-210-9655-054 [email protected] U0T GREECE
President: Dr. George Panayotou ([email protected] )U0T
Vice President: Prof. Christos Panagiotidis ([email protected] )U0T
Sec. Gen.: Prof. Dido Dimitris Kletsas 0TU [email protected] Research Director Laboratory of Cell Proliferation& Ageing Institute of Biology NCSR "Demokritos" 153 10 Athens, Greece
Hungarian Biochemical Society Prof. László Fĕsűs-President Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medical and Health Science Center University of Debrecen, Egyetem ter 1. Life Science Building H – 4010 Debrecen, HUNGARY [email protected] e.hu U0T Dr. Beata G. Vertessy-Secretary General Deputy Director Institute of Enzymology
31/12/2013 4 Hungarian Academy of Sciences Karolina 29 H-1113 Budapesst, HUNGARY [email protected] U0T
Israel Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Prof. Abdussalam Azem - Sectretary Tel Aviv University Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel ISRAEL [email protected] Prof. Shula Michaeli-President The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life sciences Bar Ilan University Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Prof. Chiara Cini-secretary Sapienza University of Rome Department of Biochemical Sciences P. le Aldo Moro, 5 00185 Rome ITALY
Latvian Biochemical Society Dr. Renate Ranka University of Latvia Biomedical Research and Study Centre Ratsupites Street 11 LV 1067 Riga LATVIA [email protected] U0T
Lithuanian Biochemical Society Mokslininkų str. 12, LT-08662 Vilnius, Lithuania ph. +370 37 390033 fax. +370 37 390133 Chairman LITHUANIA Prof. Dr. Rimantas Daugelavičius e-mail: [email protected] U0T Secretary, Prof. habil. Dr. Vida Mildažienė e-mail: [email protected] U0T
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Biochemi en Moleculaire Biologie Remus T. Dame, PhD Laboratory of Molecular Genetics & Cell Observatory
31/12/2013 5 Leiden Institute of Chemistry Leiden University PO Box 9502, 2300RA Leiden The Netherlands tel: (31)715275605 fax: (31)715274357 THE NETHERLANDS e-mail:U [email protected] http://www.bacterialchromatin.nlU U
Norwegian Biochemical Society Prof. Winnie Eskild Institutt for molykylær biovitenskap University of Oslo P.O. Box 1041 Blindern N - 0316 Oslo
[email protected] U0T Secretary General: Tom Kristensen Dep. Of Molecular Biosciences University of Oslo P.O.Box 1041 Blindern N-0316 Oslo, Norway
[email protected] U0T NORWAY
The Polish Biochemical Society Prof. Andrzej Dżugaj - President Wroclaw University Przybyszewskiego 63 St. 51-148 Wroclaw, POLAND [email protected] U0T
Sociedade Portuguese de Bioquimica António Francisco Ambrósio, PhD Principal Investigator Centre of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, IBILI Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra Pólo 3 3004-548 Coimbra Portugal NEW PHONE NUMBER: +351239480093 (ext: 15353) Fax: +351239480280 Mobile: +351938312647 PORTUGAL [email protected] U0T Vice-President: João Laranjinha, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of
Coimbra ([email protected] )U0T Secretary-General: Graça Soveral, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of
Lisbon ([email protected] )U0T
31/12/2013 6
Societatea Romana de Biochimie si Biologie Moleculara Dr. Norica Nichita - Secretary Institute of Biochemistry 296, sect. 6 Splaiul Independentei R – 77700 Bucharest ROMANIA [email protected] U0T
The Russian Biochemical Society Professor Yurii Osipov President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow, Leninsky prospekt, 14 c/c Dr. Sergey Markyanov Head of the Foreign office of RAS [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] RUSSIA
Serbian Biochemical Society Prof. Mihailo Spasic-President Institute for Biochemical Research "Sinisa Stankovic" 142 Despot Stefan Blvd. 11060 Belgrade Tel. & Fax: +381 (11) 276-1433 [email protected] U0T Assoc. Prof. Karmen Stankov-Vice President Hajduk Veljkova 3, 21000 Novi Sad
[email protected] U0T Prof. Marija Gavrovic-Secretary Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Studentski trg 16, 11158 Belgrade. [email protected] SERBIA
Slovak Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Prof. Dr. Jan Turna-President Katedra Molekularnej biologie Prirodovedecka fakulta UK Mlynsk doline B-2 842 15 Bratislava SLOVAKIA [email protected] U0T
The Slovenian Biochemical Society Dr. Gregor Anderluh
31/12/2013 7 University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty Dept. of Biology Vecna pot 111 SI – 1000 Ljubljana SLOVENIA [email protected] -lj.si U0T
Sociedad Espanola de Bioquímica y Biologica Molecular President: Federico Mayor Menendez Treasurer: Crisanto Gutierrez Armenta Address: Vitruvio 8 28006, Madrid SPAIN Tl: 34-915-61-33-81 Fax: 34-915-61-32-99 [email protected] U0T Scientific Secretary: Isabel Varela-Nieto
Swedish Society for Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology Prof. Elias Arnér Division of Biochemistry Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics Karolinska Institutet SE-171 77 Stockholm SWEDEN Present Chairman:
E0TU [email protected] Office: [email protected]
Swiss Society for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (SSMCB) Daniel F. Legler, Head Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg) University of Konstanz Unterseestrasse 47 CH-8280 Kreuzlingen SWITZERLAND
Turkish Biochemical Society Nazmi Özer, Ph.D President University of Hacettepe Faculty of Medicine Department of Biochemistry Ankara
31/12/2013 8 TURKEY [email protected] U0T
The Biochemical Society Charles Darwin House, 12 Roger St, London, WC1N 2JU Chief Executive: Kate Baillie
Kate.baillie@bioch0TU emistry.org U0T [email protected] U0T Treasurer UK
Ukrainian Biochemical Society Prof. Sergiy Komisarenko-President Paladin Institute of Biochemistry Ukraine NAS 9 Leontovicha Str. 01601 Kiev 30 UKRAINE [email protected] U0T
31/12/2013 FEBS MEMBERSHIP 2013 (as of 31 December 2013)
Member Societies No. of Members 2013 Subscr. 1 ARMENIA 140 € 35.00 2 AUSTRIA 612 € 153.00 3 BELGIUM 660 € 165.00 4 BULGARIA 108 € 27.00 5 CROATIA 354 € 88.50 6 CYPRUS 120 € 30.00 7 CZECH REPUBLIC 620 € 155.00 8 DENMARK 800 € 200.00 9 ESTONIA 110 € 27.50 10 FINLAND 844 € 211.00 11 FRANCE 2000 € 500.00 12 GERMANY 3442 € 860.50 13 GT BRITAIN & IRELAND 6215 € 1,553.75 14 GREECE 340 € 85.00 15 HUNGARY 853 € 213.25 16 ISRAEL 266 € 66.50 17 ITALY 1000 € 250.00 18 LATVIA 240 € 60.00 19 LITHUANIA 150 € 37.50 20 NETHERLANDS 1206 € 301.50 21 NORWAY 1085 € 271.25 22 POLAND 850 € 212.50 23 PORTUGAL 700 € 175.00 24 ROMANIA 280 € 70.00 25 RUSSIA 6500 € 1,625.00 26 SERBIA 180 € 45.00 27 SLOVAK REPUBLIC 220 € 55.00 28 SLOVENIA 220 € 55.00 29 SPAIN 3700 € 925.00 30 SWEDEN 426 € 106.50 31 SWITZERLAND 585 € 146.25 32 TURKEY 600 € 150.00 33 UKRAINE 680 € 170.00 Total 36,106 € 9,026.50 Levy per Member (EUR) € 0.25
Associate Member Societies GEORGIA N/A N/A MOLDOVA N/A N/A MOROCCO N/A N/A
FEBS Executive Committee - 01.01.2013 – 31.12.2013
Chairperson Professor Sergio Papa Department of Medical Biochemistry, Biology and Physics University of Piazza G. Cesare 11 70124 Bari ITALY Tel: +39-080-5448541 Fax: +39-080-5448538 [email protected]
Vice Chairperson Professor Miguel A. De la Rosa President SEBBM, Director cicCartuja University of Seville & CSIC Americo Vespucio, 49 41092 Sevilla, SPAIN Tel: +34 954 489 582 Fax: +34 954 460 165 [email protected]
Treasurer Professor Alan Fersht MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH. UK Tel: +44 1223 02137 Fax: +44 1223 311 012 [email protected]
Secretary General Professor Israel Pecht Department of Immunology Weizmann Institute 76100 Rehovot, ISRAEL Tel: +972 8 9344020 Fax: +972 8 9465264 [email protected] [email protected]
Congress Counsellor Professor Adam Szewczyk The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology 3 Pasteur St.,PL – 02-093 Warsaw POLAND Tel: +48 22 589 2269 lab +48 225892207 President’s office Fax: +48 22 822 5342 Cell: +48 693704959 [email protected] 6/12/2014
Chairperson of the Advanced Courses Committee Professor Jaak Järv (Resigned on 12.07.2013) Institute of Chemistry Tartu University 2 Jacobi Str. 51014 Tartu ESTONIA Tel: +372 7375 246 Fax: +372 7375 247 [email protected]
Acting Chair of the Advanced Course Committee as of 21.07.2013: Professor Beata G. Vertessy Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Karolina 29, H-1111, Budapest, HUNGARY Tel: +361 279 3140; +361 463 1401 [email protected]
Chairperson of the Science and Society Committee Professor Jacques-Henry Weil Institut de Botanique 28 rue Goethe, 67083 Strasbourg FRANCE Tel: +33 3 68 85 18 32 [email protected]
Chairperson of the Fellowships Committee Professor Vicente Rubio Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia C/ Jaime Roig 11, 46010-Valencia SPAIN Tel: +34 96 3391772 Fax: +34 96 3690800 [email protected]
Chairperson of the Publications Committee Prof. Laszlo Fesus Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Debrecen Egyetem ter 1 Debrecen HUNGARY – H-3032 Tel: +36-30-9536996 Fax: +36-52-314989 [email protected]
Chairperson of the Education Committee Prof. Gül Güner School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry Institute of Health Sciences Dokuz Eylul University TURKEY Tel: +90 (232) 412 44 03 GSM: +90 533 749 17 96 Fax: +90 (232) 277 65 84 [email protected] 6/12/2014
Chairperson of the Working Group on Careers of Young Scientists Professor Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada Genomics and Stress Laboratory ITQB, Avenida da Republica (EAN) 2780-157 Oeiras Codex PORTUGAL Tel: + 351 21 446 9624 Fax: + 351 21 446 9625 [email protected]
Acting Chair of the Working Group on Women in Science (WISE) as of 11.09.2012 (Due to Prof. Lea Sistonen’s resignation) Professor Cecília Maria Arraiano (Acting Chair) ITQB-Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica Universidade Nova de Lisboa Apt 127, 2781-901 Oeiras, PORTUGAL Tel: +351-21-446 9547 (direct) Fax: +351-21-4469549; +351-21-4469562 (lab) Mobile: +351-918-231-214 [email protected]
Chairperson of the Working Group on Integration (WGI) Professor Mathias Sprinzl Laboratorium für Biochemie Universität Bayreuth 95440 Bayreuth GERMANY Tel: +49 921 552427 Fax: +49 921 552066 [email protected]
6/12/2014 COMPOSITION OF THE FEBS COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEMBERS
January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013
EXECUTIVE Country Elected in Starting Ending COMMITTEE
S. Papa Italy Seville 01 01 13 31 12 13 Chairperson (2012)
M. A. De La Rosa Spain Seville 01 01 13 31 12 13 Vice Chairperson (2012)
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) A. Szewczyk Poland Budapest 01 01 06 31 12 08 Congress Counsellor (2005) Athens 01 01 09 31 12 11 (2008) Turin 01 01 12 31 12 14 (2011) J. Järv Estonia Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010) 12 07 13 - resigned Advanced Courses Com. (ACC) ------B. Vertessy Hungary 21 07 13 31 12 14 Acting Chair ACC V. Rubio Spain Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010) Fellowships Com. L. Fesus Hungary Turin 01 01 12 31 12 14 Chairperson (2011) Publications Com. J.H. Weil France Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010) Science & Society Com. G. Güner-Akdogan Turkey Prague 01 01 10 31 12 12 Chairperson (2009) Education Com. Seville 01 01 13 31 12 15 (2012) C. Rodrigues- Portugal Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Pousada (2010) Chairperson Careers of Young Scientists L. Sistonen Finland Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010) 10 09 12 - resigned Women in Science (WISE) ------C. Arraiano Portugal 11 09 12 31 12 13 Acting Chair (WISE)
6/12/2014 C. Arraiano Portugal St. Petersburg 01 01 14 31 12 16
M. Sprinzl Germany Athens 01 01 09 31 12 11 Chairperson Working Group on Turin 01 01 12 31 12 14 Integration (WGI)
FINANCE COMMITTEE
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010)
W. Eskild Norway Seville 01 01 13 31 12 13 (2012) St. Petersburg 01 01 14 31 12 15 (2013) L. Fesus Hungary Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
F. Hucho Germany Athens 01 01 09 31 12 12 (2008) Seville 01 01 13 31 12 13 Co-Option (2012)
I. Pecht Israel Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
ADVANCED COURSES COMMITTEE
J. Järv Estonia Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010) 12.07.13 resigned
------B. Vertessy Hungary 21 07 13 31 12 14 Acting Chair L. Nagy Hungary Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 (2011) V. Receveur-Brechot France Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 (2011)
D.Rozman Slovenia Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
E. Gonos Greece Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009)
I. Kuta-Smatnova Czech Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 Republic (2010)
S. Rupp Germany Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010)
P. van Dijck Belgium Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010) A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13
6/12/2014 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
FELLOWSHIPS COMMITEE
V. Rubio Spain Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010)
T. Balog Croatia Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 (2011)
S. Campuzano Spain Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 (2011)
H. Soreq Israel Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 (2011)
M. Wimmerova Czech Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 Republic (2009)
A. Krol France Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
L. Buday Hungary Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010)
M. Gruetter Germany Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
A. Hartig Austria Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010)
C. Spetea Wiklund Sweden Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010)
M. Skok Ukraine 01 01 12 31 12 13 Co-option
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
L. Fesus Hungary Turin 01 01 12 31 12 14 Chairperson (2011)
D. Thanos Greece Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010)
G. Melino Italy Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
M. Prieto Portugal Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009) 6/12/2014
A. Cornish-Bowden France Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009)
L. Patthy Hungary Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 14 (2010)
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY COMMITTEE
J. H. Weil France Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010)
M. Agostinho Portugal Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009)
L. Rask Sweden Athens 01 01 09 31 12 12 (2008) Sweden Seville (2012) / co-option 01 01 13 31 12 13
J. Guinovart Spain Athens 01 01 09 31 12 12 (2008) Spain Seville (2012) / co-option 01 01 13 31 12 13 J. Duszynski Poland London / co-option 01 01 12 31 12 12 (2011) Poland Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
E. Fragkoulis Greece London / co-option 01 01 12 31 12 12 (2011) Greece Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
A. Szewczyk Poland Budapest 01 01 06 31 12 08 Congress Counsellor (2005) Ex-Officio Athens 01 01 09 31 12 11 (2008) Turin 01 01 12 31 12 14 (2011)
6/12/2014
EDUCATION COMMITTEE
G. Güner-Akdogan, Turkey Prague 01 01 10 31 12 12 Chairperson (2009) Turkey Seville 01 01 13 31 12 15 (2012)
T. Zima Czech Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 republic (2011)
A. Herráez Spain Turin 01 01 12 31 12 15 (2011)
F. Michelangeli UK Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
W. Nellen Germany Seville 01 01 13 31 12 16 (2012)
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
CHAIRPERSONS OF THE WORKING GROUPS
WORKING GROUP ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE (WISE)
L. Sistonen Finland Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Chairperson (2010) 10 09 12 resigned
C. Arraiano Portugal 11 09 12 31 12 13 Acting Chair
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
WORKING GROUP ON CAREERS OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS
C. Rodrigues- Portugal Gothenburg 01 01 11 31 12 13 Pousada (2010) Chairperson
6/12/2014 A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
WORKING GROUP ON INTEGRATION (WGI)
M. Sprinzl Germany Athens 01 01 09 31 12 11 Chairperson (2008) Turin 01 01 12 31 12 14 (2011)
J. Baranska Poland Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009)
T. Borisova Ukraine Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009) Ukraine St. Petersburg 01 01 14 31 12 14 (2013) Extension
J. Dumic Croatia Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 (2009) Croatia St. Petersburg 01 01 14 31 12 14 (2013) Extension V. Knaryan Armenian Prague 01 01 10 31 12 13 Republic (2009)
A. Fersht United Gothenburg 01 01 12 31 12 14 Treasurer Kingdom (2010) Ex-Officio
I. Pecht Israel Istanbul 01 01 08 31 12 10 Secretary General (2006) Ex-Officio Prague 01 01 11 31 12 13 (2009) Seville 01 01 14 31 12 16 (2012)
Comments:
1) Prof. Sprinzl (WGI) was nominated as a Trustee on 11.09.2012 (Seville FEBS Congress).
6/12/2014
FEBS Publications Committee Report 2013
In 2013 there were two Publications Committee Meetings: one in May (Cambridge) and one in July (St. Petersburg).
The Chairman of the Committee attended the business meetings with Elsevier (Cambridge in March) and Wiley (Oxford in April); participated in the Editorial Board meetings of FEBS Letters (Debrecen in May) and FEBS Journal (Heidelberg in October); and was invited to join the Public Affairs Committee of “The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers” (ALPSP).
The Committee decided that the fee for immediate open access would be the following from 2014: it stays at 3000 USD at FEBS Journal, and changes to 2200 USD in FEBS Letters and to 2700 USD in Molecular Oncology. (The Open Access publication fee for FEBS Open Bio is 1200 EUR.)
The Committee appointed several new members to the editorial boards of the four FEBS journals.
The Chairman of the Publications Committee, the chief editors of our journals and the journals themselves became signatories of DORA (The San Francisco “Declaration on Research Assessment “, DORA) which was made public on May 17 2013.
The By-Laws of the Publications committee was modified effective by September 4, 2013. The new version of the By-Laws regulates clearly how elected/voting members of the Committee make decisions.
The Publications Committee decided, after the limitation of the annual Prize money by FEBS Finance Committee to 5K for each Prize each year, that from the year 2015:
- FEBS Letters Prize will be awarded every second year without age limitation, selecting the best paper and keeping the value of the prize money at 10K EUR;
- FEBS Journal Prize will be awarded annually for young investigators without changing the established selection criteria but lowering the prize money significantly (very likely to 1000 EUR). The remaining amount from the 5K/year will be used by the Journal to promote itself at various conferences from which original publications and reviews are expected.
The FEBS Journal
FEBS Journal is a major forum in molecular life sciences. The Impact Factor of the journal rose from 3.79 to 4.25 in 2013, its highest ever recorded value. The number of manuscripts accepted in 2013 (518) rose by 38% as a result of the growing number of submissions. Five Special Issues, a record number, were published during the year. Seven new members were appointed to the editorial board.
The outstanding service of Richard Perham at FEBS Journal for 15 years came to an end in December. Seamus Martin was appointed for 5 years to the position of chairman of the editorial board of FEBS Journal starting on January 1st, 2014.
FEBS Letters
FEBS Letters is a world‐renowned journal for rapid publication of short reports describing novel and specific effects with a biologically or biochemically significant function. Its 2012 Impact Factor is 3.582. In 2013 it published 583 articles and 3 special issues. Two new members were appointed to the editorial board. The chief editor of the journal is Felix Wieland.
Molecular Oncology
Molecular Oncology highlights new discoveries, approaches, as well as technical developments, in basic, clinical and discovery-driven translational research. It publishes research articles, reviews thematic issues science policy articles; altogether 100 articles were published in 2013. The IF of the journal rose to 6.701, which led to a sharp increase of submissions. Hard copies of the journal were distributed at large cancer conferences. Julio Celis is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, engaging the advice of 71 editors.
FEBS Open Bio
FEBS Open Bio is an online-only Open Access journal for the rapid publication of research articles in molecular and cellular life sciences in both health and disease. It published 78 articles in 2013 compared to 52 in 2012. It is expected that the first impact factor for the journal will appear in 2015. The executive editor of the journal is Mary Purton, who works with 25 editors.
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES
Professor Vicente Rubio Chairperson, FEBS Fellowships Committee Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia c/. Jaime Roig, 11 46010 Valencia, Spain Tel (+34) 96.339.17.72 Fax (+34) 96.369.08.00 E-mail: [email protected]
FEBS Fellowships Committee
Chairperson’s Activity Report
Covering Period 1 January – 31 December 2013
To be Submitted to the 54th Council Meeting of FEBS
[1]
ACTIVITY REPORT FOR PERIOD 1 JANUARY – 31 DECEMBER 2013
I. Members of the Fellowships Committee
To replace Martino Bolognesi, whose 4-year term of office came to an end on 31 December 2012, and to continue putting to effect the decision of the 51st meeting of the FEBS Council of increasing by three the number of members of the Fellowships Committee by a combination of co-optation and stepwise increase of elected members over three years, two newly elected (by the Council) Committee Members were incorporated to the Committee: Markus GRUETTER (Switzerland) and Alain KROL (France). In addition, George MOSIALOS (Greece), and Maryna Volodymyrivna SKOK (Ukraine), were co-opted for 2013.
As a result, the following persons served on the Committee in 2013:
Vicente RUBIO (Spain), Chairperson of the Fellowships Committee Tihomir BALOG (Croatia), Member Lászlo BUDAY (Hungary), Member Sonsoles CAMPUZANO (Spain), Member Markus GRUETTER (Switzerland), Member Andreas HARTIG (Austria), Member Alain KROL (France), Member Hermona SOREQ (Israel), Member Cornelia SPETEA WIKLUND (Sweden), Member Michaela WIMMEROVA (Czech Republic), Member
Israel PECHT (Israel), ex officio Member and Secretary-General of FEBS Sir Alan FERSHT (U.K.), ex officio Member and Treasurer of FEBS
George MOSIALOS (Greece) and Maryna Volodymyrivna SKOK (Ukraine), were co-opted for 2013.
On 31 December 2013, the 4-year term of office of Michael Wimmerova and the three- year mandate of the Chairperson, Vicente Rubio, came to an end.
II. Meetings of the FEBS Fellowships Committee.
The spring session was held in Budapest (Hungary) on 1 June 2013, hosted by the Committee member Prof. Lazslo Buday. Sir Alan Fersht, FEBS Treasurer and Hermona Soreq, Member, did not attend the meeting due to prior commitments.
In this meeting of the Committee, it was decided to propose the termination of the Chinese European Visiting Fellowships Programme, a proposal that was approved later on by the upper FEBS bodies, and that was based on the virtually null demand of these fellowships, together with the need to concentrate in keeping other programs alive in the present scenario of financial restrictions. The Committee also supported the proposal to
[2]
organize the second FEBS Fellow's Meeting in Paris, jointly with the Young Scientists' Forum of 2014, and as a part of the celebration of the 50-year anniversary of FEBS.
The autumn session of the Committee was held in Vienna (Austria) on 30 November 2013, hosted by the Chairperson elect and Member of the Committee, Prof. Andreas Hartig. Sir Alan Fersht, Treasurer of FEBS, excused himself from attending.
III. Overview of applications received and fellowships/awards/scholarships granted during the years 2011-2013
The Fellowships Committee is continuing to receive a large number of applications. December 2013 being the end of the Chairperson's 3-year mandate as Chair of the Committee, a recapitulation is being made of the number of applications received during his mandate (the years 2011-2013 inclusive) and the number of fellowships/awards/scholarships granted during this period. This information (contained in Annex 1) helps to give a clear picture of developments in the programme. When relevant, success rates and comparisons with the previous 3-year period are given.
The quality of the applications being received continues to be excellent, particularly as concerns those for Long-Term Fellowships. In addition, because of the abrupt decrease in the number of fellowships granted, FEBS Long-Term Fellowships have become highly competitive and their bearers should receive the mark of having obtained a fellowship under circumstances of extremely low success rates, which actually is an indication of the excellence of these successful candidates.
IV. Overview of Long-Term Fellowships granted in 2011-2013
At the end of the Chairperson’s mandate, it is also useful to overview the Long-Term Fellowships granted during the 3 years 2011-2013 and so have an overall picture of the countries and groups that hosted them. Therefore, a table (Annex 2) has been prepared listing all the Long-Term Fellowships granted in the years 2011-2013 inclusive and grouping them under the country of the fellows’ host institute.
It will be seen from the table that of the 48 fellows granted a fellowship, 23 were females and 25 were males, that they were of nationals of 17 different countries and that 46 were hosted by groups having received no more than 1 FEBS Long-Term fellow during the period under review. There is only 1 group which hosted 2 fellows:
(a) Switzerland - Group of Dr Richard BENTON: i. 1 fellowship granted in October 2011 call for applications; and ii. 1 fellowship granted in April 2012 call for applications.
It will be recalled that the guidelines governing the Long-Term Fellowships Programme stipulate that it is in one call for applications that there will be no more than one fellow per given head of research group in a host laboratory. Consequently, the hosting of 2 FEBS Long-Term fellows by the aforementioned group is in order.
[3]
V. Long-Term Fellowships Programme
There are 2 calls a year for Long-Term Fellowships; one for which applications are to be received before 1 April and a second one for which applications are to be received before 1 October.
1. Fellowships awarded for the call closing on 1 April 2013
There was a total of 105 receivable applications (18 more than for the same call of 2012). A further 23 applications were received but were immediately rejected because they did not conform to the regulations governing the fellowships scheme.
The 105 receivable applications were reviewed at the spring session of the FEBS Fellowships Committee. It was decided to award 5 fellowships if no Return to Europe Fellowship were awarded, which was the case, and to select up to 10 reserve candidates in order of quality for award only in the case that an awardee would decline the fellowship. This very low success rate (<5%), which is much below the average success rate of 20% considered desirable by the Committee in its meeting of 4 December 2010, was forced upon the Committee by the funds made available to it for its operation.
Three of the candidates selected declined the fellowship. They did so because they were granted funding from another granting body. As a result, a fellowship was offered to the first 3 of the 10 reserve candidates, which accepted the fellowship.
The table in Annex 3 lists the 5 candidates who were offered a Long-Term fellowship and availed themselves of it, giving specific information for each candidate.
Of the 5 successful candidates who took up the fellowship, 2 are females and 3 are males. They are nationals of 4 different countries who, at the time of application, were working in 3 different countries. The host institutes are in 3 different countries. Table 1 gives a breakdown of nationality and country of the origin and host institutions.
Table 1. Distribution of fellows by country (nationality, origin and host institutes)
Country Nationality Institute of Origin Host Institute France 1 Germany 2 3 India 11 Israel 1 1 Switzerland 1 1 1 United Kingdom 3 Total countries 5 5 5 1The institute of origin of the Indian fellow is in Germany
[4]
The candidates who declined the fellowship are the following:
APPLICANT FROM TO (a) AMDURSKY, Nadav ISRAEL U.K. (b) COSTA GALVAO, Vinicius GERMANY SWITZERLAND (c) FEIJS, Karla Luisa Hendrika GERMANY U.K.
2. Fellowships awarded for the call closing on 1 October 2013
There was a total of 132 receivable applications. A further 21 applications were received but were immediately rejected because they did not conform to the regulations governing the fellowships scheme.
The 132 receivable applications were reviewed at the autumn session of the FEBS Fellowships Committee. Because of the scarcity of the funds allocated to the Committee, only 4 fellowships could be granted. This extremely low success rate (3%) is not backed by the views stated by the Committee in its meeting of 4 December 2010, which calls for 20% average success rate. It was decided to select, in addition, 5 reserve candidates, ordered by quality.
One of the candidates selected for Long Term Fellowship declined the fellowship. He did so because of funding by another granting body. As a result, a fellowship was offered to the first of the 5 reserve candidates, which was accepted. The table in Annex 4 lists the 4 candidates who were offered a Long-Term fellowship and availed themselves of it, giving specific information for each candidate.
The 4 successful candidates who took up the fellowship are nationals of 4 different countries; 1 female and 3 males. At the time of application, the candidates were working in 4 different countries. The host institutes are in 3 different countries. Table 2 gives a breakdown of the foregoing.
Table 2. Distribution of fellows by nationality, country of institute of origin and country of host institute
Country Nationality Institute of Origin Host Institute Denmark 1 Finland 1 1 France 1 1 Italy 11 Spain 1 1 Switzerland 2 United Kingdom 1 1 Total countries 4 4 4 1The institute of origin of the Italian fellow is in the U.K.
[5]
The candidate who declined the fellowship is the following:
APPLICANT FROM TO (a) TUCK, Alex Charles U.K. SWITZERLAND
3. Extensions to a second year
In 2013, 7 applications for an extension to a second year were received; 1 from a fellow who was awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2011 and 6 from fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2012. All 7 requests were approved. They are the following (Tables 3 and 4):
Table 3. Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2011
Name of Fellow Nationality Country of Institute Country of Host of Origin Institute PANCALDI, Vera Italy U.K. Spain
Table 4. Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2012
Name of Fellow Nationality Country of Institute Country of Host of Origin Institute ADAMO, Antonio Italy Spain Italy CARDACI, Simone Italy Italy U.K. GONZALEZ, Asier Spain Spain Switzerland LLACER, Jose Luis Spain Spain U.K. MUTSCHLER, Hannes Germany Germany U.K. SANTIAGO, Julia Spain Spain Germany
4. Extensions to a third year
In 2013, 25 applications for an extension to a third year were received; 1 and 24 from fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2010 and 2011, respectively. From those 25, 16 were rejected and 9 were approved. Those awarded are the following (Table 5):
Table 5. Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2011
Name of Fellow Nationality Country of Country of Institute of Origin Host Institute CAJANEK, Lukas Czech Republic Sweden Switzerland CARINHA GOMES, Ligia Portugal Italy Germany KJOS, Morten Norway Norway Netherlands KLOTZSCH, Enrico Germany Switzerland Austria LICHTENBERGER, Beate Austria Austria U.K.
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Name of Fellow Nationality Country of Country of Institute of Origin Host Institute PALOVAARA, Joakim Sweden Sweden Netherlands SZOLLOSI, Andras Hungary Hungary Portugal VAN DEN BERG, Deborah Louisa Netherlands Netherlands U.K. Carolina WALERYCH, Dawid Wlodzimierz Poland Poland Italy
5. Fellowships completed in 2013
The 14 persons listed below completed their fellowship in 2013. Given in parentheses, after the fellows’ name, is the country of their institute of origin. When their nationality is not that of their institute of origin, it is given in between square brackets after the country of their institute of origin.
Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2009:
(a) DE SANCHO, David (Spain) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge (U.K.)
(b) DESHMUKH, Atul (Sweden [Indian]) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried (Germany).
(c) ELEUTERI, Boris (Italy) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden).
(d) PAUKLIN, Siim (Estonia) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working at the Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine of the Department of Surgery of the University of Cambridge (U.K.)
(e) WIRTHMUELLER, Lennart (Germany) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working at The Sainsbury Laboratory of the John Innes Centre, Norwich (U.K.).
As a result of the foregoing, all the fellowships granted in 2009 have now been completed.
Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2010:
(f) BORMUTH, Volker (Germany) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working at the Curie Institute, Paris (France).
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(g) LIPINSZKI, Zoltan (Hungary) completed his fellowship at the end of the 3rd year. He was working in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge (U.K.).
(h) ORTS, Julien (Germany [French/Swiss]) completed his fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. He was working at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich (Switzerland)
(i) WEISS, Felix (France) completed his fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. He was working at the Department of Haematology of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge (U.K.).
Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2011:
(j) HOREJS, Christine Maria (Austria) completed her fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. She was working at the Department of Materials of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in London (U.K.)
(k) IRACI, Nunzio (Italy) completer his fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. He was working at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences of the Brain Repair Centre in the University of Cambridge (U.K.)
(l) MOTAMEDI-SHAD, Neda (Italy [Austrian]) completed her fellowship at the end of the 1st year. She was working at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research of the University of Cambridge (U.K.).
(m) NETO DA SILVA, Ricardo Miguel (Portugal) completed his fellowship at the end of the 1st year. He was working at the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology of the University College London (U.K.).
(n) ORPINELL, Meritxell (France [Spain]) completed her fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. She was working at the Ecole Politechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland (U.K.).
6. Resignations from fellowships
The 4 persons listed below resigned from their fellowship in 2013. Given in brackets, after the fellows’ name, is the country of their institute of origin. When their nationality is not that of their institute of origin, the former is given in between square brackets after the country of their institute of origin.
Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2010:
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(a) CIAUDO, Constance (France) resigned from her fellowship 9 months before the end of the 3rd year because she was offered an independent position. She was working at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich, (Switzerland).
(b) HAREWOOD, Louise (Switzerland [British]) resigned from her fellowship at the end of her 2nd year because she was offered another position. She was working at The Babraham Institute, Cambridge (U.K.)
Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2011:
(c) KJOS, Morten (Norway), resigned from his fellowship just after his 2nd year. He did so because he was offered another grant. He was working at the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute of the University of Groningen (Netherlands).
Fellows who were awarded a Long-Term Fellowship in 2012:
(d) SANCHEZ, Juan Antonio (Spain), resigned from his fellowship 3 months before the end of the 1st year because he was offered another grant. He was working at the Center for Integrative Genomics of the University of Lausanne (Switzerland)
VI. Distinguished Young Investigator Award
A Distinguished Young Investigator Award is granted in recognition of excellent research conducted by young scientists during tenure of a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship. There is no fixed deadline for the submission of applications within this scheme.
In the meeting of June 1 2013 of the Fellowships Committee it was decided to decrease the maximum amount of this award from € 10,000 to € 5,000. The reason for this change was to adapt to the new financial restrictions without decreasing too much the number of awards.
Six applications (from two male and four female candidates) were received and evaluated in 2013. Two of the applications were approved, one of them before the decision of the Committee to lower the maximum amount of the award and the other after such decision was taken. The table in Annex 5 gives specific information for the awardees.
VII. Fellowship Follow-up Research Fund
The aim of the Fellowship Follow-up Research Fund is to help young scientists having benefited from a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship to start work on return to their country of origin. There is one call per year for grants within this scheme. Applications must be received before 1 April.
[9]
Two applications for a grant from this Fund were received in 2013, from one male and one female candidate. The two applications were approved awarding each of them € 10,000. The table in Annex 6 gives specific information for the awardees.
VIII. Short-Term Fellowships Programme
All persons who were awarded a Short-Term Fellowship in 2012 and at the time of the preparation of the 2012 Activity Report had not yet submitted a report on the work they had carried out have since done so.
There is no fixed deadline for the submission of applications within this scheme and they may be submitted throughout the year. Seventy-one applications for Short-Term Fellowships were processed in 2013. Of these, 10 were immediately rejected because they did not fulfil the requirements of the fellowships scheme. The remaining 61 applications were reviewed by members of the Fellowships Committee who selected 29 (however, from these, 2 were declined) for a fellowship and rejected 32.
The table in Annex 7 lists the resulting 27 candidates who were awarded a Short-Term Fellowship in 2013 and availed themselves of it. It gives information on the fellows’ nationality, gender and age, institute of origin, host institute, duration of stay at the host institute, funds awarded, date of notification of their successful application, research project at the host institute, and date when they submitted a report on the work carried out with the FEBS fellowship. Because some candidates took up their Fellowship towards the end of the year, at the date of preparation of this report not all had submitted a report on the work they carried out thanks to the fellowship.
The 27 successful candidates who took up the fellowship are nationals of 17 different countries. Eleven are female. The candidates were working in 15 different countries. The host institutes are in 14 different countries. Table 6 gives a breakdown of the foregoing.
Table 6. Distribution of fellows by nationality, country of institute of origin and country of host institute
Country Nationality Institute of Origin Host Institute Austria 1 Belgium 11 1 Cuba 12 Czech Republic 1 Denmark 1 Finland 1 1 France 1 1 1 Germany 33 2 4 Greece 1 1 Hungary 1 1 Italy 14 3
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Country Nationality Institute of Origin Host Institute Luxembourg 15 Netherlands 1 1 1 Poland 1 1 2 Portugal 1 Romania 1 1 Serbia 1 1 Slovenia 1 1 Spain 7 9 1 Sweden 2 Switzerland 1 Turkey 2 2 Ukraine 2 2 United Kingdom 1 2 7 Total countries 27 27 27
1 The Belgian fellow is also a UK citizen. His institute of origin is in Spain 2 The institute of origin of the Cuban fellow is in Spain 3 The institute of origin of one German fellow is in Portugal 4 The institute of origin of the Italian fellow is in the U.K. 5 The institute of origin of the fellow from Luxembourg is in Finland
The candidates who declined the fellowship are the following:
APPLICANT FROM TO (a) ADAMO, Giusy Manuela ITALY U.K. (b) LUSCIETI, Sara SPAIN GERMANY.
IX. Summer Fellowships Programme
1. Fellowships awarded in 2013
There is one call per year for Summer Fellowships. Applications must be received before 1 April. Nineteen applications were received in 2013. A further 6 applications were received but were immediately rejected because they did not conform to the regulations governing the fellowships scheme.
All applications were reviewed at the spring session of the FEBS Fellowships Committee. From these, 2 were approved.
The 2 candidates selected accepted the fellowship they were offered and the table in Annex 8 gives information on these successful candidates.
These 2 candidates are nationals of 2 different countries; 1 is female. At the time of application, the candidates were working in 2 different countries. The host institutes are in 2 different countries. Table 7 gives a breakdown of the foregoing.
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Table 7. Distribution of fellows by nationality, country of institute of origin and country of host institute
Country Nationality Institute of Origin Host Institute France 1 Italy 11 Spain 1 1 U.K. 1 1 Total countries 2 2 2 1The institute of origin of the Italian fellow is in the U.K.
2. Prize for the best 2012 report
All those who were granted a Summer Fellowship in 2012 submitted a report on the work they carried out thanks to the fellowship. The four reports were reviewed at the spring session of the Fellowships Committee and the prize for the best one was awarded to Ms. Ida Dalgaard Pedersen (The Bartholin Institute, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen Biocenter, Copenhagen, Denmark).
X. Collaborative Experimental Scholarships for Central & Eastern Europe
All persons who were awarded a scholarship in 2012 and that at the time of the preparation of the 2012 Activity Report had not yet submitted a report on the work they had carried out, have since done so.
There is no fixed deadline for the submission of applications within this scheme and they may be submitted throughout the year.
Eleven applications for Collaborative Experimental Scholarships for Central & Eastern Europe were processed in 2013. Of these, two were immediately rejected because they did not fulfil the requirements of the fellowships scheme. The remaining nine applications were reviewed by members of the Fellowships Committee, who selected four for a fellowship and rejected five.
The table in Annex 9 lists the resulting 4 candidates who were offered a Collaborative Experimental Scholarship for Central & Eastern Europe in 2013 and availed themselves of it, giving specific information for each candidate. Because some scholars took up their Scholarship towards the end of the year, at the date of preparation of this report not all had submitted a report on the work they carried out thanks to the Scholarship.
The 4 successful candidates who were awarded a Scholarship are nationals of 3 different countries; 2 are female. At the time of application, the candidates were working in 3 different countries. The host institutes are in 4 different countries. Table 8 below gives a breakdown of the foregoing.
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Table 8. Distribution of scholars by nationality, country of institute of origin and country of host institute
Country Nationality Institute of Origin Host Institute Bulgaria 1 1 France 1 Germany 1 Italy 1 Romania 2 2 Sweden 1 Ukraine 1 1 Total countries 4 4 4
XI. Return-To-Europe Fellowships Programme
There are two calls per year for these fellowships, for which applications are to be received before 1 April and before 1 October, respectively. Since the beginning of the financial restrictions in 2012, the Committee follows a policy of trying to award these fellowships and the Long-Term Fellowships with similarly success rates, which, as already indicated for the Long-Term Fellowships, are considered by the Committee to be too low.
1. Fellowships awarded for the call closing on 1 Abril 2013
Eleven applications were received in the April call. From these, two were rejected because they did not conform to the regulations governing the fellowships scheme.
The remaining 9 applications were reviewed in the FEBS Fellowships Committee Meeting of June held in Budapest (Hungary). No candidate was found to meet the extreme degree of excellence that is now the norm for this type of fellowships, and thus no Fellowship was awarded.
2. Fellowships awarded for the call closing on 1 October 2013
Nineteen applications were received in the October call. From these, four were rejected because they did not conform to the regulations governing the fellowships scheme.
The remaining 15 applications were reviewed in the FEBS Fellowships Committee Meeting of November held in Vienna (Austria). It was decided to grant 1 fellowship and to select 1 reserve candidate. The awardee declined the fellowship because she was granted a fellowship from another source, and thus the fellowship was offered and taken by the reserve candidate.
The candidate who declined the fellowship is the following:
[13]
APPLICANT FROM TO (a) LOSFELD, Marie-Estelle U.S.A France
The table in Annex 10 lists the resulting candidate who was offered a Return to Europe Fellowship in 2013 and availed himself of it, giving specific information for the candidate.
3. Fellowships completed in 2013
Fellows awarded a Return to Europe Fellowship in 2010
Both fellows terminated in 2012, and the final reports were gathered.
Therefore, all the fellowships granted in 2010 have now been completed. . Fellows awarded a Return to Europe Fellowship in 2011:
The persons listed below completed the fellowship in 2013. Given in brackets, after each fellow's name, is the country of his/her institute of origin, and, in square brackets his/her nationality.
(a) BAKER, Christopher (USA [British]) completed his fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. He was working at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (U.K.).
(b) SCHMIDT, Christine Katrin (U.S.A. [German]) completed her fellowship at the end of the 2nd year. She was working at the London Research Institute at the Cancer Research U.K., London (U.K.).
As a result of the foregoing, all the fellowships granted in 2011 have now been completed.
[14]
ANNEX 1
FEBS FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME
Recapitulation of Applications Received during the Years 2011-2013 inclusive and Fellowships/Awards/Scholarships Granted
I. Programmes for which there is an annual or biannual call for applications
1. Long-Term Fellowships
Fellowship Number of Applications Number of Applications Success Call Total Receivable Non- Approved & rate Receivable Fellowships Granted (%)1 April 2011 110 96 14 15 15.6 October 2011 136 103 33 162 15.5 April 2012 104 87 17 6 6.9 October 2012 149 133 16 23 1.5 April 2013 128 105 23 5 4.8 October 2013 153 132 21 4 3.0 TOTAL 2011- 780 656 124 48 7.3 2013 Total 2008- 595 516 79 74 14.3 20104 Change relative +185 +140 +45 -26 -7.0 to 2008-2010 1Fellowships granted and taken versus number of receivable applications 2Eighteen awarded but only 16 taken because of declination of awardees and members of the reserve list. 3Four awarded, but only two taken because of declination of all the awardees and of two of the 4-members reserve list. 4Data from the activity report of 2010
2. Fellowship Follow-Up Research Fund
Fellowship Number of Applications Number of Applications Call Total Receivable Non- Approved & Fellowships Receivable Granted April 2011 2 1 1 1 April 2012 0 0 0 0 April 2013 2 2 0 21 TOTAL 2011- 4 3 1 3 2013 Total 2008- 8 8 0 1 20102 Change relative -4 -5 +1 +2 to 2008-2010 1Reduced to € 10,000 per award. In 2011 the award was 20,000 €. 2Data from the activity report of 2010
- 2 -
3. Summer Fellowships In addition to these fellowships, one price of € 500 was awarded each year to the best report among those for the Summer Fellowships of the previous year. Fellowship Number of Applications Number of Applications Success Call Total Receivable Non- Approved & rate Receivable Fellowships Granted (%)1 April 2011 32 28 4 10 35.7 April 2012 16 16 0 4 25.0 April 2013 25 19 6 2 10.5 TOTAL 2011- 73 63 10 16 25.4 2013 Total 2008- 75 69 6 24 34.8 20102 Change relative -2 -6 +4 -8 -9.4 to 2008-2010 1Fellowships granted and taken versus number of receivable applications 2Data from the activity report of 2010
4. Return-To-Europe Fellowships
Fellowship Number of Applications Number of Applications Success Call1 Total Receivable Non- Approved & rate Receivable Fellowships Granted (%)2 May 2011 18 15 3 3 20.0 October 2011 7 7 0 0 0 April 2012 10 9 1 03 0 October 2012 10 9 1 1 11.1 April 2013 11 9 2 03 0 October 2013 19 15 4 1 6.7 TOTAL 2011- 75 64 11 5 7.8 2013 Total 2008- 11 8 3 2 25.0 20104 Change relative +64 +56 +8 +3 -17.2 to 2008-2010 1Two calls per year since 2011. Beginning in 2012 the first call of the year was changed to April 1. 2Fellowships granted and taken versus number of receivable applications 3One fellowship was awarded but it was declined. 4Data from the activity report of 2010
II. Programmes for which applications may be submitted throughout the year
1. Extensions of Long Term Fellowships to 2nd Year
Year Number of Applications Total Number of Total Receivable Non-Receivable Applications Approved & Extensions Granted 2011 19 19 0 19 2012 29 29 0 29 2013 7 7 0 7 TOTAL 55 55 0 55 - 3 -
2. Extensions of Long Term Fellowships to 3rd Year
Year Number of Applications Total Number of Total Receivable Non-Receivable Applications Approved & Extensions Granted 2011 18 18 0 15 2012 11 11 0 9 2013 25 25 0 9 TOTAL 54 54 0 33
3. Distinguished Young Investigator Award
Year Number of Applications Total Number of Total Receivable Non- Applications Approved Receivable & Awards Granted 2011 3 3 0 3 2012 4 4 0 1 2013 6 6 0 21 TOTAL 2011-2013 13 13 0 6 Total 2008-20102 10 10 0 5 Change relative to +3 +3 0 +1 2008-2010 1Decreased to € 5,000 since June 2013. Earlier on, € 10,000 were awarded. 2Data from the activity report of 2010
4. Short-Term Fellowships
Year Number of Applications Number of Applications Success Total Receivable Non- Approved & rate Receivable Fellowships Granted (%)1 2011 87 76 11 462 60.5 2012 76 62 14 44 71.0 2013 713 61 10 274,5 44.3 TOTAL 2011- 234 199 35 117 58.8 2013 Total 2008- 191 150 41 93 62.0 20106 Change relative +43 +49 -6 +24 -3.2 to 2008-2010 1Fellowships granted and taken versus number of receivable applications 2Fifty awarded, bur four were declined because the applicants received another fellowship. 3Seventy three applications received, but two of them were re-directed to the programme of Collaborative Experimental Scholarships for Central and Eastern Europe. 4Twenty nine were awarded, but two awardees declined the fellowship. 5Maximum stay awarded, 2 months. Previously stays of up to 3 months were frequent. 6Data from the activity report for 2010.
- 4 -
5. Collaborative Experimental Scholarships for Central & Eastern Europe
Year Number of Applications Number of Applications Success Total Receivable Non- Approved & rate Receivable Scholarships Granted (%)1 2011 20 20 0 14 70.0 2012 26 18 8 162 88.9 20133 114 9 2 4 44.4 TOTAL 2011- 57 47 10 35 74.5 2013 Total 2008- 68 65 3 55 84.6 20105 Change relative -11 -18 +7 -20 -10.1 to 2008-2010 1Fellowships granted and taken versus number of receivable applications 2Seventeen were awarded, but one awardee declined the scholarship. 3The decrease in the number of applications reflects the decision taken in 2012 and effective in 2013 of reducing the number of eligible countries for this type of scholarship. 4Two of them were originally applications for Short-Term fellowships. 5Data from the activity report of 2010 ANNEX 2 FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
This table has been prepared to see more clearly which groups hosted a scientist who was granted a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship for the calls closing on 1 April 2011 – 1 October 2013 inclusive and, in particular, those that hosted more than one.
In the column “Country of Host Laboratory”, two triangles (▲▲) have been placed against those groups that hosted more than one Fellow.
The figure that appears between brackets in the column “Country of Host Institute” against the first entry of a given country indicates the number of FEBS fellows that have been hosted by the country in question.
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 1. AUSTRIA (1) Biophysics, Technische Universitat KLOTZSCH, Enrico 30 Laboratory of Biologically October Immune Mechano Microscopy: Wien, Vienna, AUSTRIA (M) German Oriented Materials, 2011 Measuring single molecule Group Head: Prof Gerhard Schütz ETH Zurich interactions and forces within the Zurich, SWITZERLAND immunological synapse 2. BELGIUM (1) Vesalius Research Center, Campus SOBRINO 29 Physiology Department, April Exploring the endothelial cell Gasthuisberg, Leuven, BELGIUM GREGORIO, Agua Faculty of Medicine, 2011 glutamine metabolism: a novel anti- Group Head: Prof Peter Carmeliet (F) Spanish University of Valencia, angiogenesis-targeting approach Valencia, SPAIN 3. DENMARK( 1) Cell Death & Metabolism, Danish FAVARO, Elena 34 Oncology Dept., John October Investigating the role of glycogen Cancer Society Res. Center (F) Italian Radcliffe Hosp/Weatherall 2013 autophagy ("glycophagy") in cancer Copenhagen, DENMARK Inst. of Molecular Medicine, Group Head: Prof Marja Jäättela Univ of Oxford, Oxford U.K. 4. FRANCE (2) Genetics of Biofilms Laboratory, BERNAL 29 Genetics Department, Faculty April Molecular bases of commensal Department of Microbiology, BAYARD, Joaquín of Biology, University of 2011 bacteria protective effect against Pasteur Institute, Paris, FRANCE. (M) Spanish Seville, Seville, SPAIN pathogens within a zebrafish model Group Head:ProfJean-Marc Ghigo of bacterial intestinal colonization 5. France Institut Curie, CNRS UMR 144 BISSIG, Christin 30 Dept of Biochemistry - April Development of a minimal in vitro Paris, FRANCE (F) Swiss Sciences II, Univ of Geneva, 2013 system of membrane-based Group Head: Dr Graça Raposo Geneva, SWITZERLAND amyloidogenesis 6. GERMANY (3) Frankfurt Inst. Molecular Life Sci. CARINHA 29 Venetian Institute of Oct Role of LIR domains Frankfurt-am-Main, GERMANY GOMES, Ligia Molecular Medicine, 2011 phosphorylation in the regulation of Group Head: Prof Ivan Dikic (F) Portuguese Padova, ITALY selective autophagy 7. Germany Mobile DNA Group, Max Delbrück NAGY, Eniko Eva 33 Dept. of Biochemistry and Oct Transposon-based mapping of Center for Molecular Medicine, (F) Hungarian Molecular Biology, 2011 spatially close chromatin regions Berlin, GERMANY University of Szeged, Group Head:Prof Zsuzsanna Izsvak Szeged, HUNGARY
1Gender: M, male; F, female. 2Age at application time
- 2 - ANNEX 2 (Continued) FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 8. Germany Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of SANTIAGO 33 Institute of Plant Molecular April Structural insights into the activation the Max Planck Society, CUÉLLAR, Julia and Cell Biology, CSIC- 2012 mechanism of LRR-RK receptors by Tuebingen, GERMANY (F) Spanish Polytechnical Univ. Valencia, co-receptor kinases, and their role in Group Head:Prof Michael Hothorn Valencia, SPAIN triggering plant membrane signaling 9. ISRAEL (1) Dept. Biological Chemistry, LAURINO, Paola 30 Dept. of Biomolecular Oct Novel enzymes by cofactor Weizmann Institute. of Science, (F) Italian Systems, Max Planck Inst. of 2011 engineering Rehovot, ISRAEL Colloids and Interfaces, Group Head: Dr Dan Tawfik Berlin, GERMANY 10. ITALY (3) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, MOSSUTO, Maria 31 Institute for Research in April Immunoglobulin molecular sociology Milan, ITALY Francesca Biomedicine, IRB, 2011 Group Head: Prof Roberto Sitia (F) Italian Barcelona, SPAIN 11. Italy Molecular Oncology Unit, WALERYCH, 32 Department of Molecular April Mechanisms of breast cancer Laboratorio Nazionale Consorzio Dawid Wlodzimierz Biology, International 2011 metastasis promotion by mutant p53 Interuniversitario per le (M) Polish Institute of Molecular and gain-of-function activity Biotecnologie, Trieste, ITALY Cell Biology, Group Head:Prof Giannino Del Sal Warsaw, POLAND 12. Italy Dept Experimental Oncology, ADAMO, Antonio 30 Center for Regenerative April A cell-reprogramming based European Institute of Oncology, (M) Italian Medicine (CRG), 2012 approach to study the epigenetic Milan, ITALY Barcelona, SPAIN mechanisms underlying William- Group Head: Prof Giuseppe Testa Beuren Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders 13. NETHERLANDS Groningen Biomolecular Sciences KJOS, Morten 27 Lab. of Microbial Gene April Chromosome segregation in (2) & Biotechnology Institute., (M) Norwegian Technology, Dept.Chemistry, 2011 Streptococcus pneumoniae University of Groningen, Biotechnology & Food Groningen, NETHERLANDS Sciences, Norwegian Univ. Group Head: Prof Jan-Willem of Life Sciences, Veening Ås, NORWAY 14. Netherlands Biochemistry Department, PALOVAARA, 32 Marine Microbial Ecology, April Transcriptional control of stem cell Wageningen University, Joakim School of Natural Sciences, 2011 niche specification in the early plant Wageningen, NETHERLANDS (M) Swedish Linnaeus University, embryo Group Head: Prof Dolf Weijers Kalmar, SWEDEN 15. PORTUGAL (1) Instituto de Biologia Molecular e SZOLLOSI, Andras 31 Dept. Medical Biochemistry, April Functional properties of the KtrAB Celular, Porto, PORTUGAL (M) Hungarian Semmelweis University, 2011 K+ Group Head: Prof Joao M Cabral Budapest, HUNGARY *Gender: M, male; F, female. ** Age at application time
- 3 - ANNEX 2 (Continued) FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 16. SPAIN (2) Centro Nacional de Investigaciones PANCALDI, Vera 29 Dept. Plant Sciences, Oct Integrating next-generation Oncológicas, Madrid, SPAIN (F) Italian University of Cambridge, 2011 sequencing and epigenetics in cancer Group Head: Prof Alfonso Valencia Cambridge, U.K. models 17. Spain Iron & Cancer Group, Institute of SHVARTSMAN, 30 Dept. Biological Chemistry, Oct Identification and characterization of Predictive & Personalized Medicine Maya Alexander Silberman Inst. of 2011 novel IRP-target mRNAs: of Cancer, Badalona, SPAIN. (F) Israeli Life Sciences, Hebrew Univ. implications for new regulatory Group Head: Prof Mayka Sanchez Jerusalem, ISRAEL pathways and for human diseases 18. SWEDEN (2) Dept. of Neuroscience, LAZARIDIS, 31 Dept. Pharmacology, April Genetic and optogenetic dissection of Karolinska Institutet Iakovos Medical School, 2011 connectivity and function of limbic Stockholm, SWEDEN (M) Greek University of Crete, GABAergic interneurons Group Head: Prof Konstantinos Heraklion, Crete, GREECE Meletis 19. Sweden Dept. Biology, The Wenner-Gren PAPADOPOULOS, 28 Department of Cell Biology, April Molecular dissection of airway Institute, Stockholm University, Dimitrios Biozentrum, 2011 maturation regulators Stockholm, SWEDEN (M) Greek University of Basel, Group Head: Prof Christos Basel, SWITZERLAND Samakovlis 20. SWITZERLAND Biozentrum, University of Basel, CAJANEK, Lukas 30 Lab. Molecular April The centrosome duplication cycle. (10) Basel, SWITZERLAND (M) Czech Neurobiology, Dept. Medical 2011 Function of Polo-like kinase 4 Group Head: Prof Erich Nigg Biochemistry & Biophysics, (PLK4) Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SWEDEN 21. Switzerland Ecole Politechnique Fédérale ORPINELL, 31 Inst Génétique & Biologie April Identification and characterization of Lausanne, Meritxell Moléculaire & Cellulaire, 2011 proteins modulating HsSAS-6 Lausanne, SWITZERLAND (F) Spanish Université de Strasbourg, function in centrosome duplication Group Head: Prof Pierre Gonczy Strasbourg, FRANCE 22. Switzerland Dept. Biochemistry, Sciences II, KARDASH, Elena 37 Institut de Neurobiologie Oct The role of mechanical forces during Univ. Geneva, SWITZERLAND (F) Israeli Alfred Fessard, CNRS-NED, 2011 pectoral fin development in zebrafish Group Head: Prof Marcos Gif-sur-Yvette, FRANCE González-Gaitán 23. Switzerland Center for Integrative Genomics, PRIETO GODINO, 28 Neural Network Oct The genetic basis of olfactory Genopode, University of Lausanne, Laura Lucía Development Group, Dept. 2011 pathway evolution in Drosophila ▲▲ Lausanne, SWITZERLAND (F) Spanish Zoology, Univ. Cambridge, Group Head: Prof Richard Benton Cambridge U.K. *Gender: M, male; F, female. ** Age at application time
- 4 - ANNEX 2 (Continued) FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 24. Switzerland Biozentrum, University of Basel, GONZÁLEZ, Asier 31 Dept. Biochemistry & April Searching novel signaling pathways Basel, SWITZERLAND (M) Spanish Molecular Biology, Inst. 2012 downstream of TORC1 Group Head: Prof Michael N. Hall Biotechnology & Biomedicine, Autonomous Univ. Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona SPAIN 25. Switzerland Center for Integrative Genomics, SÁNCHEZ 29 Institute of Neurosciences of April Analysis of central gustatory circuitry Genopode, Univ. de Lausanne, ALCAÑIZ, Juan Alicante, CSIC-University 2012 in Drosophila using neural activity ▲▲ Lausanne, SWITZERLAND Antonio Miguel Hernández, San Juan, reporters Group Head: Prof Richard Benton (M) Spanish Alicante, SPAIN 26. Switzerland Institute of Bioengineering SCHWALIE, Petra 28 European Bioinformatics Oct A systems approach to understand Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Catalina Institute, Wellcome Trust 2012 co-repressor gene regulatory Lausanne, SWITZERLAND (F) Genome Campus, Hinxton, dynamics in adipogenesis and beyond Group Head: Prof Bart Deplancke Romanian/German Cambridgeshire, UK 27. Switzerland Inst. für Molekularbiologie & RAMRATH, David 31 Institut für Medizinische April Structural characterization of the Biophyisk, ETH Johannes Felix .(M) Physik und Biophysik, 2013 mitochondrial ribosome from Zürich, SWITZERLAND German Charite – Universitätsmedizin Trypanosoma brucei Group Head: Prof Nenad Ban Berlin, GERMANY 28. Switzerland Lab. Integrative & Systems MATILAINEN, Olli 31 Translational Cancer Biology October Identification of mitochondrial Physiology, Ecole Polytechnique (M) Finnish Research Program, 2013 unfolded protein response pathway Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL Biomedicum Helsinki, regulators Lausanne, SWITZERLAND University of Helsinki, Group Head: Prof Johan Auwerx Helsinki FINLAND 29. Switzerland Dept. d'Ecologie et Evolution, ROMIGUIER, 26 Inst. Sciences de l'Evolution October Exploring the genetic causes of the UNIL-Sorge, Le Biophore, Jonathan Benoît de Montpellier, ISEM-CC65 2013 exceptional longevity of ants through Lausanne, SWITZERLAND Sylvain Univ Montpellier, transcriptomic data and genome-wide Group Head: Prof Laurent Keller (M) French Montpellier, FRANCE scans of natural selection 30. UNITED Dept. of Clinical Neurosciences, IRACI, Nunzio 31 Laboratory of Functional April Mechanisms regulating mobile KINGDOM (19) Brain Repair Centre, Univ. of (M) Italian Genetics, Dept. of Biology, 2011 ncRNAs in neural stem cells Cambridge, Cambridge U.K. University of Bologna, Group Head: Prof Stefano Pluchino Bologna, ITALY 31. United Kingdom The Babraham Institute, Babraham JAVIERRE, Biola 27 Cancer Epigenetics & April Characterization of KLF4-dependent Research Campus, Cambridge U.K. M Biology Programme, 2011 transcription factories in stem cells. Group Head: Prof Peter Fraser (F) Spanish IDIBELL, Barcelona, SPAIN *Gender: M, male; F, female. ** Age at application time
- 5 - ANNEX 2 (Continued) FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 32. United Kingdom Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem LICHTENBERGER 30 Institute of Cancer Research, April Mechanism by which epidermal Wnt Cell Research, Univ. of Cambridge, Beate Dept. of Medicine I, 2011 activation induces dermal Cambridge, U.K. (F) Austrian Medical Univ. of Vienna, reprogramming Group Head: Prof Fiona Watt Vienna, AUSTRIA 33. United Kingdom MRC National Institute for Medical VAN DEN BERG, 31 Department of Cell Biology, April Identifying novel regulatory factors Research, Mill Hill, London, U.K. Deborah Louisa Erasmus Medical Center, 2011 in neural stem cell identity and Group Head: Prof François Carolina Rotterdam, forebrain development Guillemot (F) Dutch NETHERLANDS 34. United Kingdom Molecular Cell Biology of DE PABLOS 30 Institute of Biotechnology, Oct Identification and characterization of Trypanosomes, Dept. Biochemistry, TORRO, University of Granada, 2011 determinants of mRNA behaviour in Univ. Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K. Luis Miguel Granada, SPAIN trypanosomes Group Head:Prof Mark Carrington (M) Spanish 35. United Kingdom Wellcome Trust Center for Cell DELAN-FORINO, 25 ANbioPhy, Oct Study of the “geometry” of the Biology, Univ. Edinburgh, Clémentine Université Pierre et Marie 2011 TRAMP and exosome complexes: Edinburgh, U.K. (F) French Curie -Paris 6, , RNA protein and protein-protein Group Head: Prof David Tollervey Paris, FRANCE interactions between cofactors 36. United Kingdom Developmental Neurobiology, GOUTI, Mina 34 Biomedical Research Oct Signal integration and interpretation MRC Institute of Medical (F) Greek Foundation of the Academy 2011 during neural development Research, London, UK of Athens, Athens, GREECE Group Head: Prof James Briscoe 37. United Kingdom Cell Motility & Cytoskeleton, HERRAIZ 28 Department of Biochemistry Oct Interactions between melanoma and Randall Division of Cell & SERRANO, Cecilia & Molecular Biology B & 2011 the microenvironment. Searching for Molecular Biophysics, King´s María Immunology, new therapies and biomarkers College, London, U.K. (F) Spanish School of Medicine, Group Head: Prof Victoria Sanz University of Murcia, Moreno Espinardo, Murcia, SPAIN 38. United Kingdom Department of Materials, Institute HOREJS, Christine 28 Dept. of Nanobiotechnology, Oct Unmasking cryptic sites of the of Biomedical Engineering, Maria University of Natural 2011 extracellular matrix: “fine-tuning” of Imperial College, London, U.K. (M) Austrian Resources & Life Sciences, embryonic stem cell fate Group Head: Prof Molly Stevens Vienna, AUSTRIA 39. United Kingdom Laboratory of Developmental MILAGRE DA 31 Molecular & Cell Biology of Oct DNA demethylation in Genetics & Imprinting, Babraham SILVA, Inês Eukaryotic Systems, Fac. 2011 reprogramming - evaluating the role Institute, Cambridge, U.K. (F) Portuguese Pharmacy, Univ. Lisbon, of AID and TET1 in induced Group Head: Prof Wolf Reik Lisbon, PORTUGAL pluripotency *Gender: M, male; F, female. ** Age at application time
- 6 - ANNEX 2 (Continued) FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 40. United Kingdom Cambridge Institute of Medical MOTAMEDI- 33 Department of Biochemistry, Oct Determination of the structure of the Research, Wellcome Trust/MRC, SHAD, Neda University of Florence, 2011 pathological neuroserpin polymer and Cambridge, U.K. (F) Austrian Florence, ITALY development of an intrabody strategy Group Head: Prof David A. Lomas to prevent disease-associated inclusions in cell and animal models of disease 41. United Kingdom Dept. Cell & Developmental NETO DA SILVA, 31 Neuroscience Programme, Oct Habenular circuitry and the molecular Biology, University College Ricardo Miguel Champalimaud Center for the 2011 and cellular basis for nicotine London, London, U.K. (M) Portuguese Unknown, addiction in zebrafish Group Head: Prof Steve Wilson Lisboa PORTUGAL 42. United Kingdom MRC Laboratory of Molecular LLACER GUERRI, 33 Instituto de Biomedicina de April The structural basis of the action of Biology, Cambridge, U.K. José Luis Valencia, CSIC, 2012 eIF3 on initiation of translation in Group Head: Prof Venkatraman (M) Spanish Valencia, SPAIN eukaryotes Ramakrishnan 43. United Kingdom MRC Laboratory of Molecular MUTSCHLER, 31 Max Planck Inst. for Medical April A synthetic biology approach to Biology, Cambridge, U.K. Hannes Research, Heidelberg, 2012 function and evolution of Group Head: Dr Philipp Holliger (M) German GERMANY ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) 44. United Kingdom The Beatson Institute for Cancer CARDACI, Simone 30 Lab. Biochemistry, Dept. of Oct Studying the metabolic adaptation to Research, Glasgow, U.K. (M) Italian Biology, Univ. Rome “Tor 2012 the loss of the mitochondrial tumor Head of Group: Prof. Eyal Gottlieb Vergata”, Rome, ITALY suppressor SDHx genes in cancer
45. United Kingdom Cambridge Inst. Medical Research, ASHKENAZI, 33 Prof. Yechiel Shai´s Lab, April Using suppressors of polyglutamine Univ. Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Avraham Dept. Biological Chemistry, 2013 aggregation and toxicity to identify Group Head: Prof. David (M) Israeli Weizmann Institute of novel autophagy modulators Rubinsztein Science, Rehovot, ISRAEL 46. United Kingdom Structural Studies Division, MRC BHARAT, Tanmay 27 John Briggs Lab, April Integrated structural biology of Laboratory of Molecular Biology, (M) Indian Structural & Computational 2013 plasmid segregation by the ParMRC Cambridge, U.K. Biology Unit, EMBL system Group Head: Dr Jan Löwe Heidelberg, GERMANY 47. United Kingdom Lab. Lymphocyte Signaling & VOGEL, Katharina 28 Helmholtz Zentrum München April Testing the mechanisms of RNA Development, The Babraham Ursula Institute of Molecular 2013 target regulation by Tis11b/d proteins Institute, Cambridge, U.K. (F) German Immunology, in thymocyte development and Group Head: Dr Martin Turner Munich, GERMANY tumour suppression
*Gender: M, male; F, female. ** Age at application time
- 7 - ANNEX 2 (Continued) FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS (LTF) PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Calls Closing on 1 April 2011 to 1 October 2013 Inclusive
COUNTRY OF HOST HOST LABORATORY NAME/GENDER1/ AGE2 INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN CALL RESEARCH PROJECT LABORATORY NATIONALITY 48. United Kingdom Nouse Genomics, Wellcome Trust DE LA ROSA DE 28 Instituto de Medicina October Identification of novel prostate, Genome Campus, Wellcome Trust SAA, Jorge Manuel Oncológica y Molecular de 2013 breast and colorectal cancer genes Sanger Institute, Hinxton, (M) Spanish Asturias, cooperating with PTEN inactivation Cambridge, U.K. Centro Médico de Asturias, or BRAF overactivation using Group Head: Dr Allan Bradley Oviedo, SPAIN transposons in mice
*Gender: M, male; F, female. ** Age at application time
ANNEX 3 FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Call 1 April 2013
Fellowships Awarded for the Call Closing on 1 April 2013 and Accepted
NAME/GENDER/ AGE OF INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN HOST INSTITUTE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT NATIONALITY OF FELLOW DURATION AT HOST INSTITUTE FELLOW STAY HOST INSTITUTE1 1. ASHKENAZI, 33 Prof. Yechiel Shai´s Laboratory, Cambridge Inst. for Medical Research 3 Years Using suppressors of Avraham (M)2 Dept. of Biological Chemistry, University of Cambridge, polyglutamine aggregation Israeli Weizmann Institute of Science, Cambridge, U.K. and toxicity to identify Rehovot, ISRAEL Head of Group: Prof. David novel autophagy Rubinsztein modulators 2. BHARAT, 27 John Briggs Laboratory, Structural Studies Division, 3 Years Integrated structural Tanmay (M) Structural and Computational MRC Laboratory of MolecularBiology biology of plasmid Indian Biology Unit, Cambridge, U.K. segregation by the ParMRC European Molecular Biology Head of Group: Dr. Jan Löwe system Laboratory, Heidelberg, GERMANY 3. BISSIG, 30 Laborat of Prof Jean Gruenberg, Institute Curie, CNRS UMR 144 2 Years Development of a minimal Christin (F) Dept. Biochemistry - Sciences II, Paris, FRANCE in vitro system of Swiss University of Geneva, Geneva, Head of Group: Dr. Graça Raposo membrane-based SWITZERLAND amyloidogenesis 4. RAMRATH, 31 Institut für Medizinische Physik Inst. Molekularbiologie und Biophysik 2 Years Structural characterization David Johannes und Biophysik, Eidgenossische Technische of the mitochondrial Felix (M) Charite – Universitätsmedizin Hochschule (ETH) ribosome from German Berlin, Zürich, SWITZERLAND Trypanosoma brucei Berlin, GERMANY Head of Group: Prof. Nenad Ban 5. VOGEL, 28 Heissmeyer Lab Laboratory of Lymphocyte Signalling 2 Years Testing the mechanisms of Katharina Helmholtz Zentrum München, and Development, RNA target regulation by Ursula (F) Inst. of Molecular Immunology, The Babraham Institute, Tis11b/d proteins in German Munich, GERMANY Cambridge, U.K. thymocyte development Head of Group: Dr. Martin Turner and tumour suppression
1 The proposed duration of stay at the host institute given in this column is that indicated in the fellows’ fellowship application form. Once the fellows start their Fellowship and progress in their work, this may however change. Moreover, since the Fellowships are originally granted for one year, any extension to a second year - or third year - is subject to a positive evaluation of the fellow’s work by the FEBS Fellowships Committee. 2 F = Female M = Male ANNEX 4 FEBS LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Call 1 October 2013
Fellowships Awarded for the Call Closing on 1 October 2013 and Accepted
NAME/GENDER/ AGE OF INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN HOST INSTITUTE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT NATIONALITY FELLOW DURATION AT HOST INSTITUTE OF FELLOW STAY HOST INSTITUTE1 1. DE LA ROSA 28 Instituto de Medicina Oncológica Mouse Genomics, 3 Years Identification of novel DE SAA, Jorge y Molecular de Asturias, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, prostate, breast and Manuel Centro Médico de Asturias Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, colorectal cancer genes (M)2 Oviedo, SPAIN Hinxton, Cambridge, U.K. cooperating with PTEN Spanish Head of Group: Dr Allan Bradley inactivation or BRAF overactivation using transposons in mice 2. FAVARO, 34 Hypoxia & Angiogenesis Group, Cell Death & Metabolism, 2 Years Investigating the role of Elena (F) Oncology Department, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, glycogen autophagy Italian John Radcliffe Hospital, Copenhagen, DENMARK ("glycophagy") in cancer Weatherall Institute of Molecular Head of Group: Prof Marja Jäättela Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K. 3. MATILAINE 31 Holmberg Group, Laboratory of Integrative and Systems 3 Years Identification of N, Olli (M) Research Programs Unit, Physiology, mitochondrial unfolded Finnish Translational Cancer Biology Ecole Polytechnique Federale de protein response pathway Research Program, Lausanne EPFL, SV/IBI1/LISP/NCEM regulators Biomedicum Helsinki, Lausanne, SWITZERLAND University of Helsinki, Head of Group:Prof Johan Auwerx Helsinki, FINLAND 4. ROMIGUIER, 26 Institut des Sciences de Département d'Ecologie et Evolution, 2 Years Exploring the genetic Jonathan Benoît l'Evolution de Montpellier, UNIL-Sorge, Le Biophore causes of the exceptional Sylvain (M) ISEM-CC65 Lausanne, SWITZERLAND longevity of ants through French Université de Montpellier Head of Group:Prof Laurent Keller transcriptomic data and Montpellier, FRANCE genome-wide scans of natural selection
1 The proposed duration of stay at the host institute given in this column is that indicated in the fellows’ fellowship application form. Once the fellows start their Fellowship and progress in their work, this may however change. Moreover, since the Fellowships are originally granted for one year, any extension to a second year - or third year - is subject to a positive evaluation of the fellow’s work by the FEBS Fellowships Committee.
2 M = Male F = Female ANNEX 5 YEAR 2013 FEBS DISTINGUISHED YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD
Awards Granted in 2013
NAME/ GENDER/ PERIOD OF INSTITUTE WHERE LONG- TITLE OF THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE WHERE FUNDS NATIONALITY OF LONG-TERM TERM FELLOWSHIP WAS PROJECT FOR WHICH CURRENT WORK IS AWARDED1 THE LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIP CARRIED OUT LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIP BEING CARRIED FELLOW WAS AWARDED OUT 1. CIAUDO, January 2011-April ETH Zurich, Zurich, Identification of nuclear small Institute of Molecular € 5,0003 Constance (F)2 2013. SWITZERLAND RNAs and RNAi complexes in Health Sciences, French Fellowship Granted Head of Group: Prof Olivier Voinnet mouse embryonic stem cells ETH Zurich, at October 2010 Call SWITZERLAND 2. EULALIO, Ana July 2010- March International Centre for Genetic Role of microRNAs in Institute for Molecular € 10,0004 Sofia Bregiero (F) 2012. Engineering & Biotechnology, cardiomyocyte proliferation and Infection Biology, Portuguese Fellowship Granted Trieste, ITALY differentiation University of Würzburg, at April 2010 Call Head of Group: Prof Mauro Giacca GERMANY
1 In the meeting of June 1 2013 of the Fellowships Committee it was decided to change the maximum amount of this award from € 10,000 to € 5,000. 2 F = Female M = Male 3 Awarded after June 1 2013 4 Awarded before June 1 2013 ANNEX 6 Call 1 April 2013 FEBS FELLOWSHIP FOLLOW-UP RESEARCH FUND
Awards Granted for Call Closing on 1 April 2013 and Accepted
NAME/GENDER/ PERIOD OF INSTITUTE WHERE TITLE OF THE INSTITUTE IN TITLE OF FUTURE NATIONALITY OF LONG- LONG-TERM RESEARCH COUNTRY OF ORIGIN RESEARCH PROJECT THE APPLICANT TERM FELLOWSHIP WAS PROJECT FOR WHERE THE WORK IS FELLOWS CARRIED OUT WHICH THE LONG- BEING CARRIED OUT HIP TERM FELLOWSHIP WAS AWARDED 1. POLS, Sept 2009 - Laboratory of Integrative TGR5 signalling in Dept. Medical Biochemistry Nutraceutical activation of Thijs (M)1 Sept 2012 & Systems Physiology, macrophages and Academic Medical Center, the transmembrane receptor Dutch Fellowship Ecole Polytechnique atherosclerosis University of Amsterdam, TGR5 to inhibit granted at Fédérale de Lausanne, Amsterdam, atherosclerosis April 2009 Lausanne, THE NETHERLANDS call SWITZERLAND Head of Group: Prof K. Schoonjans 2. WREDENBERG, Feb 2010- Max-Planck Institute for Regulation of Division of Metabolic Elucidating mitochondrial Anna Cecilia April 2012 Biology of Ageing, mitochondrial gene Diseases, genetics and disease Elisabet (F) Fellowship Cologne, GERMANY expression. Functional Institute of Laboratory mechanisms using Swedish granted at Head of Group: studies of Mterf3 and Medicine, Drosophila melanogaster as October 2009 Prof Nils Goran LRPPRC in the Karolinska Institutet, model system call Larsson Drosophila melanogaster Stockholm, SWEDEN model system
1 M = Male F = Female ANNEX 7 FEBS SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Year 2013
Fellowships Awarded in 2013 and Accepted
NAME/ GENDER/ AGE INSTITUTE OF HOST INSTITUTE DURATION FUNDS DATE TITLE OF RESEARCH DATE NATIONALITY OF ORIGIN OF STAY AWARDED FELLOW PROJECT AT HOST REPORT FELLOW AT HOST NOTIFIED INSTITUTE RECEIVED1 INSTITUTE 1. APOSTOLIDI, 26 Dept. Biochemistry Inst. Physiologie et 2 months €3,963 04/04/2013 Investigating the role of glyS 19/12/2013 Maria (F)2 School of Medicine Chimie Biologique, (€3,600 + T‐Box riboswitch from Greek University of Patras, UMR 7156 (GMGM) €363 travel) Staphyloccocus aureus in the Patras, GREECE Strasbourg, FRANCE regulation of translation and cell Head of Group: Prof. well formation Hubert D. Becker 2. BELL, Peter 27 Inst. Genetic Medicine, Centre for Biochemistry, 6 weeks €2,755 10/05/2013 Investigation of biochemical 17/12/2013 Andrew (M) International Center Medical Faculty (€2,520 + interactions between cartilage British for Life, Univ. Cologne, Cologne, €235 travel) oligomeric matrix protein Newcastle University, GERMANY (COMP) with fibril associated Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Head of Group: Dr. collagens, tenascins and alpha- U.K. Franck Zaucke 2-HS-glycoprotein and the effects of disease-causing mutations on these interactions 3. BOJARCZUK, 25 Dept. Immunology, Molecular Hematology, 2 Months €3,740 26/04/2013 The role of SRC family kinases 20/12/2013 Kamil (M) Center Biostructure International Cent. for (€3,600 + in the regulation of CD20 levels Polish Research, Genetic Engineering and €140 travel) and antitumor efficacy of anti- Medical Univ.Warsaw, Biotechnology, CNR CD20 monoclonal antibodies Warsaw, POLAND Monterotondo, ITALY Head of Group: Dr Dimitar Efremov 4. BURKOVICS, 34 Inst. Genetics, Dept. Biology, 47 Days €2,942 26/04/2013 Regulation of the recombination 30/10/2013 Peter (M) Biological Research Masaryk University, (€2,820 + events by the sumoylated PCNA Hungarian Center, Hungarian Brno, CZECH €122 travel) Acad. Sciences REPUBLIC Szeged, HUNGARY Head of Group: Dr Lumir Krejci 5. CIACCAFAVA, 28 Lab. Bioenergetics & Inst. für Chemie, 2 Months € 3,771 05/08/2013 Infra-Red Spectroscopic studies 20/01/2014 Alexandre (M) Protein Engineering, Technische University (€3,600 + of the anaerobic CO-dehydrog-
1 Because some candidates took up their Fellowship towards the end of the year, at the date of preparation of the 2013 Activity Report not all had submitted their report on the work carried out thanks to the FEBS Fellowship. 2 F = Female M = Male 1
ANNEX 7 FEBS SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Year 2013 NAME/ GENDER/ AGE INSTITUTE OF HOST INSTITUTE DURATION FUNDS DATE TITLE OF RESEARCH DATE NATIONALITY OF ORIGIN OF STAY AWARDED FELLOW PROJECT AT HOST REPORT FELLOW AT HOST NOTIFIED INSTITUTE RECEIVED1 INSTITUTE French CNRS, Marseille, Berlin, GERMANY €171 travel) enase from the hydrogen FRANCE Head of Group: Prof producing bacteria Carboxydo- Peter Hildebrandt thermus hydrogenoformans 6. CORT, Aysegul 29 Dept. Biochemistry Div.Cell & Molecular 2 Months €3,941 07/02/2013 Oxidative stress and role of 09/09/2013 (F) Medical Faculty, Biology, Imperial (€3,600 + functional voltage-gated sodium Turkish Akdeniz University, College London, South €341 travel) channel expression in human Antalya, TURKEY Kensington Campus, breast cancer cells London, U.K. Head of Group: Prof Mustafa BA Djamgoz 7. DERGAI, Mykola 28 Dept. Functional International Inst. of Cell 2 Months €3,972 08/03/2013 Transcriptional control by 22/11/2013 (M) Genomics, Institute of & Molecular Biology, (€3,600 + endocytic protein intersectin 1 Ukrainian Molecular Biology and Warsaw, POLAND €372 travel) Genetics, Kyiv Head of Group: Prof UKRAINE Marta Miaczynska 8. DIAZ ALONSO, 28 Dept. Biochemistry Dpt of Molecular 1 Month €2,055 12/09/2013 Role of the mTORC1 signaling 12/12/2013 Javier (M) Molecular Biology I, Neurobiology, (€1,800 + pathway in CB1 cannabinoid Spanish School of Biology, National Institute for €255 travel) receptor-mediated regulation of Complutense Univ., Medical Research, radial migration during cortical Madrid, SPAIN MRC-Mill Hill, development London, U.K. Head of Group: Prof François Guillemot 9. FISCHER, Manuel 30 Cellular Biochemistry, Section Biomolecular 2 Months €3,643 29/10/2013 Establishment of a siRNA-based 30/05/2014 (M) Univ of Kaiserslautern, Sciences, Dept. Biology, (€3,600 + immunofluorescence screen for German Kaiserslautern, Copenhagen Biocenter, €43 travel) the identification of cytosolic GERMANY DENMARK chaperones that mediate Head of Group: Prof mitochondrial protein import Lars Ellgaard 10. FORNELOS 33 Dept. Biological and Cent. Biología Molecular 2 Months €3,966 14/05/2013 Gene regulation in Bam35: the 18/02/2014 MARTINS, Nadine Environmental Sciences Severo Ochoa, (€3,600 + switch from dormancy to lytic (F) Centre of Excellence in CSIC-UAM €366 travel) development Luxembourg Biological Interactions, Madrid, SPAIN Univ. Jyväskylä, Head of Group: Prof Jyväskylä, FINLAND Margarita Salas 11. GALÁN COBO, 28 Inst. Biomedicina de National Heart and Lung 2 Months €3,899 18/06/2013 Implication of AQPs in cell 20/11/2013 Ana (F) Sevilla, Hospital Virgen Inst.,Faculty of Medicine, (€3,600 + proliferation, metastasis and Spanish del Rocío, Sevilla, Imperial College London €299 travel) cell-cell interaction changes 2
ANNEX 7 FEBS SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Year 2013 NAME/ GENDER/ AGE INSTITUTE OF HOST INSTITUTE DURATION FUNDS DATE TITLE OF RESEARCH DATE NATIONALITY OF ORIGIN OF STAY AWARDED FELLOW PROJECT AT HOST REPORT FELLOW AT HOST NOTIFIED INSTITUTE RECEIVED1 INSTITUTE SPAIN South Kensington London, U.K. Head of Group: Dr Vania M. Braga
12. KONDRATOV, 27 Inst. of Molecular Dept. Microbiology, 2 Months €3,912 10/05/2013 Genetic and Epigenetic 01/02/2014 Oleksandr (M) Biology & Genetics, Tumor and Cell Biology, (€3,600 + alterations of cancer associated Ukrainian National Academy of Karolinska Institutet, €312 travel) genes in clear cell renal cell Sciences of Ukraine Stockholm, SWEDEN carcinoma Kyiv, UKRAINE Head of Group: Prof Ingemar Ernberg 13. MEILER 24 Immunology/Dept. of Wellcome Trust Cent. for 2 Months €3,992 24/06/2013 The role of talin-vinculin 20/11/2013 RODRÍGUEZ, Microbiology I, Cell-Matrix Research, (€3,600 + interactions in the regulation of María Eugenia (F) School of Medicine, Manchester Univ., U.K. €392 travel) cell adhesion Spanish Complutense Univ. Head of Group: Dr Madrid, SPAIN Cristoph Ballestrem 14. MIRON, Tudor 28 Dept. Bioengineering, Dept Bioproc. Engineer. 2 Months €3,810 13/09/2013 Biorefinery of microalgae for 28/03/2014 Lucian (M) Faculty Food Science & Wageningen UR, (€3,600 + food and fuel Romanian Engineering, THE NETHERLANDS €210 travel) Dunarea de Jos Univ. Head of Group: Dr Galati, ROMANIA Michel Eppink 15. MORENO, Miguel 27 Dept. Bioquímica y Lab. Neurobiology, 6 weeks €2,742 14/10/2013 The endocannabinoid system in 02/01/2014 (M) Biología Molecular, VIB-Vesalius Res. Cent. (€2,520 + a zebrafish ALS model Spanish Fac. Medicina, Leuven, BELGIUM €222 travel) Univ.Complutense, Head of Group: Dr Wim Madrid, SPAIN Robberecht 16. NAUDÍ FARRÉ, 31 Dept. Experimental Inst. Biomedical Technol 2 Months €3,909 26/04/2013 Modulation of fatty acid 30/10/2013 Alba (F) Medicine, Medical Univ. Tampere, (€3,600 + unsaturation in vivo as a new Spanish School, Univ. Lleida Tampere, FINLAND €309 travel) strategy to extend lifespan in Lleida, SPAIN Head of Group: Dr animals Alberto Sanz 17. PANKONIEN, Ines 31 Cent. for Biodiversity, Dept. Physiology, 3 Months €5,779 23/09/2013 Functional analysis of CFTR (F) Functional and Univ. Regensburg (€5,400 + channel activity by German Integrative Genomics, Regensburg, €379 travel) downregulating/overexpressing Fac. Sciences, GERMANY KLF4 using patch clamp Univ. Lisboa, Head of Group: Prof technique Lisboa, PORTUGAL Karl Kunzelmann 18. RAMOS 28 Dept. Biochemistry Inst. Molecular Biology 2 Months €3,824 28/01/2013 Tertiary structure predictions of 06/05/2013 3
ANNEX 7 FEBS SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Year 2013 NAME/ GENDER/ AGE INSTITUTE OF HOST INSTITUTE DURATION FUNDS DATE TITLE OF RESEARCH DATE NATIONALITY OF ORIGIN OF STAY AWARDED FELLOW PROJECT AT HOST REPORT FELLOW AT HOST NOTIFIED INSTITUTE RECEIVED1 INSTITUTE MOLINA, Bruno Molecular Biology B, Biotechnology, Fac. (€3,600 + proteins related with the (M) Faculty of Medicine Biology, Adam €224 travel) regulation of ornithine Spanish University of Murcia, Mickiewicz Univ. decarboxylase by homology Murcia, SPAIN Poznan, POLAND modeling Head of Group: Dr Janus Bujnicki
19. REBOLJ, Katja 33 Polymer Chemistry and Dept. of Chemistry, 2 Months €3,858 08/03/2013 Development of a novel 20/11/2013 (F) Technology Lab., Faculty of Science, (€3,600 + approach for quantification of Slovenian National Institute. of Univ. of Bologna, €258 travel) exosomes by asymmetric-flow Chemistry, Ljubljana, Bologna, ITALY field-flow fractionation (AF4) SLOVENIA Head of Group: Dr and hollow-fiber flow field-flow Pierluigi Reschiglian fractionation (HF5) 20. SAVIC, Aleksandar 27 Dept. of Life Sciences, Lab. Evolutionary 42 days €2,673 26/12/2013 The insight into the free radical 12/05/2014 (M)2 Inst. Multidisciplinary Zoology, Dept. Life (€2,520 + production in two tardigrade Serbian Research, IMSI, Sciences, Univ. Modena €153 travel) species during the anhydrobiosis University of Belgrade, and Reggio Emilia, and exposure to UV radiation Belgrade, SERBIA Modena, ITALY Head of Group:Prof Roberto Guidetti 21. SCHMIDT, David 28 Leibniz Insttitute for Division of Virology, 2 Months €3,839 17/04/2013 Centrosome inactivation: 09/09/2013 (M) Age Research, MRC National Institute (€3,600 + A novel mechanism of Human German Fritz Lipmann Institute, Medical Research €239 travel) Papilloma Virus (HPV)-induced Jena, GERMANY Mill Hill, London, U.K. oncogenesis? Head of Group: Dr John Doorbar 22. SPINELLI, Laura 30 Inst. Biological Cluster of Excellence 2 Months €3,780 28/03/2013 Molecular characterization in 24/01/2014 (F) Chemistry Biophysics Neurocure and Inst. (€3,600 + primary neurons of novel PTEN Italian and Bioengineering, Biochemistry,Charité- €180 travel) mutations identified in autism School of Engineering Universitätsmedizin patients and Physical Sciences, Berlin, GERMANY Heriot-Watt University, Head of Group: Prof Edinburgh, U.K. Britta Eickholt 23. SUARDIAZ DEL 34 Physical Chemistry, Dept. Chemistry, 2 Months €3,812 26/12/2013 Regio- and Stereo-specificity of RIO, Reynier (M) Dept. Chemistry, School Biomedical (€3,600 + Fatty Acids Peroxidation Cuban Autonomous Univ. Sciences, King's College €212 travel) Catalyzed by Lipoxygenases. A Barcelona, SPAIN London, U.K. QM/MM Free-Energy Study Head of Group: Prof 4
ANNEX 7 FEBS SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Year 2013 NAME/ GENDER/ AGE INSTITUTE OF HOST INSTITUTE DURATION FUNDS DATE TITLE OF RESEARCH DATE NATIONALITY OF ORIGIN OF STAY AWARDED FELLOW PROJECT AT HOST REPORT FELLOW AT HOST NOTIFIED INSTITUTE RECEIVED1 INSTITUTE Edina Rosta 24. TAYLOR, Nicholas 27 Physical & Chemical Institute of Molecular 1 Month €2,104 29/10/2013 Generation of C-terminally 11/03/2014 Michael Ian (M) Biology, Centro de Biotechnology, Austrian (€1,800 + tagged strains of Tetrahymena Belgian/British Investigaciones Academy of Sciences, €304 travel) thermophila TFIIH for Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), Vienna, AUSTRIA structural and functional studies Madrid, SPAIN Head of Group: Dr Kazufimi Mochizuki
25. VALDEOLIVAS 25 Dpto. Bioquímica y Ageing Research 2 Months €4,049 10/09/2013 Studies of molecular 28/01/2014 ROJAS, Sara (F) Biología Molecular III, Laboratories, (€3,600 + mechanisms underlying protein Spanish Facultad de Medicina, Institute for Ageing & €449 travel) oligomerisation and aggregation Univ. Complutense, Health, and their relevance to Madrid, SPAIN Newcastle University, neurodegenerative diseases Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K. Head of Group: Dr Viktor Korolchuk 26. VAN 31 Dept. of Laboratory Inst. Molecular Systems 2 Months €3,832 11/06/2013 Phosphoglucomutase I as key 08/01/2014 SCHERPENZEEL Medicine, Radboud Biology, ETH Zurich, (€3,600 + metabolic regulator of protein Monique (F) University Nijmegen SWITZERLAND €232 travel) N-glycosylation Dutch Medical Centre, Head of Group: Dr Nijmegen, THE Nicola Zamboni NETHERLANDS 27. YILDIZ, Huseyin 35 Dept. Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, 2 Months €4,154 18/02/2013 Electrochemical communication 17/07/2013 Bekir (M) Kamil Ozdag Science Center for Molecular (€3,600 + between microorganisms with Turkish Faculty, Karamanoglu Protein Science, €554 travel) electrodes mediated by osmium Mehmetbey University, Lund University, Lund, redox polymers in Karaman, TURKEY SWEDEN bioelectrochemical systems Head of Group: Prof Lo Gorton
5
ANNEX 8 FEBS SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME Year 2013
Fellowships Awarded for Call Closing on 1 April 2013 and Accepted
NAME/GENDER/ AGE OF INSTITUTE OF HOST INSTITUTE DURATION RESEARCH SUBJECT REPORT NATIONALITY OF FELLOW ORIGIN OF WORK AT HOST INSTITUTE RECEIVED FELLOW AT HOST INSTITUTE 1. BORTOLUZZI, 27 Dept of Biochemistry, Centre National de la 2 Months Deciphering the binding 23/01/2014 Alessio (M)1 University of Leicester, Recherche Scientifique, interface between the Italian Leicester, U.K. Montpellier, FRANCE Mycobacterium Head of Group: Dr tuberculosis RbpA protein Konstantin Brodolin and RNA polymerase 2. POCIÑO MERINO, 26 Group Cicle Cel.lular, Cell Cycle Group, 2 Months Study of the smc5 14/11/2013 Irene (F) Dept Ciències Biomed MRC Clinical Science Center, sumoylation role in DNA Spanish Bàsiques, Fundació Dr Faculty of Medicine, damage repair. Pifarré, Institut de Imperial College London, Recerca Biomédica de London, U.K. Lleida Head of Group: Dr Luis Lleida, SPAIN Aragón
1 F = Female M = Male
ANNEX 9 FEBS COLLABORATIVE EXPERIMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Year 2013
Scholarships Awarded in 2013 and Accepted
NAME/GENDER/ AGE INSTITUTE OF ORIGIN HOST INSTITUTE DURATION FUNDS DATE TITLE PROPOSED DATE NATIONALITY STAY HOST AWARDED RECIPIENT RESEARCH REPORT OF CANDIDATE INSTITUTE NOTIFIED PROJECT AT RECEIVED HOST INSTITUTE 1. AVDIEIEV, 25 Dept. Biosynthesis of Nucleic Inst Gustave Roussy, 2 Months €3,520 29/04/13 A search of new 15/10/2013 Stanislav (M) 1 Acids, Villejuif, FRANCE (€3,000 + treatment modalities Ukrainian Institute of Molecular Head of Group: Dr €520 travel) for mantle cell Biology and Genetics, Yegor Vassetzky lymphoma Kyiv, UKRAINE 2. BENINA, Maria 34 Dept.Plant Physiology and Max Planck Institute of 3 Months €4,810 18/06/13 Molecular 07/03/2014 (F) Plant Molecular Biology, Molecular Plant (€4,500 + mechanisms of Bulgarian Faculty of Biology, Physiology, €310 travel) desiccation tolerance Univ of Plovdiv, Potsdam-Golm in Haberlea Plovdiv, BULGARIA GERMANY rhodopensis Head of Group: Dr Alisdair Fernie 3. CIOLOBOC, 24 Dept. of Chemistry, Dept. of Theoretical 2 Months €3,525 17/05/13 QM/MM studies on 14/11/2013 Daniela (F) Faculty of Chemistry and Chemistry, Chemical (€3,000 + sulfite-oxidizing Romanian Chemical Engineering, Center, Lund Univ., €525 travel) molybdoenzymes Babes Bolyai University, Lund, SWEDEN Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA Head of Group: Dr Ulf Ryde 4. DEFTU, 25 Dept. of Anatomy, Animal Lab. of Pain & Stress 2 Months €3,232 17/04/13 The effect of 30/10/2013 Florian- Physiology & Biophysics, Neurophysiology, Dept. (€3,000 + proinflammatory Alexandru (M) Faculty of Biology, of Medical, Surgical and €232 travel) chemokine CXCL1 Romanian University of Bucharest, Neural Science, on central pain Bucharest, ROMANIA University of Siena, Siena, ITALY Head of Group: Prof Anna Maria Aloisi
1 F = Female M = Male
ANNEX 10 Call 1 October 2013 FEBS RETURN-TO-EUROPE FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME
Fellowships Awarded for Call Closing on 1 October 2013 and Accepted
N.B. The duration of these fellowships is 2 years
NAME/GENDER/ AGE OF FEBS OVERSEAS STARTING HOST INSTITUTE IN FEBS RESEARCH PROJECT NATIONALITY OF FELLOW COUNTRY INSTITUTE WHERE DATE OF AREA AT HOST INSTITUTE FELLOW WHERE FELLOW HELD FELLOW’S FELLOW POST-DOCTORAL POST- WAS POSITION DOCTORAL AWARDED POSITION PHD OVERSEAS 1. MACGILLAVRY, 32 Netherlands Blanpied Laboratory, March 2010 Cell Biology, Functional consequences of Harold Duncan (M)1 Department of Faculty of Science, nano-scale synaptic Dutch Physiology, Utrecht University, organization mediated by School of Medicine, Utrecht, NETHERLANDS Shank scaffolding molecules Univ. of Maryland, Head of Group: Prof Casper Baltimore, MD, USA Hoogenraad
1 M = Male
LONG-TERM FELLOWSHIPS 2013 No. Name From To Start 2010 1 Lennart Wirthmueller Koln Norwich 2 Atul Deshmukh Stockholm Martinsried 3 Volker Bormuth Dresden Paris
Start 2011 4 Nicolas Werbeck Heidelberg London 5 Constance Ciaudo Paris Zurich 6 Alberto Macho Malaga Norwich 7 Dani Osman Toulouse Lausanne 8 Jose Luis Ortega-Roldan Granada Oxford 9 Juha Saarikangas Helsinki Zurich 10 Zoltan Lipinszki Szeged Cambridge 11 Felix Weis Rennes Cambridge 12 Louise Harewood Lausanne Cambridge 13 Anas Szollosi Budapest Porto 14 Iakovos Lazaridis Heraklion Stockholm 15 Maria Francesca Mossuto Barcelona Milan 16 Deborah van den Berg Rotterdam London 17 Joakim Palovaara Kalmar Wageningen 18 Beate Lichtenberger Vienna Cambridge 19 Lukas Cajanek Stockholm Basel 20 Nunzio Iraci Bologna Cambridge 21 Morten Kjos Oslo Groningen 22 Meritxell Orpinell Strasbourg Lausanne 23 Biola Javierre (BMJ Martinez) Barcelona Cambridge 24 Dawid Walerych Warsaw Trieste 25 Paola Laurino Berlin Rehovot
Start 2012 26 Clementine Delan-Forino Paris Edinburgh 27 Christine Maria Horejs Vienna London 28 Ligia Carinha Gomes Padova Frankfurt 29 Dimitrios Papadopoulos Basel Stockholm 30 Ines Milagre da Silva Lisbon Cambridge 31 Eniko Eva Nagy Szeged, Hungary Berlin 32 Elena Kardash Gif sur Yvette, FranceGeneva 33 Laura Lucia Prieto Godino Cambridge Lausanne 34 Luis Miguel de Pablos Torro Granada Cambridge 35 Cecilia Maria Herraiz Serrano Murcia London 36 Mina Gouti Athens London 37 Enrico Klotzsch Zurich Wien 38 Maya Shvartsman Jerusalem Barcelona 39 Hannes Mutschler Heidelberg Cambridge 40 Jose Luis Llacer Guerri Valencia Cambridge 41 Juan Antonio Sanchez Alcaniz Alicante Lausanne 42 Julia Santiago Cuellar Valencia Tuebingen 43 Vera Pancaldi Cambridge Madrid 44 Antonio Adamo Barcelona Milan 45 Asier Gonzalez Barcelona Basel 46 Joaquin Bernal Sevilla Paris
Start 2013 47 Simone Cardaci Rome Glasgow 48 Petra Catalina Schwalie Cambridge Lausanne 49 Tanmay Bharat Heidelberg Cambridge 50 Katharina Ursula Vogel Munich Cambridge 51 David Johannes Felix Ramrath Berlin Zurich 52 Avraham Ashkenazi Rehovot Cambridge 53 Christin Bissig Geneva Paris RETURN TO EUROPE FELLOWSHIPS No. Name From To Start 2011 1 Christine Katrin Schmidt Bethesda MD Cambridge 2 Christopher Baker Baltimore Cambridge Start 2012
Start 2013 3 Joseph Yeeles New York London
COLLABORATIVE EXPERIMENTAL SCHOLARSHIPS 2013 No. Name From To 1 Hovsep Aganyants Yerevan Nantes 2 Florian-Alexandru Deftu Bucharest Siena 3 Stanislav Avdieiev Kyiv Villejuif 4 Maria Benina Plovdiv (Bulgaria) Postdam-Golm 5 Daniela Cioloboc Cluj-Napoca Lund, SE
SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS No. Name From To 1 Irene Pocino Merino Lleida London 2 Alessio Bortoluzzi Leicester Montpellier
SUMMER PRIZE 1 Ida Dalgaard Pedersen Copenhagen
DISTINGUISHED YOUNG INVESTIGATOR 1 Ana Sofia Gregieiro Eulalio Wurzburg
FOLLOW UP RESEARCH FUND 1 Anna Cecilia Elisabet Wredenberg Stockholm 2 Thijs Pols Amsterdam SHORT-TERM FELLOWSHIPS No. Name From To 1 Anea Kadar Budapest Lyon 2 Joao Filipe Bogalho Vicente Lisbon Rome 3 Irene Cuadrado Berrocal Madrid Cambridge 4 Zaira Ortega Llorente Madrid Amsterdam 5 Georg Basler Postdam Granada 6 Bruno Ramos Murcia Poznan, PL 7 Csaba Matta Debrecen Nottingham 8 Aysegul Cort Antalya London 9 Huseyin Bekir Yildiz Karaman Lund, SE 10 Maria Apostolidi Patras Strasbourg 11 Laura Spinelli Edinburgh Berlin 12 David Schmidt Jena London 13 Kamil Bojarczuk Warsaw Rome 14 Peter Burkovics Szeged Brno 15 Katja Rebolj Ljubljana Bologna 16 Peter Bell Newcastle Cologne 17 Alba Naudi Farre Lleida Tampere 18 Mykola Dergai Kiev Warsaw 19 Monique van Scherpenzeel Nijmegen Zurich 20 Maria Eugenia Meiler Rodriguez Madrid Manchester 21 Ana Galan Cobo Sevilla London 22 Oleksan Konatov Kiev Stockholm 23 Alexane Ciaccafava Marseilles Berlin 24 Nadine Fornelos Martins Finland / Jyvaskyla Madrid 25 Tudor Lucian Miron Galati / Romania Wageningen 26 Miguel Moreno Madrid Leuven, Brussels 27 Sara Valdeolivas Rojas Madrid Newcastle 28 Javier Diaz Alonso Madrid London 29 Nicholas Taylor Madrid Vienna 30 Ines Pankonien Lisbon 31 Manuel Fischer Kaiserlautern Copenhagen
SPEND ON FELLOWSHIPS 2013 Total Long-Tem Fellowship € 1,562,802 Short-Term Fellowship € 96,481 FEBS Collaborative Experimental Scholarships € 11,531 Return to Europe Fellowship € 75,625 Summer Fellowship € 7,514 Fellowship fellow-up Research Fund € 20,000 Distinguished Fellows Award € 15,000 Total € 1,788,953 FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES A Registered Charity
FEBS Advanced Courses Committee Secretariat Department of Applied Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and
Economics, Szt Gellért tér 4, 1111 Budapest, Hungary www.FEBS.org E-mail: [email protected]
Advanced Courses Committee Report – 2013 activities
1 The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee
In 2013 the Committee included the following Members: Chair: January 2011 - July 2013: Jaak Järv (Estonia), resigned in July 2013 July 2013 – present : Beáta G. Vértessy (Hungary), Acting Chair Members: Patrick Van Dijck (Belgium), Efstathios Gonos (Greece), Ivana Kuta-Smatanova (Czech Republic), László Nagy (Hungary), Damjana Rozman (Slovenia), Steffen Rupp (Germany), Véronique Receveur-Bréchot (France). Ex-Officio Members: Israel Pecht, Secretary General of FEBS (Israel), Sir Alan Fersht, Treasurer of FEBS (United Kingdom).
Following the resignation of Prof Järv in July 2013, Prof Vértessy took over the responsibility as Acting Chair till the next Council Meeting (to be held in Paris, September 4-5, 2014).
2 Meeting of the Advanced Course Committee on April 27, 2013, Athens, Greece
As agreed previously, in 2013 there was only one call for applications for FEBS Advanced Courses, with the deadline April 1, 2013. Following this deadline, the Advanced Course Committee met in Athens to discuss current issues and to decide on the submitted applications.
The Meeting was attended by committee members Patrick Van Dijck, Efstathios Gonos, Ivana Kuta-Smatanova, László Nagy, Damjana Rozman, Steffen Rupp, Jaak Jarv (Chair), Israel Pecht (ex officio member), and Heli Jarv (secretary).
1
The Agenda of this Advanced Course Committee Meeting included the following major issues:
1 Welcome, adoption of the draft agenda, introduction of the new Committee Member Prof Damjana Rozman
2 Acceptance of the Minutes of the previous ACC Meeting (Fall 2012, Lisbon)
3 Discussion of the newly introduced changes in FEBS status and financing rules (FEBS statute changes, ACC budget is planned to be 300,000 EUR/year for 2013, grant awards and rules were modified, guidelines were modified, cf previous ACC Report available as Appendix 9 of the 2012 Annual Report at http://www.febs.org/about-us/annual-reports/)
4 Evaluation of the submitted applications The Advanced Course Committee evaluated all submissions and formulated their decisions, as summarized below:
Out of 7 submissions for Workshop, 3 were approved with conditions, and 4 were approved.
Out of 2 submissions for Special Meeting, 1 was approved with conditions, and 1 was not approved.
Out of 3 submissions for Practical and Lecture Course, 2 were approved with conditions, and 1 was not approved.
Out of 3 submissions for Practical Course, 2 were approved with conditions, and 1 was not approved.
Out of 4 submissions for joint FEBS-EMBO Advanced Lecture Course, 2 were approved with conditions, and 2 were not approved. The 2 approved events were also approved by the EMBO Course Committee.
2
Out of 3 submissions for Advanced Lecture Courses, 1 was approved, 1 required re- submission (after the re-submission, this was approved), and 1 was put into the reserve list.
Out of 2 submissions for joint events with the Biochemical Society, 2 were approved.
The decisions were adequately explained in the decison letters (see Appendix 1). The decision letters also named the Member-in-Charge from the Advanced Course Committee for all courses that were either approved or approved with conditions.
The conditions defined in the decisions letters were accepted by the course organizers, hence the course on the reserve list could not be funded.
Financial summary for these events is to be found in the Financial Report prepared by the Treasury.
3 Introduction of the new FEBS website and the new ACC database
The new FEBS website was constructed in order to refresh and improve FEBS image and actions and address security concerns. With regard to the Advanced Courses, the aim of the new database is the facilitate online submissions and also to provide a possibility for later developments. The introduction of the new database required testing and fine-tuning, especially concerning the following issues:
Access rights to Advanced Course Committee members and Chair Upload possibilities for Committee members Automated notification of applicants: depending on the event, such notification is not always required Collecting e-mail database from persons contacting the Advanced Course Committee during the last years
3 Access and ordered acquisition of data on the course applications (excel tables, what parameters are needed, how to display these, how to export the data, excel table generation, etc) Potential possibility to upload evaluation forms on applications
4 Collaboration with EMBO
The current agreement to run joint FEBS-EMBO Advanced Lecture Courses ends on December 31, 2014. Discussions were therefore initiated with EMBO representatives to extend this agreement. The new agreement is proposed for five years, and has been submitted for signatures. Appendix 2 contains this agreement.
5 Potential collaboration with EMBL
The potential to organize practical courses at EMBL facilities has been discussed with EMBL course organizer Jacquline Dreyer. It was agreed that a collaboration with EMBL might be mutually advantegous. This issue will be the subject of further discussions.
6 Collaboration with IUBMB
The possibility to extend the current collaboration scheme with IUBMB to also include trans- YTFs has been discussed and an agreement was formulated. This agreement was finalized in early 2014 and includes support from IUBMB for both IUBMB-supported Lecturers and IUBMB-supported trans-YTFs. This agreement will be the subject of the report for 2014.
7 FEBS Advanced Course Poster 2014 and promoting FEBS Journals
The poster is included as Appendix 3. It is available from the FEBS website (http://www.febs.org/our-activities/advanced-courses/2014-courses/), was distributed electronically to e-mail lists available to FEBS and will also be distributed to participants of Advanced Courses and the FEBS-EMBO Conference. The poster also serves as an advertisement surface for the FEBS journals: cover pages of FEBS Journal, FEBS Letters,
4 FEBS OpenBio and Molecular Oncology are shown on the poster. Logos of the FEBS journals are also shown on the websites of all FEBS Advanced Courses.
8 Advanced Courses in FEBS News
The Advanced Course Committee recieves valuable help from Dr Carolyn Elliss, the Communications and Treasury Liaison Officer. FEBS Advanced Courses were covered in three issues of FEBS News, to increase publicity. Moreover, FEBS News also included a report on a Practical Course. For the future, it is our aim to cover each course with a short report in FEBS News. Links to course websites are also included in FEBS News.
Beáta G. Vértessy Acting Chair, FEBS Advanced Course Committee
5 Appendix 1
Decision letters for submissions for Advanced Courses
Draft 28.06.2013
ACC Decisions 2014
Title Biology of RNA in host-pathogen interactions Submission Number WS14-022 Date 2014/01/26 - 2014/01/29 Place Tenerife, ES Registration deadline 2013/10/15 Responsible organizer Francisco García-del Portillo Centro Nacional de Biotecnolog, CSIC Darwin 3, Madrid (ES), phone: +34/915854923 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Workshop entitled “Biology of RNA in host-pathogen interactions” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of WS14-022: Basic funding from FEBS: 11 400 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 5 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Patric van Dijck, Leuven, Belgium, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic and the list of invited speakers and accepted the all-inclusive registration fee up to 500 € for students. However, it was stated that covering of living expenses of participants from the FEBS grant (Item c in the Budget table) is not eligible. Therefore the grant was reduced.
Title FEBS Workshop on Lipids as molecular switches 2014 Submission Number WS14-017 Date 2014/08/25 – 2014/08/30 Place Korgialenios School/Spetses Hotel, Spetses Island, GR Registration deadline 2014/06/15 Responsible organizer Bernd Helms Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Utrecht University Yalelaan 2 Utrecht (NL), phone: +31/30/2535375
E-mail [email protected]
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Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 Page
The proposal for Workshop entitled “Lipids as molecular switches - 2014” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of WS14-017: Basic funding from FEBS: 15 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Lázló Nagy, Debrecen, Hungary, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic and the list of invited speakers and accepted the all-inclusive registration fee up to 500 € for students. However, it was stated that covering of costs of welcome/farewell party from the FEBS grant cannot be supported (Item g in the Budget table). Therefore the grant was reduced. It was also recommended that the organizers discuss accommodation prices following the previous agreement of FEBS with Spetses Hotel and Korgialenios School.
Title FEBS workshop on Intercellular Communication in Plant Development and Disease Submission Number WS14-014 Date 2014/08/24 – 2014/08/29 Place Le Bischenberg 17 rue Raiffeisen FR Registration deadline 2014/04/15 Responsible organizer Manfred Heinlein IBMP, UPR2357, CNRS 12, rue du Général Zimmer Strasbourg (FR), 67084 phone: +33/3/ 67 15 53 59 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Workshop entitled “Intercellular Communication in Plant Development and Disease” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved.
It was found that the proposed topic is rather focused to be attractive for wide scientific community. Moreover, the format of the event does not meet the requirements of FEBS Workshops, as almost equal number of students and established scientists will attend, and the program includes insufficient educational and training elements. Competitiveness of this application was also decreased by the fact that too many touristic activities were planned for the days of the workshop. For these reasons, but mostly due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application remained under the evaluation threshold and was not approved.
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Title Development, Diseases and Evolution of Endocrine Organs Submission Number WS14-013 Date 2013/10/10 2013/10/13 Place Mont sainte-Odile 67530 OTTROTT FR Registration deadline 2013/01/08 Responsible organizer Roberto Di Lauro Dept. Mol. Medicine and Medica, University of Naples „Federico II“ Via Pansini 5- ed 19/A Naples NA (IT), 80131 phone: +39-081-7463240 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Workshop entitled “Development, Diseases and Evolution of Endocrine Organs” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved.
It was mentioned that the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee is considering applications for the events taking place in the next year. However this workshop was planned for 2013. Therefore the application was found to be not eligible. It was also mentioned that the format of the event did not meet the requirements of FEBS Workshops, as participation of almost equal number of students and established scientists was planned, and the program included insufficient amount of educational and training elements. For these reasons, and also due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application was not approved.
Title Life at the edge: the nuclear envelope in nucleocytoplasmic transport, genome organization and cell cycle regulation Submission Number WS14-007 Date 2014/07/23 2014/07/26 Place Seminaris Seehotel Potsdam 14471 Potsdam DE Registration deadline 2014/05/02 Responsible organizer Birthe Fahrenkrog Inst. of Molecular Biology & M, Université Libre de Bruxelles Rue Profs. Jeener et Brachet 12 Charleroi (BE), 6041 phone: +32/2/650 9793 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Workshop entitled “Life at the edge: the nuclear envelope in nucleocytoplasmic transport, genome organization and cell cycle regulation” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved.
Although the proposed topic is interesting, the format of the event does not meet the requirements of FEBS Workshops: the event is too short, provides no possibilities for student-lecturer interactions and includes no clear training elements. The Committee also stated that the list of invited speakers was not sufficiently international. It was also mentioned that the planned publication costs of the workshop materials were too high. For these reasons, but mostly due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application remained under the evaluation threshold and was not approved. 3
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Title Decoding non-coding RNAs in development and cancer Submission Number WS14-003 Date 2014/10/12 2014/10/15 Place Palazzo dei Congressi Capri (Napoli) IT Registration deadline 2014/07/15 Responsible organizer Sandro De Falco Institute of Genetics and Biop, CNR Via Pietro Castellino, 111 Napoli (IT), 80131 phone: +39/081/6132354 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Workshop entitled “Decoding non-coding RNAs in development and cancer” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of WS14-003: Basic funding from FEBS: 20 000 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 5 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Jaak Järv, Tartu, Estonia, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic of the workshop and spotlighted the list of invited speakers. The all-inclusive registration fee 500 € was approved for students. It was emphasized that this grant will not be awarded if the organizers decide to use the pending grant from EMBO.
Title Single Cell Genomics and Epigenomics Submission Number WS14-001 Date 2013/03/01 -2013/03/03 Place Lopatie Enter, Rehovot, Israel Registration deadline 2013/07/30 Responsible organizer Ido Amit Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science Rehovot (IL), 76100 phone: 972-8-9343338; fax: 972-8-9344141 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Workshop entitled “Single Cell Genomics and Epigenomics” was discussed by the
FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved. 4
The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee is considering applications for the events taking place in the Page
next year. However, this event is planned for 2013, and therefore the application is not eligible for evaluation. Further, the format of the event is not in line with the format of FEBS Workshops, as the number of planned participants is very high. Please consider these aspects while submitting your next application.
Title European Bioenergetics Conference EBEC2014 Submission Number SM14-020 Date 2014/07/12 2014/07/17 Place Faculdade de Ciências, Uni Lisboa Campo Grande Ed C5, 1749-016 Lisboa Lisbon PT Registration deadline 2014/03/31 Responsible organizer Manuela Pereira , Universidade Nova de Lisboa Av da Republica Oeiras Portugal (PT), 2750-157 phone: +3514469321 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Special Meeting entitled “European Bioenergetics Conference EBEC2014” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved.
The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee recognized importance of the topic, but stated that FEBS cannot sponsor scientific meetings of other societies without having preliminary agreement with the appropriate European Society about organizing joint courses and meetings. It was also mentioned that this agreement or letter of intent can be signed keeping in mind the possibility of organizing future events, and the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee will appreciate information about this option.
Title FEBS-ABC2014 – ABC Proteins: From Multidrug Resistance to Genetic Disease Submission Number SM14-015 Date 2014/03/08 2014/03/14 Place Hotel Grauer Bär**** A-5020 Innsbruck AT Registration deadline 2013/12/15 Responsible organizer Karl Kuchler Department of Medical Biochemi, Medical University of Vienna Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9/2 Vienna (AT), 1030 phone: +43/1/4277 61807 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Special Meeting entitled “FEBS-ABC2014 – ABC Proteins: From Multidrug
Resistance to Genetic Disease” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions. 5
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The following support will be available to the organizer of SM14-015: Basic funding from FEBS: 32 700 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Damjana Rozman, Ljubljana, Slovenia, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic and the list of invited speakers and accepted the all-inclusive registration fee up to 800 €. However, the Committee did not agree with the entry (g) OTHER EXPENSES of the Budget Table and also with the printing costs of the Abstract book. Therefore the grant was reduced. The Committee also recommended modifying the title, using perhaps “FEBS Special Meeting ABC2014: ABC Proteins from Multidrug Resistance to Genetic Disease”.
Title FEBS Practical and Lecture Course: Ligand-binding theory and practice Submission Number PLC14-010 Date 2014/06/29 2014/07/06 Place Academy and University Center Nove Hrady CZ Registration deadline 2014/03/01 Responsible organizer Rudiger H. Ettrich Academy of Sciences of the Czech Rep. Zamek 136 Nove Hrady (Cze), 37333 phone: 420608522558 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Practical and Lecture Course “Ligand-binding theory and practice” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of PLC14-010: Basic funding from FEBS: 15 000 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 4 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Dr Ivana Kuta-Smatanova, Nove Hrady, Czech Republic, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic of the practical and 6
lecture course, and approved the all-inclusive registration fee 405 €. It was requested that the last Page
item of entry (e) of the Budget Table (other) should be specified. It was also suggested that the basic grant could be transferred to the organizer in local currency, to reduce bank fees.
Title Fundamentals of Modern Methods of Biocrystallography – Biocrys 2014 Submission Number PLC14-008 Date 2014/09/20 2014/09/27 Place ITQB Oeiras PT Registration deadline 2014/07/15 Responsible organizer Maria Carrondo Macromolecular Crystallograph, ITQB Republica Av Oeiras (PT), 2780-157 phone: 351 21 4469658 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Practical and Lecture Course “Fundamentals of Modern Methods of Biocrystallography – Biocrys 2014” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of PLC14-008: Basic funding from FEBS: 13 000 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 4 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Dr Ivana Kuta-Smatanova, Nove Hrady, Czech Republic, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic of the practical and lecture course, and approved the all-inclusive registration fee 650 €. However, it was requested that: The organizer should specify the content of the practical part of the course: which problems will be solved, which methods will be used and which tasks should be achieved at the end of the course, The title of the course should be changed, as the course is not focused on bio-crystallization and the present version is misleading. It should be stressed that the course is dealing with analysis and processing of the x-ray data. This issue should be stressed also in the course synopsis, as this text will be published on FEBS website. Also, please specify the software used, as this information will be important for students who are planning to attend. Please specify conditions and needs of the equipment rental, as costs are high. These conditions should to be explained in detail. The Committee did not accept the costs of advertising and website, as much of this work will be done by the FEBS web-site. Therefore the basic grant was reduced. Finally, the Committee recommended that possibility of integration of this course with bio-crystallization course, organized 7
by Dr. Kuta-Smatanova, should be considered in coming years. Page
Title In silico approaches to humanized antibodies Submission Number PLC14-002 Date 2014/03/24 2014/03/28 Place Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy Athens, 11527 GR Registration deadline 2013/12/10 Responsible organizer Sophia Kossida Bioinformatics & Medical Infor, Biomedical Research Foundation Soranou Efesiou 4 Athens (GR), 11527 phone: +30/210/65 97 199 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for practical and lecture course entitled “In silico approaches to humanized antibodies” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved.
The Committee stated that the topic is narrow and cannot be attractive for larger community of life scientists. The idea of guessing binding site structure is rather old; however it may still have importance from the point of drug design. Therefore direct contribution of pharmaceutical industry can be expected. However, no support was obtained from this side. For these reasons, but mostly due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application remained under the evaluation threshold and was not approved.
Title HBV core antigen VLPs: production, purification and analysis Submission Number PC14-021 Date 2014/04/21 2014/04/25 Place Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Ce Riga LV Registration deadline 2014/04/01 Responsible organizer Davids Fridmanis Ratsupites 1 Riga (LV), LV-1067 phone: +371 67808200 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS practical course entitled “HBV core antigen VLPs: production, purification and analysis” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved.
The Committee stated that the proposed topic is narrow and cannot be attractive for larger community of life scientists. The number of students is only 12 and this figure is smaller than the number of involved tutors. Therefore the course is very inefficient and expensive. It was also mentioned that tutors involved were mostly local scientists that is not in agreement with the basic idea of organizing FEBS courses. For these reasons, but mostly due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application remained under the evaluation threshold and was not approved. 8
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Title Microspectroscopy: Functional Imaging of Biological Systems Submission Number PC14-011 Date 2014/09/02 2014/09/11 Place Hotel Erica Molenbosweg 17 Berg en Dal NL Registration deadline 2014/06/01 Responsible organizer Jan Willem Borst Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University Dreijenlaan 3 Wageningen (NL), 6703 HA phone: +31/317/483724 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Practical Course “Microspectroscopy: Functional Imaging of Biological Systems” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of PC14-011: Basic funding from FEBS: 13 000 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 2 500 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof Patrick Van Dijck, Leuven, Belgium. E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic of the practical and lecture course, and approved the all-inclusive registration fee 1250 €. However, it was mentioned that the rather high cost of printing course brochures for 20 students cannot be supported, even indirectly by allocating funds of registration fee. Further, it was also emphasized that payment of the rental costs for lecture rooms in University cannot be supported by FEBS. Therefore the basic grant was reduced. The Committee also stated that conditions and needs of the equipment rental should be specified for this course, and possibilities for lowering rental costs of facilities and equipment should be discussed with the University in future, as FEBS is a charity organization supporting education. As another option, these expenses should be covered by external sponsors or companies during the future events.
Title Advanced Methods in Macromolecular Crystallization VI Submission Number PC14-005 Date 2014/06/20 2014/06/27 Place Academic & University Center Nove Hrady Zamek 136 Nove Hrady CZ Registration deadline 2014/03/31 Responsible organizer Ivana Kuta Smatanova School of Complex Systems FFPW, University of South Bohemia Ce Zamek 136 9
Nove Hrady (CZ), 37333 Page
phone: +420/608/106 109 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Practical Course “Advanced Methods in Macromolecular Crystallization VI” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The following support will be available to the organizer of PC14-005: Basic funding from FEBS: 14 960 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 2 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof Jaak Jarv, Tartu, Estonia. E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic of the practical and lecture course, and approved the all-inclusive registration fee 395 €. However, it was mentioned that the rather high cost of printing course brochures for 20 students cannot be supported, even indirectly by allocating funds of the registration fee. Further, it was also emphasized that payment of the rental costs for lecture rooms in University cannot be supported by FEBS. Therefore the basic grant was reduced. The Committee also stated that conditions and needs of the equipment rental should be specified for this course, and possibilities for lowering rental costs of facilities and equipment should be discussed with the owner in future, as FEBS is a charity organization supporting education. As another option, these expenses should be covered by external sponsors or companies during the future events. It was also suggested that the basic grant could be transferred to the organizer in local currency, to reduce bank fees.
Title Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Course on A Systems-Level View of Cytoskeletal Function: The 28th European Cytoskeletal Forum (ECF) Meeting Submission Number EFLC14-016 Date 2014/10/27 2014/10/30 Place Hotel Leonardo Boutique Rehovot IL Registration deadline 2014/05/15 Responsible organizer Benjamin Geiger Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science 234 Herzl Street Rehovot (IL), 76100 phone: +972 8 934 3910 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Joint FEBS-EMBO Lecture Course entitled “A Systems-Level View of Cytoskeletal Function: The 28th European Cytoskeletal Forum (ECF) Meeting” was discussed by the FEBS 10
Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved by FEBS. This decision will be Page
announced after receiving opinion of the EMBO Courses Committee.
The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee stated that following the submitted proposal this event is not a lecture course, but is planned as a scientific meeting. Therefore FEBS cannot support this event within the framework of the FEBS-EMBO cooperation scheme. Further, the major part of the planned FEBS-EMBO basic grant will be used for rentals and administrative costs (entries d, e, f, and g in the Budget Table), and this distribution of the grant money cannot be supported by FEBS. Finally, the title of the event emphasizes that the event is ECF Meeting, but not a FEBS-EMBO Joint Lecture Course that is not acceptable for FEBS. For these reasons, and also due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application remained under the evaluation threshold and was not approved.
Title FEBS/EMBO Lecture Course on Nuclear Proteomics Submission Number EFLC14-012 Date 2014/05/18 2014/05/23 Place Conference Center Neptune Hotel Mastihari GR-85302, Kos GR Registration deadline 2014/04/21 Responsible organizer Axel Imhof Biomedical Center , Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich Schillerstr. 44 Munich (DE), 80336 phone: +49 175 6202337 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Joint FEBS-EMBO Lecture Course entitled “Lecture Course on Nuclear Proteomics” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with conditions.
The final decision about this Joint FEBS-EMBO Lecture Course will be made after the opinion of the EMBO Courses Committee will be received.
In the case of positive EMBO decision the following support will be available to the organizer of EFLC14-012: Basic funding from FEBS: 17 800 € Basic funding from EMBO: 17 800 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in total amount of 2 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof Steffen Rupp, Stuttgart, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer adheres to the conditions mentioned by FEBS and EMBO and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge, to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]), and to the EMBO Courses & Workshops Programme Manager ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than September 15, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations
The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and the EMBO Course Committee raised no critical issues 11
about the content and the course calendar of this event. Regarding the proposed budget, the local Page
transport costs of all participants cannot be supported by the basic grant and therefore the overall basic grant was reduced by 1350 €. Moreover, please check the calculation of the all-inclusive fee, as the figure presented in the budget table (300 €) does not match with the figure 546 € mentioned in the cover page.
Title The Infected Cell Submission Number EFLC14-009 Date 2014/05/04 2014/05/08 Place Schloss Hernstein Hernstein AT Registration deadline 2014/03/15 Responsible organizer Graham Warren Department for Molecular Biolo, Max F. Perutz Laboratories Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9 Vienna A (AT), 1030 phone: 0043-1-4277-24001 E-mail [email protected] Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Joint FEBS-EMBO Lecture Course entitled “The Infected Cell” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as not approved by FEBS. This decision will be announced after receiving the opinion of the EMBO Courses Committee.
The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee stated that the topic of the course is interesting, but following the submitted proposal this event has minimal educational and training elements and is mostly a scientific mini-meeting. Therefore FEBS cannot support this event within the framework of the FEBS-EMBO cooperation scheme. Further, a major part of the planned FEBS-EMBO basic grant will be used for covering of accommodation of participants that is not eligible. And finally, very large organizational expenses and cost for technical assistance is included into the budget of FEBS-EMBO grant that cannot be supported by FEBS. For these reasons, and also due to limited financial possibilities of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee, this application remained under the evaluation threshold and was not approved.
Title Biophysics of channels and transporters Submission Number EFLC14-006 Date 2014/05/11 2014/05/17 Place Ettore Majorana Centre Erice, Sicily IT Registration deadline 2014/03/01 Responsible organizer Frances Ashcroft University of Oxford, Parks Road Oxford (GB), OX33 1BX phone: +44/865/285810 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for Joint FEBS-EMBO Lecture Course entitled “Lecture Course on Nuclear Proteomics” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved with 12
conditions. The final decision about this Joint FEBS-EMBO Lecture Course will be made after the Page
opinion of the EMBO Courses Committee will be received.
In the case of positive EMBO decision the following support will be available to the organizer of EFLC14-006: Basic funding from FEBS: 18 150 € Basic funding from EMBO: 18 150 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in total amount of 2 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof Efstathios Gonos, Athens, Greece. E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer adheres to the conditions mentioned by FEBS and EMBO and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge, to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]), and to the EMBO Courses & Workshops Programme Manager ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than September 15, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and the EMBO Course Committee raised no critical issues about the content and the course calendar of this event. Regarding the proposed budget, the living costs of participants cannot be supported by the basic grant and therefore the overall basic grant was reduced by 3700 €. The all-inclusive registration fee 600 € was approved.
Title 360-degree Lysosome; from structure to genomics, from function to disease Submission Number ALC14-019 Date 2014/10/23 2014/10/27 Place Pine Bay Hotel Kusadasi Izmir TR Registration deadline 2014/06/15 Responsible organizer Eser Sozmen Faculty of Medicine, Ege University Dept. Of Medical Biochemistry Izmir (TR), 35100 phone: +90232 3904098 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Advanced Lecture Course “360-degree Lysosome; from structure to genomics, from function to disease” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as possible after resubmission.
For resubmission please e-mail the revised Application Form to the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than September 1, 2013. Please note that there is no option to upload the revised application to the FEBS web-site.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The application should be rewritten and presented by using the correct Application Form
for the FEBS Advanced Lecture Courses (currently the Workshop Form is used). 13
The program of the event should correspond to the format of the Advanced Lecture Page
Courses, including lectures, poster session(s) and sufficient time for discussion (seminars, workshops) to provide possibility for students to meet and speak with the invited lecturers. Evidently, 1 h poster session, as planned in the present program, is too short time for these contacts. We expect that the final program will be composed by the Program Committee consisting of several internationally recognized scientists, actively participating in organizing this event. We also expect to see some local scientists in the speakers list as an indication that this topic is well developed in the organizing country. Please note that the very high administrative part of the participation fee is not acceptable. Also, please reduce the administrative costs of the course. For example, the Abstract Book can be released in the digital form. In the case of approval of the resubmitted application the expected grant from FEBS could be up to 15 000 €.
Title Chemistry of Metals in Biological Systems Submission Number ALC14-018 Date 2014/05/11 2014/05/18 Place Ibis Styles hotel & meeting 14nter Louva Louvain la Neuve Louvain Registration deadline 2014/01/31 Responsible organizer Robert Crichton Laboratorie de Biochimie, Université Catholique de Louvain Bâtiment Lavoisier- Place Louis Pasteur 1 Louvain-la-Neuve – (BE), B-1348 phone: +32-10-42794 E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for FEBS Advanced Lecture Course “Chemistry of Metals in Biological Systems” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was placed in the reserve list. The final decision about approval of this course and conditions of financing will be announced in September 2013.
Title Advanced Proteomics Submission Number ALC14-004 Date 2014/08/03 2014/08/09 Place Bildungshaus Kloster Neustift I-39040 Varna IT Registration deadline 2014/05/15 Responsible organizer Bernhard Kuster Proteomics & Bioanalytics, Technische Universität München Emil Erlenmeyer Forum 5
Fresing (DE), 85354 phone: +49-8161-71-5697 E-mail [email protected] 14
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Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for the FEBS Advanced Lecture Course entitled “Advanced Proteomics” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved.
The following support will be available to the organizer of ALC14-004: Basic funding from FEBS: 24 900 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 4 000 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Steffen Rupp, Stuttgart, Germany, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer fully adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Specific Conditions and Recommendations The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee raised no critical issues about the topic and the list of invited speakers and accepted the all-inclusive registration fee 700 € for students.
Title Single biomolecules – from computation to experiments Submission Number JFBS14-023 Joint FEBS-BS Focused Meeting Date January or September 2014 Place University of Hertfordshire Registration deadline Responsible organizer Andreas Kukol, Liming Ying E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for the Joint FEBS –BS Focused Meeting entitled “Single biomolecules – from computation to experiments” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved.
The following support will be available to the organizer of this meeting: Basic funding from FEBS: 3 500 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 2 500 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Jaak Jarv, Tartu, Estonia, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
Title Membrane, Morphology and Function
Submission Number JFBS14-024 Joint FEBS-BS Focused Meeting
Date Later part of April/ May 2014, 3,5 days 15
Place Abruzzo - Italy Page
Registration deadline Responsible organizer Prof Banafshe Larijani E-mail [email protected]
Decision of the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee on April 27, 2013 The proposal for the Joint FEBS –BS Focused Meeting entitled “Membrane, Morphology and Function” was discussed by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee and was evaluated as approved.
The following support will be available to the organizer of this meeting: Basic funding from FEBS: 3 500 € FEBS Youth Travel Fund (YTF) Grants in amount of 2 500 €
The Member-in-Charge for this event will be Prof. Damjana Rozman, Ljubljana, Slovenia, E-mail: [email protected]
For allocation of these funds we expect that the organizer adheres to the conditions listed below and will confirm this by sending e-mails to the appointed Member-in-Charge and to the FEBS ACC Secretariat ([email protected]) ASAP, but not later than August 1, 2013.
16 Page Appendix 2
FEBS-EMBO agreement
Agreement
FEBS – The Federation of European Biochemical Societies & EMBO – The European Molecular Biology Organization
agree on an extension of their joint programme to support Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses in the areas of biochemistry/molecular biology and related disciplines, normally supported by programmes in both organizations. This extension will be effective until December 31, 2019. Both organizations agree on the following terms and conditions further detailed in guidelines announced by FEBS and EMBO on their websites and in other media.
1. The joint courses would be called Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses on all materials, websites and announcements provided by FEBS and would be called EMBO | FEBS Lecture Courses on all materials, websites and announcements provided by EMBO and organizers of these courses.
2. Attendance should not exceed a maximum of 120 participants, including speakers. The ratio of speakers to participants should be around 1:5.
3. Joint courses could be held in any country with a FEBS constituent or associated society, as well as in any EMBC Member State or EMBC Associate Member State.
4. Until further notice, submission of all applications would proceed through the FEBS online submission system. Until password-protected electronic access for EMBO is available, FEBS will forward the application documents for the Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses to the EMBO Courses & Workshops office on or before 1 March or 1 August, whichever is sooner.
5. Joint FEBS/EMBO applications would be independently reviewed by both FEBS and EMBO committees; quality of science, speakers and programme would be the only criterion for any funding decisions.
6. A common decision with recommendations and restrictions, if these will be applicable, should be formulated by the chairs of both committees after each committee has agreed on a short list of fundable applications.
Page 1 of 3
7. The number of Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses should be limited to up to five (5) per year with some degree of flexibility exercised at the discretion of the chairs of the FEBS and EMBO committees.
8. FEBS and EMBO provide equal support up to a maximum of 15,000 € from each organization.
9. In addition, FEBS will provide up to fifteen (15) Youth Travel Grants (YTFs) for students/postdocs attending the course. FEBS rules will apply for YTFs.
10. In addition, EMBO offers to support an EMBO Keynote Lecture, an EMBO Young Investigator Lecture, a Science & Society Lecture and a Women in Science Lecture to each course. Here, EMBO rules will be applicable for organizers.
11. Furthermore, EMBO offers to assist the organizers of Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses with websites, posters and online application/registration.
12. FEBS and EMBO agree on common application and reporting forms for the FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses, using scientific, financial, statistics as well as evaluation questionnaires on the FEBS website. Applications and Reports will have to be uploaded on the FEBS website and EMBO will get access to these documents.
13. EMBO agrees to transfer 90 % of its share of the allocated budget to FEBS at least six months prior to the start date of the course, and the remaining 10 % after submission of course reports.
14. FEBS agrees to pay 90 % of the allocated budget for joint courses at least six months before the actual date of the course, and the remaining 10 % after submission of course reports.
15. Financial reports require an original signature and a hard copy of this form should be mailed by the responsible organizer to the FEBS Treasurer in addition to online uploading on FEBS home-page.
16. Following approval of the financial report the surplus funds, if there are any, will be returned by FEBS to EMBO in proportion to FEBS and EMBO total contributions.
17. New applications for Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses by the same organizer shall require prior approval of all financial and scientific reports by both FEBS Advanced Course Committee and EMBO Courses & Workshops Programme.
18. FEBS & EMBO shall announce this joint programme on all their relevant posters and on their websites.
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19. FEBS & EMBO state that other support instruments such as Workshops, Practical Courses, FEBS Special Meetings, and the EMBO Conference Series will be excluded from this agreement.
20. Either FEBS or EMBO may propose amendments or modifications to this agreement at any time, and they will become effective upon mutual agreement.
21. This agreement is an extension of the previous Agreement about Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture Courses and will remain valid until December 31, 2019. The Agreement may be extended for next five year period through written statement of both Organizations to do so, made at least one year in advance of the expiry date of the present agreement.
Signed and agreed upon by officials on behalf of both institutions:
From FEBS From EMBO Prof. Israel Pecht Prof. Maria Leptin Secretary General Director
Signature Place and Date Signature Place and Date Prof. Beáta G. Vértessy Prof. Frank Uhlmann Advanced Courses Committee, Chair Course Committee, Chair
Signature Place and Date Signature Place and Date Prof. Alan Fersht Dr. Anne-Marie Glynn Treasurer Courses and Workshops, Programme Manager
Signature Place and Date Signature Place and Date
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Appendix 3
FEBS Advanced Courses Poster 2014
Advanced Courses FEBS Programme 2014
FEBS Advanced Lecture Courses FEBS Practical Courses Joint FEBS/Biochemical ADVANCED PROTEOMICS ADVANCED METHODS IN MACROMOLECULAR Society Focused Meetings Varna, Italy, August 3 – 9, 2014 CRYSTALLIZATION VI Organizer: Dr. Bernhard Kuster Nove Hrady, Czech Republic, June 20 – 27, 2014 MEMBRANE, MORPHOLOGY AND FUNCTION E-mail: [email protected] Organizers: Dr. Ivana Kuta-Smatanova, Fara San Martino, Italy, May 5 – 8, 2014 Deadline for application: May 15, 2014 Dr. Pavlina Řezáčová and Organizer: Banafshe Larijani Dr. Juan Manuel Garcia-Ruiz E-mail: [email protected] Deadlines for application: abstracts March 4, 2014; 360° LYSOSOME: FROM STRUCTURE E-mail: [email protected] other April 7, 2014. TO GENOMICS, FROM FUNCTION TO DISEASE Deadline for application: March 31, 2014 Izmir, Turkey, October 23 – 28, 2014 SINGLE BIOMOLECULES – Organizer: Dr. Eser Sozmen MICROSPECTROSCOPY: FUNCTIONAL IN SILICO, IN VITRO AND IN VIVO E-mail: [email protected] IMAGING OF BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS Deadline for application: June 20, 2014 Wageningen, The Netherlands, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, September 2 – 11, 2014 September 11 – 13, 2014 Organizer: Dr. Jan Willem Borst Organizer: Andreas Kukol and Liming Ying FEBS Practical Website: www.microspectroscopy-course.eu E-mail: [email protected] Deadline for application: June 1, 2014 Deadlines for application: abstracts July 10, 2014; and Lecture Courses other August 11, 2014. LIGAND-BINDING THEORY AND PRACTICE Nove Hrady, Czech Republic, June 29 – July 6, 2014 FEBS Workshops Organizers: Dr. Rudiger Ettrich, Joint FEBS/EMBO BIOLOGY OF RNA IN HOST–PATHOGEN Dr. Jannette Carey and Dr. Wei-Feng Xue INTERACTIONS Lecture Courses E-mail: [email protected] Tenerife, Spain, January 26 – 29, 2014 Deadline for application: March 1, 2014 BIOPHYSICS OF CHANNELS Organizers: Dr. Francisco Garcia-del Portillo AND TRANSPORTERS and Dr. Cecilia Arraiano FUNDAMENTALS OF MODERN METHODS OF Erice (Sicily), Italy, May 11 – 17, 2014 Website: bioinfogp.cnb.csic.es/ Organizer: Dr. Frances Ashcroft BIOCRYSTALLOGRAPHY – BIOCRYS2014 RNA_host_pathogen_2014/ Oeiras, Portugal, September 20 – 27, 2014 Website: channels.ge.ibf.cnr.it Deadline for applications: December 16, 2013 Organizers: Dr. Maria Arménia Carrondo Deadline for application: January 20, 2014 and Dr. Thomas Schneider LIPIDS AS MOLECULAR SWITCHES FEBS/EMBO LECTURE COURSE Website: biocrys2014.itqb.unl.pt Spetses, Greece, August 25 – 30, 2014 Deadline for application: July 15, 2014 ON NUCLEAR PROTEOMICS Organizer: Dr. Bernd Helms Kos Island, Greece, May 18 – 23, 2014 Website: www.febs-lipids.org Organizer: Dr. Axel Imhof Deadline for application: June 1, 2014 Website: www.nuclearproteomics.org Deadlines for application: YTFs, DECODING NON-CODING RNAS February 28, 2014; general registration IN DEVELOPMENT AND CANCER and abstract submission, March 23, 2014 Capri (Napoli), Italy, October 12 – 15, 2014 Organizer: Dr. Sandro De Falco E-mail: [email protected] Deadlines for application: YTFs June 15, 2014; Participation of young scientists and PhD students in most of other July 15, 2014 these events can be supported by FEBS Youth Travel Fund grants. Applications for these awards should be addressed directly to the Organizers of these events. Further information about the FEBS Special Meetings Advanced Courses Programme can be found on the FEBS website: ABC PROTEINS: FROM MULTIDRUG www.febs.org RESISTANCE TO GENETIC DISEASE Innsbruck, Austria, March 8 – 14, 2014 E-mail: [email protected] Organizer: Dr. Karl Kuchler Website: www.febs-abc2014.org DeadlineDeadli for application: December 15, 2013 INTERESTED IN ORGANIZING A COURSE IN 2016? PLEASE CONSULT THE FEBS WEBPAGE (WWW.FEBS.ORG) ) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: MARCH 1, 2015. Advanced Courses and YTF funds 2013
Submission Location Travel Awards Surplus Basic grant Reg Fees Total Course Number (no. of days) No. Total Mean YTF Returned
Adanced Lecture Courses ALC13-07 Spetses, GR (6) € 32,000 8 € 5,303 € 663 € 3,040 € 40,343 ALC13-16 La Colle-sur-Lou, FR (7) € 32,000 10 € 2,639 € 264 € 7,000 € 41,639 ALC13-30 Rabac, HR (6) € 25,000 9 € 3,101 € 345 € 4,950 € 33,051 ALC13-23 Patras, Kos, GR (6) € 28,000 7 € 3,246 € 464 € 3,500 € 34,746 ALC13-02 Spetses, GR (9) € 30,000 8 € 3,818 € 477 € 4,800 € 38,618 ALC13-25 London, UK (4) € 26,000 € 26,000
Joint FEBS UK Biochemical Society Courses FEBS/BS Cambridge, UK € - 1 € 481 € 481 € 564 € 1,045
Joint FEBS - EMBO Courses EFLC13-06 Cargese, FR (10) € 18,650 8 € 3,673 € 459 € 5,600 € 1,264 € 26,659 EFLC13-10 Spetses, GR (8) € 20,000 8 € 3,058 € 382 € 4,000 € 544 € 26,514 EFLC13-24 Spetses, GR (11) € 20,000 8 € 3,074 € 384 € 6,800 € 284 € 29,590
Practical Courses PC13-03 Jena, DE (14) € 28,000 9 € 2,282 € 254 € 11,205 € 1,834 € 39,653 PC13-36 Gothenburg, SE (18) € 19,000 € 19,000
Workshops WS13-04 Capri, IT (4) € 25,000 5 € 2,000 € 400 € 2,100 € 29,100 WS13-14 Smolenice, SK (5) € 25,000 3 € 1,048 € 349 € 1,005 € 673 € 26,380 WS13-40 Sant Feliu de Guixols, ES (6) € 11,000 5 € 2,001 € 400 € 3,000 € 16,001
Special Meetings SM13-01 Nottingham, UK (4) € 50,000 € 50,000 SM13-44 Ghent, BE (4) € 20,000 € 20,000
€ 409,650 89 € 35,724 € 57,564 € 4,599 € 498,339
Final Report
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 MECHANISMS IN BIOLOGY St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013 St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Contents Organizing Committee and PCO 2 Number of participants 7 Fellowships awarded to young scientists 8 Russian visa support 12 Number of speakers 13 Overview of scientific program 14 Abstracts received and Poster session overview 20 Registration fee 23 Financial report 24 YSF Forum 28 Social program 31 Exhibition / satellite symposia / exhibitors workshops 34 Congress venue 39 Visibility of the event in media - public relation 40
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Organizing Committee and PCO, Administrative Bodies The 38th FEBS Congress, held from 6th to 11th July 2013 in St Petersburg, Russia, was organized by representatives of the Russian Biochemical Society. FEBS congresses usually attract the attention of the government bodies of the host countries. City mayors and ministers deliver addresses at opening ceremonies. The organizing committees are always concerned with this public imagerelated section. The 38th Congress was no exception. It was historically important to mention the role of the Skolkovo Foundation in the initiation of government solutions associated with the Congress. Viktor Vekselberg, on behalf of the Skolkovo Foundation, had addressed a request to support the initiative of the Russian Biochemical Society to hold the Congress in St. Petersburg to the Russian Federation government. St. Petersburg was chosen as the FEBS Congress venue for 2013. Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian Prime Minister, had signed an Order of the RF Government specifying which spheres certain ministries and agencies were to be in charge of during preparations for the Congress. Dmitry Livanov, Minister of Education and Science of Russia, was appointed National Honorary Chairman. The main organizer and coordinator of all Congress related efforts were representatives of the Russian Biochemical Society headed by Professor Alexander Gabibov. The Chairman and Secretary of the International Advisory Committee of the Congress: Nobel Laureate Richard Roberts and Professor Michael Blackburn made an invaluable contribution to attract internationally renowned scientists, including 11 Nobel Laureates as lecturers and speakers. The role of Nobel Prize Winner Roger Kornberg was also significant. The Chairman and Secretary of the Program Committee: Professor Sergey Kochetkov and Marina Tretyak contributed greatly to make the program a reality. The role of the Congress secretary, Vera Knorre, was also 2 invaluable. The abstracts of the participants were prepared by Congress Coordinator Alexandra Rogalskaya. The companies “Legal Forum” headed by Olga Motenko and “Lumier Group” headed by Ekaterina Ivanova successfully performed delegate management and organizational events, while the Lenexpo exhibition center headed by Sergey Voronkov mounted the pavilions.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
The primary sponsor of the Congress, the “Farmsintez” company, and its president Dmitry Genkin provided financial support and technical staff to prepare and host the Congress. One of the leading financial specialists at the company, Igor Volodin, was the financial director of the Congress. The Park Media company (and personally Alexander Gordeev and Konstantin Kiselev, who assumed the burden of registering participants and supporting on the Congress website) made an invaluable contribution from the earliest days until the final minutes of the Congress organization process. The Ministry of Education and Science and its staff contributed greatly at different stages of the preparation process. Then-Deputy Minister Igor Fedyukin and current Deputy Minister Alexander Povalko, who quickly joined the preparation process, rendered invaluable assistance. A lot was done by Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Ugrinovich, Deputy Director Alexander Sumbatyan, and ministry staff Vladimir Arbuzov and Albert Garmash. The chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Science-Intensive Technologies, Professor Valery Chereshnev, made a fundamental contribution to the solution of critical problems. Lyudmila Ogorodova (who was the deputy chairperson of the Committee at the time and is currently a deputy minister of the Ministry of Education and Science) also contributed to the solution of a number of problems associated with preparations for the Congress. At the Russian Academy of Sciences, the burden of responsibility for the Congress rested on Vice President of the RAS, Professor Anatoly Grigoryev, who signed dozens of letters to ministries and agencies and solved a number of fundamental problems for the Congress. The administration of the St. Petersburg Research Center of the RAS, the St. Petersburg Academic University, and Professor Zhores Alferov helped with successful resolution of numerous organizational problems for the Congress. 3 The Young Scientists Forum would not have been possible without the active contribution of the First Pro-rector for research of the St. Petersburg Academic University, corresponding member of the RAS Mikhail Dubina. Invaluable assistance was provided by the administration of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University (the chancellor, corresponding member of the RAS Andrey Rudskoy, prorectors Dmitry Raichuk and Alexander Rechinsky). Participants of the Young Scientists Forum were accommodated in the campus of the St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University under the assistance of Viktor Ignatenko. The Head of the Committee of Science and Higher Education at the St. Petersburg Administration, Andrey Maksimov, and his deputy, Irina Ganus, played a significant role at all the stages of preparations for the Congress. So did the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (and its chairman, Professor Vladislav Panchenko). The Foundation rendered an unprecedented support to the Congress, while Vladislav Panchenko participated in the opening ceremony and headed the session devoted to collaboration between the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (EMBL–RFBR). The member of the Skolkovo Foundation Council Mikhail Kovalchuk also rendered invaluable assistance at the initial stage.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
National Honorary Committee Dmitry Livanov Chair Minister of Education and Science of Russia Igor Fedyukin Deputy Chair Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Russia Dmitry Oveshnikov Secretary Coordinator, Ministry of Education and Science of Russia
Members Alexander Gabibov Head of the Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Genkin Chair, Director Counsel of Joint-Stock Company “Farmsintez” Anatoly Griroriev Vice-President, Russian Academy of Sciences Vadim Ivanov Member, Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russia Andrey Ivashchenko Chair, Director Counsel of the Noncommercial Partnership “Center of High Technologies HimRar, Russia” Oleg Kiselev Director, National Institute of Influenza, Russia Michail Kovalchuk Director, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Komolov Skolkovo Foundation, Russia Sergey Kochetkov Head of the Laboratory, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences 4 Andrey Maximov Chair, Committee for Science and Education, Government of St. Petersburg Alexander Makarov Director, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russia Nikolay Nikolsky Director, Institute of Cytology, Russia Oleg Salagai Deputy Director, Department of Innovation Policy and Science, Ministry of Health, Russia Sergey Salikhov Head, Department for Development and priority Trends in Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Vladimir Skulachev Director, Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Russia Alexander Pavlushko Senior Counselor, Consulate Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russia Eugeny Ugrinovich Director, International Department, Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Oleg Khotun Governmental Representative Sergey Tsyb Director, Department of Chemical Technology and Bioengineering Technology, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Russia
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
International Advisory Committee Richard Roberts, Nobel Laureate Chair USA Michael Blackburn, Secretary General UK Members Zhores Alferov, Nobel Laureate Russia Sidney Altman, Nobel Laureate Canada, USA Ruth Arnon Israel Angelo Azzi IUBMB Past-President USA Jean Francois Bach France Alexey Bogdanov Russia Ernesto Carafoli Italy Valery Chereshnev Chair, Committee for Science and Education, Russian Parliament Russia Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel Laureate Israel Alexander Gabibov, President, Host Society Russia Georgy Georgiev Russia Jules Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate France Robert Huber, Nobel Laureate Germany Ferdinand Hucho Germany Jaak Jarv Estonia Dmitry Knorre Russia Sergey Komissarenko Ukraine Roger D. Kornberg, Nobel Laureate USA Jean-Marie Lehn, Nobel Laureate France 5 Iain Mattaj EMBL Director UK Anatoly Miroshnikov Russia Michael Ostrovsky Russia Vladislav Panchenko Chair, Russian Foundation for Basic Research Russia Sergio Papa FEBS Chair Italy Israel Pecht FEBS Secretary General Israel Gregory Petchko IUBMB President USA Miguel De la Rosa FEBS Deputy Chair Spain Michael Sela Israel Adam Szewczyk FEBS Counselor Poland Jack W. Szostak, Nobel Laureate USA Valentin Vlassov Russia John E. Walker, Nobel Laureate UK Kurt Wüthrich, Nobel Laureate Switzerland, USA Ada E. Yonath, Nobel Laureate Israel Michael Ugryumov Russia Tomas Zima Czech Republic
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Program Committee Sergey Kochetkov Chair Russia Vladimir Tishkov Deputy Chair Russia Marina Tretyak Secretary Russia Members Yves Agid France Olga Lavrik Russia Gül Güner Akdogan Turkey Boris Margulis Russia Qais Al-Awqati USA Patrick Masson France Alexander Arseniev Russia Natalia Mikhailova Russia Jan Balzarini Belgium Andrea Mozzarelli Italy Wendy Bickmore UK Leon Mullenders The Netherlands Clare Blackburn UK Gabriele Multhoff Germany Nicolai Bovin Russia Alan North UK Robert Casero USA Lyudmila Ogorodova Russia Cyrus Chothia UK Tatiana Ovchinnikova Russia Tatyana Demidkina Russia Monica Palcic Denmark Sergey Deyev Russia Alexander Petrenko Russia Olga Dontsova Russia Andreas Plűckthun Switzerland Alexey Egorov Russia Vladimir Popov Russia Dominique Eladari France Sergey Razin Russia Olga Fedorova Russia Joseph Shlessinger USA Alexeii Finkelstein Russia Konstantin Skryabin Russia Michail Gelfand Russia Ludvig M. Sollid Norway 6 Igor Goryanin Russia Valentin Stonik Russia Boris Gottikh Russia Vytas Svyadas Russia Vadim Govorun Russia Daniel Thomas France Alexander Grechkin Russia Alexey Tomilin Russia Eugene Grishin Russia Elias Toubi Israel Elizabeth Gromova Russia Victor Tsetlin Russia Elena Kaznacheyeva Russia Sergey Varfolomeev Russia Alexey Khomutov Russia Jacques-Henry Weil France Judith Klinman USA Eric Westhoff France Vera Knorre Russia Alfred Wittinghofer Germany Karl-Wilhelm Koch Germany Heather Wallace UK Oleg Krishtal Ukraine Moncef Zouali France Local Committee Maria Agalarova Secretary, Russian Biochemical Society Russia Ninel Barinova IT Coordinator Russia Olga Motenko Director, SPb Legal Forum Russia Eugenia Pustovalova IT Coordinator Russia Alla Rogalskaya General Coordinator Russia Olga Shishenina Lenexpo Coordinator Russia Antonina Shuvalova Exhibition Manager Russia Ilya Tsoluadze Head, Production and Subcontractors Relations Division Russia Igor Volodin Financial Department Russia Sergey Voronkov Lenexpo Director Russia
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Number of Participants Today, the participation of thousands of people at the same time (a sort of scientific “flash mobs”) requires an enormous organizing effort to create a special scientific atmosphere that would be interesting for several generations of researchers, from undergraduate and graduate students to the greatest scientists on the apex of their career. Despite the economic problems in Europe, the FEBS brand called together large audiences: Prague, 2009 (1,900 delegates), Gothenburg, 2010 (1,600 participants), Turin, 2011 (1,850 people), Seville 2012 (2,000 people). We just could not lower the bar. There were more than 2,400 people present at the Congress in St. Petersburg; as we can see this is a record for the recent years (Table 1).
Russia 864 Serbia 19 Turkey 151 China 17 Poland 115 Armenia 16 Italy 112 Sweden 16 USA 111 Canada 15 Germany 107 Finland 15 UK 95 Brazil 14 Czech Republic 84 Kazakhstan 13 France 83 Lithuania 13 Spain 73 Chile 12 Korea 53 Belarus 11 Ukraine 52 Latvia 10 7 Portugal 46 Norway 8 Japan 31 Estonia 7 Israel 29 Australia 6 Greece 27 Belgium 6 Netherlands 27 Slovenia 5 Romania 26 Thailand 6 Croatia 23 India 5 Hungary 23 Mexico 5 Taiwan 23 Bulgaria 4 Slovakia 22 South Africa 4 Switzerland 22 Kuwait 2 Austria 19 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 Total 2448 Table 1. National distribution of the 38th FEBS Congress participants.
As the host country, Russia was represented by over 850 attendees. Other well-represented countries included Turkey, Poland, Italy, USA, Germany, UK, Czech Republic, France, Spain, Korea, Ukraine, Portugal, Japan, Israel, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Croatia, China, Hungary, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Serbia, Sweden, Canada, and Finland. In total, delegates from almost 50 countries attended. Some statistical data on categories of registered participants and gender distribution is shown in tables 2 and 3.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Table 2. Categories of registered participants.
8
Table 3. Congress participants gender distribution.
Fellowships Awarded to Young Scientists at the 38th FEBS Congress FEBS has done a lot to support young scientists and to encourage them to come to St Petersburg. First, the main Congress was preceded by the Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF). 117 travel grants were awarded to talented young researches to enable them to attend not only the YSF but the main Congress as well. Second, 265 young European scientists were awarded FEBS Bursaries this year that covered registration fee and hotel accommodation. Due to FEBS rules, domestic audience is not eligible for FEBS Bursaries. To support Russian young scientists, 198 grants were allocated by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Together with 529 scientists under 35 years of age who paid registration fee by their own at young scientists’ rate (50% off the regular fee), the number of young researcher who attended the event was 1 109. We consider it a real success and hope that the 38th FEBS Congress was useful for young people. Some statistical data on categories of young scientists and their national distribution are shown in tables 4–8.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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9
Table 4. Young Scientists: Country Distribution at 38th FEBS Congress.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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499
88 69 65 51 47 39 37 35
25 22 19 18 16 15 12 12 11 10 10 9
Italy
Spain
Other
Serbia
Russia
France
Turkey
Poland
Austria
Greece
Croatia
Belarus
Ukraine
England
Slovenia
Hungary
Portugal
Armenia
Romania
Germany CzechRepublic
Table 5. Young Scientists representation at the 38th FEBS Congress – country distribution (n=1109). 10
33 35 30 29 30 26 23 25 21 20 13 15 12 12 9 9 8 8 7 7 10 5 5 5 2 5 1 0 0
Table 6. FEBS Bursaries awarded at the 38th FEBS Congerss – country distribution (n=252).
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St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
20 19 18 16 15 14 12 11 10 8 8 8 6 6 5 5 5 5 6 4 3 3 3 3 4 2 2 2 2 1 1 0
Table 7. 13th YSF – country distribution (n=117)
300 282 11 250
200
150
100 69
50 35 33 32 14 12 12 10 8 6 6 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 1
0
Italy
Spain
Other
Serbia
Russia
France
Turkey
Poland
Austria
Greece
Croatia
Belarus
Ukraine
England
Hungary
Portugal
Clovenia
Romania
Germany CzechRebublic
Table 8. Young scientists who paid reduced registration fee by their own – country distribution (n=538).
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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Visa Support for Congress participants and guests The most problematic issue was the one associated with getting visas for foreign participants. We were aware of the fact that the issue of borders for most Europeans and young people in particular has fell into oblivion. Actually, the FEBS management insisted on a visa-free regime for the participants. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Education and Science came up with the most optimal alternative for issuing free-of-charge visas using telex confirmation (this method worked almost without glitches). Now we can state with assurance that everyone who wanted to visit the Congress managed to do so. We would like to make special mention of the excellent work of Senior Advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Pavlushko, consuls and advisors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denis Klyukin (Washington), Andrey Ignatov (Strasburg), Alexander Bessarabov (Paris), Konstantin Dorokhin (Madrid), Yury Klimenko (Barcelona), and Vladimir Beletsky (Bonn). The Ministry of Education and Science and its staff contributed greatly at different stages of the preparation process. Then-Deputy Minister Igor Fedyukin and current Deputy Minister Alexander Povalko, who quickly joined the preparation process, rendered invaluable assistance. A lot was done by Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs Evgeny Ugrinovich, Deputy Director Alexander Sumbatyan, and ministry staff Vladimir Arbuzov and Albert Garmash. In total, Congress organizers provided visa support for 1328 participants, including Congress Participants 582 Speakers 257 YSF winners 70 FEBS Bursary winners 149 Accompanying persons 248 Exhibitors 21 Press 1 12
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FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Number of Speakers We managed to gather a unique team of speakers. Eleven Nobel laureates, living legends of science in the XX and XXI centuries, participated in the Congress: Sydney Altman, Aaron Ciechanover, Jules Hoffmann, Robert Huber, Roger Kornberg, Jean-Marie Lehn, Richard Roberts, Jack Szostak, Susumu Tonegawa, Kurt Wűthrich, and Ada Yonath. There is another interesting testimony of the scientific and political foresight of the convener of the symposium “Membrane Transport and Secretion: From Nephrons to Neurons,” Professor Alexander Petrenko, who invited James Rothman as the key lecturer. James Rothman won the Nobel Prize in the fall of 2013, well after the Congress. The program of the Petersburg Congress included 18 plenary sessions and 40 symposia with more than 320 speakers. This was a definite semantic and financial risk. The number of speakers was about twice as high as the average number of those at the congresses of the past years. As described by Prof. Israel Pecht, “There were two FEBS congresses gathered in St. Petersburg”. We managed to ensure a high level of “internationalism” amongst lecturers. As shown in Table 3, the number of Russian lecturers was significant but not dominant. This fact was in no way associated with the level of Russian science. We could have gathered many more reports from Russia, but in this case one of the main objectives of the high-level Congress would not have been fulfilled, i.e. various national scientific schools would not have been represented. There were a lot of Americans at the Congress in St. Petersburg as Congress organizers opted for the “quality of science” rather than geopolitical issues. At the same time, we managed to attract very high-quality lecturers from the “Eastern bloc” (Table 9). We collected suggestions from the national committees of post-Soviet and East European countries and convinced the leaders of the symposia to include them in the program. From this point of view, the Petersburg Congress compares favorably with the Congresses of the previous years. 13 USA 62 Japan 5 Russia 45 Finland 3 Germany 45 Hungary 3 England 44 Poland 3 France 27 Sweden 3 Italy 14 Denmark 3 Switzerland 14 Canada 2 Israel 12 Czech Republic 2 Spain 8 Norway 2 Portugal 6 South Africa 2 Ukraine 6 Belgium 1 China 4 Greece 1 The Netherlands 4 Croatia 1
Table 9. Speakers’ national distribution.
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FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Overview of Scientific Program The dispute over the relationship between fundamental and applied science has been going on for decades. This disagreement has taken on an international dimension; however, with the advent of advanced technologies in biotechnology and biopharmaceutics, the dispute seems to have been resolved (at least in Western countries). It is now unambiguously clear that no discipline can be referred to as “low-grade science” (e.g., biotechnology). Today, each breakthrough in biomedical research is a stepping stone toward actual application. This situation has much in common with the one that prevailed in physics in the past (as well as in its current state), where most breakthroughs have resulted in hightech weaponry. And mainstream physicists have direct participation in the implementation of “applied” developments. The opening lecture was delivered by Jules Hoffman, a 2011 Nobel Laureate, who told the story of how work on the Drosophila receptor Toll, and subsequent discovery of pathway homologues in other organisms, has reshaped understanding of innate immunity. The Congress Plenary Lectures – delivered by Geneviève Almouzni, Sidney Altman, Aaron Ciechanover, Pavel Georgiev, Anna-Karin Gustavsson, Jules Hoffmann, Robert Huber, Roger Kornberg, Jean-Marie Lehn, Richard Lerner, Susumu Mitsutake, Richard Roberts, Gottfried Schatz, Joseph Schlessinger, Jack Szostak, Susumu Tonegawa, Kurt Wüthrich, and Ada Yonath – should really become part of the annals of science (Table 10). No doubt, plenary sessions were of much interest. Susumu Tonegawa, a Nobel Laureate for his discovery of the genetic principle behind the generation of antibody diversity, covered his new projects on the “functional bioimaging” of brain parts. His article was published in Science after the Congress. The ex-president of the Scripps Research Institute, Professor Richard Lerner, drew a complex picture of combinatory biology in his plenary lecture. Joseph Schlessinger talked on new approaches to the development of antiproliferative agents. Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak presented new concepts of the evolution and origin of life. 14 All lectures were recorded and they are now placed on the Congress website at http://www.febs- 2013.org/eng/catalog/13453.aspx. It would be helpful if this link could be provided at the FEBS official website. Those who could not join us in St Petersburg will then still be able to learn from these masterpieces of research. The Congress program included many brilliant symposia, and we highlight just some here (Table 11). Symposium “Organization of Eukaryotic Genomes” organized by Professor Wendy Bickmore (UK) and Professor Sergey Razin (Russia) was focused on epigenetics and various aspects in gene activity regulation. Keynote lectures by Peter Cook (UK) on the role of specialized transcription ‘factories’ and by Tom Mistelli (USA) on genome organization and disease development should be mentioned as the most interesting ones. Symposium “RNA World” gathered world leaders in this area including Ada Yonath, the Nobel Laureate (Israel) and Alexander Spirin (Russia). This symposium was organized by Professor Olga Dontsova (Russia) and Professor Eric Westhof (France). It is evident that after the three-dimensional structure of ribosome was discovered, there are still many crucial questions to be clarified as regards the dynamics of this large and complex molecular machine. Nowadays, applied research in this area is most promising. It is safe to say that a new era is approaching—the era of targeted drug design based on individual characteristics of bacterial ribosomal proteins. At the symposium headed by Professor Clare Blackburn (UK) and Professor Alexey Tomilin (Russia), problems of cell reprogramming and new cell technologies were discussed. Symposia on bioengineering (Chairs: Vladimir Popov, Vytas Svyadas, and Marcel Wubbolts), neoplastic transformation (Chairs: Georgy Georgiev and Joseph Schlessinger), G protein signaling (Chairs: Andrew B. Goryachev and Alfred Wittinghofer), molecular basis of autoimmunity (Chairs: Jean Francoise Bach and Ludvig Sollid), biochemistry of neurodegeneration (Chair: Mishael Ugrumov), biochemistry of vision (Chairs: Karl-Wilhelm Koch and Michael Ostrovsky) were well attended and attracted great interest of international audience. www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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Table 10. Plenary Lectures at the 38th FEBS Congress.
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Sidney Altman Aaron Ciechanover Jules Hoffmann
Robert Huber Roger Kornberg Jean-Marie Lehn
16
Richard Roberts Jack Szostak Susumu Tonegawa
Kurt Wüthrich Ada Yonath Geneviève Almouzni
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Pavel Georgiev Anna-Karin Gustavsson Richard Lerner
Susumu Mitsutake Gottfried Schatz Joseph Schlessinger
17
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St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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Table 11. Main and Satellite Symposia at the 38th FEBS Congress.
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FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Recent research in biocatalysis could lead to breakthrough in this traditional area. Symposium on general problems of biocatalysis was organized by Professor Alexander Gabibov (Russia) and Professor Michael Blackburn (UK). Modern quantum-mechanical estimation techniques will soon make it possible to predict the ‘route’ of biocatalytic reactions. In a more distant future, it will allow to estimate metabolic pathways in silico which is of great value for applied pharmacokinetic research. A multi-session symposium “Biochemistry for Medicine” (Chairs: Alexey Egorov, Oleg Kisselev, Serhiy Komisarenko, Tomas Zima) was mainly focused on recent advances in treatment of cancer, autoimmune and metabolic diseases. One of keynote lectures was delivered by Professor Michael Sela (Israel) whose pioneering research contributed a lot in fighting of autoimmune diseases. Very informative presentations were made on targeted elimination of pathologic B cells: new generation compounds were developed to treat some autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis etc. Among other ‘attractions’ of the 38th FEBS Congress, “Proteomics and Peptidomics” symposium (Chairs: Vadim Govorun and Vadim Ivanov) should be mentioned. This research area is developing very fast and the number of ‘white spots’ in the structure of human and microorganisms proteins is rapidly diminishing. Co-existence of macro- and microorganisms is extremely interesting both evolutionary and practically. The fight between ‘self’ and ‘non- self’ is very important to understand the key issues in antimicrobial therapy. The most important mission of FEBS congresses is education. In spite of revolutionary changes in telecommunication, modern science requires direct contacts between scientists. Virtual communication cannot substitute real discussion and live communication between a lector and auditorium. A chance for young scientists to attend such a great event, to listen to world scientific leaders and to communicate with them in an informal atmosphere is a great advantage of such congresses. Usually, a young fellow is guided by his/her chief and deals within a narrow filed of research. The congress provides a great possibility to widen the scope of interests and ask any question, for example, why the speaker has changed the field of research. E. g., Susumu Tonegawa was 19 awarded Nobel Prize in 1987 “for his discovery of the genetic principle for generation of antibody diversity”. Now, his work is devoted to other problems, namely to brain and memory. In St Petersburg he spoke on ‘functional’ brain mapping. During the 38th FEBS Congress, along with the fundamental symposia (Table 11), much attention was focused on biomedical research, oncology, autoimmune diseases, and biopharmaceuticals. The entire “Science and Society” session (chaired by Jacques Henry Weil) was devoted to oncology issues. The Congress hosted a session by the “Skolkovo” Foundation that was organized by Deputy Director Alexander Chernov and Deputy Manager of the Biomed Cluster Gelena Lifshitz. The SkolTech University was represented by Prof. Konstantin Severinov. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation came up with an initiative to host a special session devoted to biopharmaceuticals. The meeting operated under the auspices of then-Director of the Department of the Chemical-Engineering Complex and Bioengineering Technology of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and current Deputy Minister Sergei Tsyb and Director for International Economic Relations Alexei Gruzdev. It was an exciting session. The session was chaired by Academician Alexei Egorov on the Russian side and co-chaired by the director of pharmacology at Yale University, a foreign member of RAS, Prof. Joseph Schlessinger. The session speakers were Nobel Laureates Jean Marie Lehn, Jules Hoffmann, and Ada Yonath; the Russian side was represented by a mainstream researcher in the field of anticancer chemistry, Mikhail Lichinitser. The speakers discussed issues pertaining to the development of proteinase inhibitors, which are potential anti-cancer agents.
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FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Abstracts Received and Poster Session Overview Congress organizers received over 1,900 abstracts that were published as a Supplement to the FEBS Journal. It was easily to be downloaded via a link on the Congress website and every participant received it on a USB flash drive as a part of a Congress kit. Over 1,450 abstracts were accepted for poster presentation during the Congress. Due to space limitations, we had to schedule most posters for display from 8th through 10th July. Distribution of posters according to symposia submitted is shown in Table 12. Unfortunately, the posters were not numbered. This was mainly due to the fact that Congress organizers accepted abstracts from registered participants far behind the deadline. Even late-breaking abstracts were grouped according to their main topic and they were displayed in the poster session they thematically belonged to. That is why we had to abandon through numbering of posters. Another reason for the absence of poster numbering was the lack of space for poster session due to the abovementioned Marine Saloon simultaneously held with the FEBS Congress. One week before the Congress opened, we had only some space for poster session in the exhibition hall (pavilion 4). We were quite aware of the fact that this space was too limited to accommodate so many posters and continued very difficult negotiations with the Marine Saloon organizers to get some more space for the poster sessions. Shortly before the Congress, one more pavilion (pav 6) was placed at our disposal – but only commencing July 8th. So, we had to displace posters from July 7th to later dates to avoid overcrowding in pavilion 4. To avoid any confusion for poster presenters, we marked areas according to the Congress main topics. Many volunteers were in the poster hall in pavilion 6 to assist presenters to find the right place for their posters. We placed many stands in the poster hall and there was no problem to find free space to place posters. 20
38th FEBS Poster Session. www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Biochemistry for Medicine 294 Protein Structure and Folding 113 Biochemistry of Stress Response 108 RNA World 75 Proteomics and Peptidomics 70 Biochemistry of Neoplastic Transformations 67 Bioengineering: Fundamentals and Application 62 Biochemistry of Neurodegeneration 62 Organization of Eukaryotic Genomes 56 Systems Biology 54 Biochemistry of Plants 50 Biocatalysis: General Problems 50 DNA Damage and Repair 50 Bioinformatics 44 “Mitochondriology”: New Approaches … 39 Membrane Transport and Secretion: From… 32 Protein Dynamics 32 Nucleic Acid Targets and Therapeutics 32 Stem Cells: Fundamentals and Applications 30 21 Mechanisms of G Protein Signaling 30 Immunochemistry and Bioengineering 27 Alexander Braunstein Memorial Symposium:… 27 Ion channel signaling: from spatial structures to… 22 Biogenic Polyamines in Cell Metabolism 21 Glycobiology: Сarbohydrate–Protein Recognition 20 Molecular Basis of Autoimmunity 19 Biochemistry of invertebrates 17 Regulation of Biological Processes by Ubiquitin 17 Metabolism of Marine Organisms: Structure and… 14 Evolutionary Genomics 12 B Cells in Inflammation and Disease 7 Education in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 6 Enzymes Reacting with Organophosphorus Agents 5 Photoreception and Biochemistry of Vision 2 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Table 12. The number of posters submitted for different symposia.
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St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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38th FEBS Poster Session.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Registration Fee
23
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Financial Report
Table 14. Total Incomes and expenditures INCOMES
I GRANTS € 397 034,00 detailed in Table 15 II REGISTRATION FEES € 566 200,00 detailed in Table 16 III SPONSORS&EXHIBITORS € 394 435,05 detailed in Table 17
TOTAL INCOMES € 1 414 269,05
* - all the other National Institutions` investments (Skolkovo, Minpromtorg) preliminary shown in ROUGH BUDGET as "GRANTS" are indicated in pos.SPONSORS&EXHIBITORS as they actually took a part in Exhibition
EXPENDITURES (significant exp. Items are disclosed in Table 18) Venue (LENEXPO facilities incl. space 1 rent&technical equipment) € 699 812,00 51,88% Transportation 2 € 69 220,00 5,13% Travels and Accomodation of Invited 24 3 Speakers € 232 849,00 17,26% Social and Other Activities 4 € 166 085,00 12,31% Printwork and Expendables 5 € 23 796,23 1,76% Bursaries 6 € 115 764,00 8,58% Taxes, currency exchange losses, bank 7 charges € 41 500,00 3,08% TOTAL EXPENDITURES € 1 349 026,23 100,00%
TOTAL PROFIT € 8 642,82
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Table 15. Grants GRANTS 1 FEBS (YSF MAIN CONGRESS REGISTRATION FEE) € 23 400,00
2 FEBS (BURSARIES, FEBS MEMBERS COSTS) € 199 514,00
3 FEBS (LENEXPO RENT) € 75 000,00
4 NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (RFBR GRANT) € 75 000,00
CLAIM ASSIGNEMENT AGREEMENT WITH 5 € 24 120,00 FORMER PCO
€ 397 034,00
Table 16. Registration fee paid by dates and categories
Early Regular On- site Category Price price Price Registration Registration Registration Academic & Researcher 454 500,00 189 600,00 26 700,00 25 Industry Representative 26 700,00 9 800,00 1 900,00 Young Scientists 398 250,00 128 350,00 3 400,00 Accompanying Persons 224 100,00 84 150,00 4 200,00 1102 410 34
Early Total in Regular Total in On- site Total in Category Registration EURO Registration EURO Registration EURO Academic & Researcher 454 227 000,00 189 113 400,00 26 18 200,00 Industry Representative 26 18 200,00 9 7 200,00 1 900,00 Young Scientists 398 99 500,00 128 44 800,00 3 1 200,00 Accompanying Persons 224 22 400,00 84 12 600,00 4 800,00 TOTAL 1102 367 100,00 410 178 000,00 34 21 100,00
TOTAL 566 200,00
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FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Table 17. Exhibition ## EXHIBITOR GROSS AMOUNT 1 MOLECULAR BIOLOGY INSTITUTE 153 750,00 RUR 2 OPENED INNOVATIONS FUND 1 864 164,00 RUR 3 APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL INC. 778 722,00 RUR 4 HVD Holding AG 240 450,00 RUR 5 CHIMMED TRADE HOUSE LTD. 236 082,00 RUR 6 DIAM LTD. 420 000,00 RUR 7 JSC BioChemMac 536 382,00 RUR 8 AMGEN LTD. 420 000,00 RUR 9 INGRADIENT LTD. 226 044,00 RUR 10 BIO-RAD LABORATORIES LTD. 452 340,00 RUR 11 NP BFKL NOTHERN 180 935,00 RUR 12 BIOTECHNO LTD. 425 880,00 RUR 13 PORTLAND PRESS LTD. 177 156,00 RUR 14 JACKSON IMMUNORESEARCH EUROPE LTD. 132 468,00 RUR 15 EMBL 183 750,00 RUR 16 EMBO 107 562,00 RUR 17 VEUK LTD. 420 000,00 RUR 18 TECHNOINFO LIMITED 597 534,00 RUR 19 ABCAM PLS 167 538,00 RUR 20 NEW ENGLAND BIOLABS GMBH 207 648,00 RUR 26 21 TOCRIS COOKSON LTD. 187 908,00 RUR 22 POSTGENTECH 850 500,00 RUR 23 LABINSTRUMENTS LTD. 21 630,00 RUR 24 CHEMEXPERT LTD. 517 314,00 RUR 25 SIGMA-ALDRICH RUS EUROPE LTD. 1 025 686,00 RUR 26 WILEY 478 632,00 RUR 27 ELSIVER 310 842,00 RUR 28 SKOLKOVO 2 221 494,32 RUR 29 INTERLABSERICE LTD. 140 616,00 RUR 30 SKOLKOVOTECH 359 898,82 RUR 31 JSC CHEMEX LTD. 206 486,00 RUR 32 ACS 94 626,00 RUR 33 COMPANY HELICON LTD. 181 062,00 RUR 34 ROSHE DIAGNOSTICS LTD. 136 782,00 RUR 35 BIOLINE LTD. 165 120,00 RUR 36 CHEMEXPERT LABORATORY LTD. 420 000,00 RUR 37 BIOSUN 50 400,00 RUR 38 PHARMAPARK 180 000,00 RUR 39 LABINSTRUMENTS LTD. 300 000,00 RUR Total (in RUR) 15 777 402,14 RUR Average exchange rate (EUR1=RUR40) €394 435,05
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St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Table 18. Expenditures in detail
1. CONGRESS VENUE COSTS €699 812,00 1 SPACE RENT €155 200,00 1.1. pavilion 3 €38 550,00 1.2. pavilion 4 €75 000,00 1.3. pavilion 6-7 €41 650,00 2 TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT €360 155,00 2.1. congress venue €175 680,00 2.2. exhibition venue €184 475,00 3 SAFETY ARRANGEMENTS (incl. security, fire protection, ambulance) €33 520,00 4 FACILITIES, UTILITIES €100 937,00 5 AGENCY (PCO) FEE €50 000,00
2. TRANSPORTATION €69 220,00 SHUTTLES FROM/TO AIRPORT; SHUTTLES TO/FROM LENEXPO; TRANSPORT FOR VIP PERSONS
3. TRAVEL&ACCOMODATION OF INVITED SPEAKERS (excl. bursaries, FEBS ExCom., named lecturers) €232 849,00 1 ACCOMODATION €260 249,00 2 ACCOMODATION (FEBS BURSARIES)* -€68 750,00 27 3 ACCOMODATION (FEBS ExCom)* -€21 390,00 4 ACCOMODATION (NAMED LECTURERS)* -€3 409,00 5 TRAVEL COSTS REIMBURSEMENT €66 149,00 * - the mentioned costs are deducted as they are calculated separately in the "BURSARIES" section
4. SOCIAL&OTHER ACTIVITIES €166 085,00 1 BCH OCTYABRSKIY (WELCOME EVENT) €106 360,00 1.2. rent €10 750,00 1.3. ballet&technical part €12 140,00 1.4. fourchette&catering €68 870,00 1.5. facilities, utilities €14 600,00 2 STATE HERMITAGE EXCURSIONS €55 350,00 3 SKOLKOVO FOURCHETTE €4 375,00
5. BURSARIES&FEBS DIRECTION** €115 764,00 1 ACCOMODATION (FEBS BURSARIES) €68 750,00 2 ACCOMODATION (FEBS ExCom) €21 390,00 3 ACCOMODATION (NAMED LECTURERS) €3 409,00 4 CATERING €12 500,00 5 NAMED LECTURERS` TRAVEL €9 715,00 ** - EUR83750 - Named Lecturers, FEBS ExCom, FEBS Bursaries reg.fees EUR199514 - total Grant costs
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St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
13th YSF Alexey Belogurov Jr: Russia already held FEBS in 1984, but since YSF was established in 2001, it was for the first time for our country to welcome YSF here, in Russia. It was a great honor but even more it was a great challenge and responsibility to organize such meeting. First of all I should say that my people form Local Organizing Team were really fantastic and exactly they made YSF possible. Starting from the selection procedure it was hard to select Fellows because level of the scientific reports submitted by the applicants was very high. Therefore we were definitely lucky with the interesting scientific program. For all of us it was important that we succeeded to organize opening ceremony and further scientific sessions in the architecturally outstanding Building of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the Neva River – hart and soul of the Russian Science. Mostly it became possible by virtue of Zhores Alferov and Michael Dubina personally. Every second YSF sensed support of the main 38th FEBS Congress and his Chair Alexander Gabibov. A lot of assistance was achieved from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, that evidently helped to significantly enhance meeting in general. Finally, I do feel that one of the major things for me personally was limitless energy and assistance of Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada, who helps and govern me all the way to the realization of successful YSF 2013. I know that now I am experienced enough to organize any possible scientific meeting. Probably the most important for us was to receive a lot of positive feedbacks from the Forum’s participants, and this was the richest award we could even imagine.
Azad Mamedov: As for me, it was a huge honor to be a co-chairman and organize Young Scientist Forum 2013 in St. Petersburg, to be a part of huge European Biochemical community. Honestly, the organizing 28 process was very difficult and time consuming, but it was a great and interesting experience in my life. Through YSF I fully felt the immensity of the whole FEBS. I cannot imagine, if it was so difficult for us to organize three days of the forum, what a huge work was carried out and how many people were involved in the organization of the Main Congress. Most important and pleasant feeling and memory for me personally were that more than 100 young scientists from almost all Europe met in one place in the beautiful city St. Petersburg at the classic building of Academy of Sciences, which is more than 200 years of construction, and discussed during the whole time different scientific issues. It seemed to me these past few days, we had a big scientific family. We all face funding problems as in European countries so in Russia, and it is great that thanks to FEBS there is a possibility to organize and attend such scientific forums. Again it was amazing and unforgettable event in my life.
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Social Program
The cultural heritage of Russia, St. Petersburg, and its surroundings were crucial in attracting delegates to the 38th FEBS Congress. We hope that the 38th FEBS Congress will stay in the memory of all participants not only as a great scientific event but as a unique social and cultural experience. ‘Swan Lake’ ballet at the Opening Ceremony, 31 the Congress Dinner in the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, tours in St Petersburg and to the nearby imperial palaces and parks of Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo in the high season of the White Nights, and a post-congress tour to Moscow presented the best of Russian culture. The night guided tour to The Hermitage allowed Congress participants to enjoy the beauty of world-famous art at a time when the museum was open for our guests only. We are deeply grateful to Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Hermitage director, who provided Congress participants with this unique chance.
“St. Petersburg was a magnificent surprise – I really enjoyed it and am planning on returning at some time in the future.” Nigel Richards (USA) “The trip to Pushkin was amazing. Everybody was stunned. First, the opening scene when you pass the gates was set in a cloudless sky with evening sunlight. Next, the evening sun flooded into all the rooms making them spectacular in their golden reflections. Third, our guide, Russlan, was top class. I hope our tip at the end was a generous reflection of our appreciation.” Michael Blackburn (UK)
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
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The guided Night Tour to Hermitage.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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Congress Dinner in the Peter-and-Paul Fortress.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Exhibition Historically, the FEBS congresses have hosted an interesting exhibition of devices and equipment. Antonina Shuvalova, commerce director at “Sigma Aldrich Rus,” was heavily involved in the organization. The company, one of the general congress sponsors, provided printed materials for Congress participants. The Congress in Saint Petersburg was attended by over 40 companies (for full list see below). AB SCIEX took a very interesting initiative to bring a demonstration bus to Saint Petersburg to run a course on mass spectrometry for students. This bus enjoyed much success with the participants, including Nobel Laureates Kurt Wűthrich, Ada Yonath, and Robert Huber.
1. AB Sciex 23. InterLabSeervice 2. Abcam plc 24. Jackson ImmunoResearch Europe Ltd 3. ACS Publications 25. Khimexpert Laboratory 4. Amgen 26. LabInstruments 5. Applied Biosystems International 27. Life Technologies 6. Biochemical Society 28. New England Biolabs GmbH 7. BioChemMak 29. Nothern BioPharm Cluster at MIPT 8. BioLine 30. Open Innovations Foundation 9. BioRad Laboratories, Inc 31. Pharmapark 10. Biosan 32. Portland Press Limited 11. BioTechno 33. PostGenTech 12. Cayman Pharmas.r.o. 34. Roche Diagnostics Rus LLC 34 13. Chimex Limited 35. Sigma Aldrich Rus 14. DiaM 36. SKOLKOVO Foundation 15. Elsevier 37. SkolkovoTech 16. EMBL 38. SPLIEF Conference Center 17. EMBO 39. Taylor & Francis 18. Galachem Group 40. Technoinfo Limited 19. Helicon 41. The Chimmed Group 20. HVD Holding AG 42. Tocris Cookson Ltd 21. InGradient 43. Veyk 22. Institute for Molecular Biology 44. Wiley
Satellite Symposia Russia’s Cooperation with European Partners in Life Sciences Chairs: Iain Mattaj, EMBL Director General; Vladislav Panchenko, Chair of the RFBR Board NMR in Biology – Special Activity Chair: Isabella Felli Scientific Meeting for the Chromosomecentric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP) Chairs: Gilbert Omenn, Alexander Archakov, Young-Ki Paik, Sergey Moshkovskii, Christoph Borchers, Victor Bykov, Amos Bairoch, Andrey Lisitsa
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Exhibitors’ Presentations and Workshops SKOLKOVO Presentation What is Skolkovo about? MINPROM Panel Discussion: Breakthroughs in Life Sciences: The Basis for Pharmaceutical Industry Development Moderator: Alexey Egorov Life Technologies Workshop “Exploration of Disease Pathways from Gene to Function Life Technologies™” SkolTech Presentation “International Center for Research and Education «Stem Cells and Cell Technologies” Skolkovo Club on Cell Technologies Skolkovo Lectorium: Peter Fedichev Quantum Age LLC “Modern approaches to novel drugs development” Skolkovo Lectorium: Oncology Session “hat to Invest Money in to Conquer Cancer?”. Skolkovo Projects Presentation
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Congress Venue We have received several complaints from Congress participants re noise in the symposia halls located in pavilion 4. In spite of enormous efforts, we could not solve the problem caused by the Marine Saloon held in Lenexpo at the same time. The story goes back in November 2012, when the Russian Government decided to shift the previously announced dates of the Russian Economic Forum (June 2012) to the later ones. So, the organizers of subsequent events had to shift their schedules as well. However, such a shift was quite impossible for the FEBS Congress. The itinerary was already made, invitation letters were sent out and over 300 speakers had already adjusted their schedule so that they could come to St Petersburg on July 6th through July 12th, but not a week later as it was suggested to us by the Marine Saloon organizers and by the Lenexpo management. Lenexpo is the only Congress facility in St Petersburg that could host such big events like FEBS Congresses with over 3000 attendees. So, we were facing a hard dilemma: (1) either to postpone the congress and unavoidably to miss many speakers who could not change their busy schedules or (2) to accept the transfer of the Congress to pavilions 3 and 4 instead of fully equipped pavilions 6, 7, and 8 with good sound insulation. These halls were occupied by the Marine Saloon till July 9th. We had made our choice in favor of the second option. The problem of the Opening Ceremony was solved rather easily. It was held in the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall located in the city centrum. To make it more convenient to Congress participants, we had organized shuttle bus service from the main Congress hotels to the Concert hall and back. On other days, there were no sound problems as regards plenary sessions. They were held in pavilion 3, well decorated and fully equipped for such events. As to symposia, they were mostly held in pavilion 4. This building is rather intended for exhibitions than for simultaneously held oral sessions. Poor sound insulation caused problems both for the speakers and the audience. 39 We tried to solve it by adjusting the sound level in microphones but often, we’d failed to. In spite of this fact, most sessions were actively and very well attended, they evoked great interest of the audience and even all sounds from outside (from other halls) did not affect the quality of talks and discussions.
www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
St. Petersburg July 6-11, 2013
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETIES CONGRESS 2013 Mechanisms in Biology
Visibility of the Event in Media – Public Relation The RIA Novosti News Agency was the official partner of the Congress. Congress-related news appeared regularly on the Novosti website and in the printed issues. Other media presented at the Congress included: ITAR-TASS INTERFAX Vesti Kommersant 100TV Acta Naturae Journals BaltInfo Informational Agency Farmvestnik Newspaper Fontanka.ru Online Newspaper Peterburgsky Dnevnik Online Newspaper Priroda Journal Regnum Informational Agency “Sankt-Peterburg “ State Radio and News Agency Trend Media Uchitelskaya Gazeta
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www.febs-2013.org [email protected] (Congress Secretariat), [email protected] (Program Committee)
YSF- FEBS Working Group on the Career of Young Scientists
Report of Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada’s activities
1. 13th YSF at the 38th FEBS Congress, St. Petersburg, 3rd – 6th July, 2013
“Mechanisms in Biology”
Committees The 13th YSF organizing committee included Alexey Belogurov Jr. (Chairman) Igor Eliseev, Dounya Ghor, Anna Golovina, Anna Gonchar, Denis Ilyushin (scientific secretariat), Azad Mamedov (co-chair), Olga Ostroumova, Maria Ryazantseva Ivan Smirnov (see slide 2) Team Supervisor - An advisory committee was established including Claudina Rodrigues- Pousada (Chair of the Working Group on the Career of Young Scientists), Vicente Rubio (Chairman of the FEBS Fellowships Committee), Israel Pecht (Secretary General of FEBS), Sir Alan Fersht (FEBS Treasurer) , and Adam Szewczyk (FEBS Congress Counsellor)
Visit to St Petersburg and Moscow
I visited St. Petersburg and Moscow from 20th to 25th of February in order to check the Venue, the students’ accommodation during the YSF and the Congress. I was accompanied by Alexey Belogurov, Igor Eliseev, Ivan Smirnov and Azad Mamedov. We visited the dormitories which were previously chosen. They were not approved because the rooms were designed to accommodate between 6 and 16 students and the space seemed extremely small. From an informal conversation I had with Brazilian students at the hall, I was persuaded that the facilities were inadequate. When I discussed this with the person in charge she suggested putting up to 2 or 3 students per room/in each room, which in my view was unacceptable as we would still be charged the price for the full occupancy. The YSF took place at St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences which had excellent facilities. We then visited Professor Mikhail V. Dubina at the Institute of the Academy of Sciences. We talked about the conditions of the sites we had visited and he suggested the new guesthouse of St. Petersburg’s State Polytechnical University. Before leaving to Moscow we went to see these accommodations which were indeed much better and quite suited to accommodate the students. We then spent two entire days at the Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic
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Chemistry in Moscow where we proceeded to select the students to attend the YSF, as well as we have organized the program. It was quite a hard task, but on the other hand it was a pleasure to work with the organizing committee. I did my own selection from all the countries, whilst the committee’s members were assigned applicants of 3-4 countries from which they were chosen It was excellent that we all selected almost the same students from each country and when there was a diverging opinion; we were able to discuss the reasons for our choices, and have reached an agreement. The students’ distribution by countries is shown in the following annexes: a) The total number of fellows versus the ones selected (36.4% were selected, see slide 3); b) A table in which is indicated the total applicants per country and the ones that were selected (slide 4). The percentage of the selected applicants over the total number per each country is also shown. It is worth noticing that some of the countries only had one applicant which meant that this one ended up being selected. It also means that the final percentage of 100% is misleading as the more applicants the lower the percentage will be. This is undoubtedly not a good sign, as it would be better to have more students to select from each country. For example not a single student from Finland and Norway applied! c) A graph representing the % of applicants from Central and Eastern countries versus Western countries is shown in slide 5 (57% versus 43%). Usually there are always more students from Eastern European countries than from Western Europe. The difference is not significant; nevertheless it is regrettable that few students from the West apply! d) The percentage of females applying is higher than the one of males (as usually), but in the end we have managed to balance the ratio by having 49% of males and 51% of females (see slide 6). e) The age of the selected participants is on average between 26 and 29 years old (see slide7). We selected just one who was 41years old, because it was an exceptional case; the candidate wrote an impressive/really good motivation letter, in which she also drew our attention to the fact that she had started her career quite late in life. We have also tried to have a better ratio of post-doc and PhD students (31% and 69% respectively, see slide 8) as I believe that it is good to have a certain number of Post-docs who will interact with PhD students by stimulating and challenging them.
The program was designed on the basis of the submitted abstracts. As such, we organized
5 symposia designated as follows:
1. Structure & Dynamics of proteins.
2. Molecular Mechanisms of protein synthesis & degradation.
3. Molecular Biology of human diseases.
4. Cell Cycle;
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5. Gene Regulation.
Each student selected for oral presentation had 12 minutes to present the work and 3 minutes for discussion. There are always a great participation with the students addressing many questions. I have asked EMBO to provide financial support for the Young Investigator Lecture. The proposal that I made was accepted by EMBO. The organizing committee has chosen Dr. Robert Klose, from the Department of Biochemistry, Oxford University, in the United Kingdom, among a list that I sent to them. His area of research is Epigenetics and Chromatin Biology. I have also invited Vicente Rubio as Key Note Lecturer. He is an impressive speaker and communicates science with great enthusiasm. He also participated in the round-table, which had the following panel: Alan Craig (EU Mobility programs), Vicente Rubio (The scope of FEBS fellowships), Keith Elliot (Preparing your Curriculum vitae), Andrea Hutterer (EMBO Fellowships) and Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada (How FEBS is promoting the young scientist’s career). There was also 2 sessions of 1 min poster presentations and 2 hours were allocated to each poster discussion. The posters were displayed during the whole period of the YSF. Our journals were publicized for 15 to 20 minutes during the round table. I mentioned however in the welcome address our journals by saying that they are the source of our income with which FEBS develops its activities. The budget has been carefully set up being the final 114, 623 €.
2. The 14th YSF held in Paris 2014 I still have very few elements about the organization of the 14th YSF. I have however the names of the organizing committee of the 14th YSF that is composed of Alice Verchère (chair), Martin Benavidar, Myriam Moussaoui, Andrea Cavagnino, Jonathan Bizarro, Aurélie Fender, Emma Cahill, Louise Lassalle, Jean-Michel Escoffre, Frédéric Pontvianne. The venue is located in the Center Maurice Ravel that is near Bastille and at a walking distance (10 min) from the metro station, Porte de Vincennes (the web site is http://www.cisp.fr/cisp/pages/home-17.html, but everything is written in French). There are subways going directly to the Congress Palace (Palais du Congrès). We, Andreas and I, have visited the site in December and we found that the Venue is appropriated for both events, YSF and FFMeeting/LTF. A preliminary budget for the 14th YSF is shown in the last slide. The total budget to my activities in 2013 was 150,000€. As the OC in St Petersburg was able to spend only 114, 623 I have proposed that 30,000 € would be transferred to be used with my activities of this year (2014). Indeed the provisional budget of the 14th YSF to be held in Paris is higher than 125,000 € proposed for this event (See slide 9)
Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada
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Chair Claudina Rodrigues‐Pousada
13th YSF 2013, July 3rd –6th, St. Petersburg
1 Alexey Belogurov Jr. ‐ Chair ‐ Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow T Igor Eliseev ‐ St.‐Petersburg Academic University, H Dounya Ghorab ‐ St.‐Petersburg Academic University, A Anna Golovina ‐ A.N. Belozersky Research Institute of Physico‐Chemical Biology, Moscow N Anna Gonchar ‐ St.‐Petersburg State University, K Denis Ilyushin ‐ Scientific Secretary ‐ Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov S Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow Azad Mamedov ‐ Co‐Chair To The Olga Ostroumova ‐ Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, O St.‐Petersburg C Maria Ryazantseva ‐ Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St.‐Petersburg Ivan Smirnov ‐ Support team supervisor Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry,
2 % of applicants selected
36.4% 63.6%
Total ‐ 321 Selected –117 (2 cancelled)
3 Distribution of the applicants per countries Total Number Selected %
33.3
Cancelled
Finland & Norway, no applicants
One Cancelled 4 Central‐Eastern countries versus Western countries
43% 57%
Western countries Central/Eastern countries
5 Females versus Males before selection
35% Females
65% Males
Females versus Males after selection
49% 51% Females Males
6 Ages of the selected participants age same the with students the of
Number AGES 7 PhD students/ versus Post‐doc
31% Post‐doc
PhD students 69%
2 FEBS fellows 1 EMBO fellow
8 Local Organization Transfer (buses) 5.000,00 Breakfasts, lunches and coffee‐breaks during the YSF 8.000,00 Farewell party 5.000,00 Dinners 9.000,00 Poster boards 2.500,00 Forum venue Abstract book 3.000,00
Other printed materials, flash‐cards, notebooks 5.000,00 Awards for best poster and best oral talk 1.000,00 Meeting points in Pulkovo airport 500,00 Banner and Press‐wall in Academy 500,00
Travels 32.648,00 Accommodation 15.000,00 Registration fees (Fellows) 23.000,00 Registration fees (Andrea Hutterer) 500,00 Accommodation (Andrea + Keith+ Robert ) 975,00 Breakfast during the Congress 3.000,00 GRAND Total 114.623,00 9 Preliminary Budget for the 14th YSF to be held in Paris (110 Students) EUROS OBS FEBS 2014 CONGRESS REGISTRATION FEE ( 250€ per student ) 27.500 €
ACCOMMODATION during the forum and the Congress ( total of 8 nights)LUNCHES , 110 DINNERS and COFFEE BRAKES, FORUM VENUE, LECTURE HALL, POSTER AND students COFFEE BREAKS HALL 50.156 €
Invited speakers lodging (6) 1.620 €
FAREWELL DINNER 5.000 €
POSTER BOARDS 2.000 €
ORGANIZATION 3.000 € WEBSITE, ORGANIZATION, BAGS, BOOKS & PRINTED MATERIAL TRANSFERS DURING YSF AND FEBS CONGRESS 3 buses 5.000 €
AWARDS BEST POSTER AND BEST TALK 1.000 €
TRAVELS 35 000 €
Contingency 6.000 €
GRAND TOTAL 130.276 € 10
FEBS Science & Society Committee Report 2013
1) In 2013 the composition of the Committee was as follows :
Elected members : - Marta Agostinho (Portugal) - Jerzy Duszynski (Poland) - Emmanouil Frakgoulis (Greece) - Joan Guinovart (Spain) - Lars Rask (Sweden) - Jacques-Henry Weil, chair (France)
Ex officio members : - Secretary General : Israel Pecht - Treasurer : Alan Fersht - Meeting Counsellor : Adam Szewczyk
2) At the 38th FEBS Congress in St Petersburg, the Committee organized, on July 9, 2013, a « Science & Society session » which had the following programme :
- Alexander Eggermont (Villejuif, France) : « Conceptual, logistic and financial challenges of personalized cancer medicine »
- Serena Nik-Zainal (Cambridge, UK) : « Interrogating the architecture of cancer genomes »
- Anne-Lise Borresen-Dale (Oslo, Norway) : « Towards integrated “omics ” for personalized treatment of breast cancer »
- Cornelia Ulrich (Heidelberg, Germany) : « Can we personalize cancer prevention ? »
3) Activities in 2013 in the area of European science policy (under the umbrellas of ISE and of the BioMed Alliance)
In 2013 both the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) and the Alliance for BioMedical Research in Europe (BioMed Alliance) made efforts to obtain from the EU the best Research budget possible for the next Framework Program (Horizon 2020), i.e. by drafting recommendations and by contacting members of the EC, national and European Parliament members, rapporteurs of the Horizon 2020 document. ISE launched a petition which obtained over 150,000 signtures, to support a declaration of about 40 Nobel laureates (published in major European newspapers) recommending no cuts in the European Reseach budget. As the ERC (European Reearch Council) gained during its first 7 years’existence a very good reputation by awarding Starting grants and Advanced grants to support researchers on the basis of scientific excellence, ISE recommended that the next ERC budget allows the continuation of this policy. In addition, a meeting of 6 ISE representatives (including J.H.Weil) with the new ERC President, J.P. Bourguignon, was organized in Brussels on December 1st, 2013. As some of the goals of ISE and of the BioMed Alliance are quite close, a meeting of representatives of the two organizations took place in Brussels in June 2013 and suggested areas where joint actions could be considered : -raising public awareness of scientific research issues -defining better criteria for research assessment in evaluation procedures -facilitating transition to Open Access publication -recommending principles for sharing research data, including clinical data The two organizations will discuss these suggestions and decide which one(s) should get priority.
Jacques-Henry Weil Chairman
EDUCATION COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Reported by: Gül Güner Akdogan Chair, FEBS Education Committee
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Report Plan:
1.Introduction...... 3
2. Structure and Composition of the Committee...... 3
3. Committee Meetings x Minutes of Prague Meeting...... 3
4. Representation at FEBS EX-COM Meetings and at WGI visits...... 8
5. Educational Events...... 8
5.1. Activities during the FEBS Congresses x St. Petersburg FEBS Congress...... 8
5.2. FEBS Education Workshops...... 10 x Gdansk Workshop on Teaching Molecular Evolution...... 10 x Tbilisi Workshoo on Molecular Life Sciences Education (8-9th October 2012)...... 13 x Sofia Workshop on Molecular Life Sciences Education (17-18th December, 2012)...... 15
6. FEBS 50th Anniversary Award ...... 19
7.Collaborations...... 22
8. Conclusions...... 22
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1.Introduction
FEBS Education Committee started officially on 1st January 2007, following the historical decision of the FEBS Council which convened in Istanbul in June 2006, to transform the “Working Group on Teaching Biochemistry” (2001-2007) into an “Education Committee”.
2. Structure and Composition of the Committee
According to the latest version of FEBS Statutes, the Education Committee is composed of “a chair elected by Council, four ordinary members elected by Council and ex-officio members with voting rights, Secretary General of FEBS, Treasurer of FEBS, and Chair of Advanced Courses Committee”.
The ordinary members who served on the Committee in 2013 are: Tomas Zima (Czech Republic) (Elected at Turin FEBS Council, 2011-started as of 1st January 2012) Angel Herraez (Spain) (Elected at Turin FEBS Council, 2011-started as of 1st January 2012) Wolfgang Nellen (Elected at Sevilla FEBS Council, 2012 - started as of 1st January 2013) Francisco Michelangeli (Elected at Sevilla FEBS Council - started as of 1st January 2013) Chair: Gül-Güner Akdogan (Turkey) (Elected at Prague FEBS Council, 2009- started as of 1st January 2010). Co-Opted: Keith Elliott (UK) (Since January 1st, 2008) Peter Ott (Switzerland) (Since May 14th, 2010) Ex-Officio Members: Israel Pecht (FEBS General Secretary), Alan Fersht(FEBS Treasurer), and Jaak Jarv (Chair, FEBS Advanced Courses Committee)
3. Education Committee Meeting In 2013, one official meeting of the Education Committee Meeting was organised, as decided during the Cambridge ED-COM meeting.
FEBS Education Committee Prague Meeting
Saturday, April 20th, 2013
(Hosted by Tomáš Zima, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University)
The meeting was chaired by Prof. Gul Guner Akdogan and the issues discusssed and finalized according to the agenda, are summarized below.
Agenda 1. Welcome, Apologies
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Apologies were received from the ex-officio members of the Education Committee (Alan Fersht, and Jaak Jarv) and from the co-opted member, Peter Ott. Israel Pecht (IP),Tomas Zima (TZ), Keith Elliott (KE), Wolfgang Nellen(WN), and Angel Herraez(AH) were present and the meeting was chaired by Gul Guner Akdogan (GGA).
2. Presentations of the two new members, Wolfgang Nellen and Francesco Michelangeli 3. Review of the Minutes of Cambridge Meeting (19 December, 2012) The minutes of Cambridge meeting were reviewed and accepted as true minutes of the meeting. 4. Discuss Strategies for Promoting Undergraduate and Post-Graduate Education in Europe –(Francesco Michelangeli’s suggestions and Skills Document)(FM) :
Key skills (scientific and practical) Main points from the discussion groups at the Cambridge workshop on ‘innovation in molecular bioscience education’, Dec 2012. x There is no alternative to wet lab practicals, but virtual / computer practicals can be used to aid or reinforce specific aspects of the lab practical. x Practical skills are required for bioscience research based employability x Data analysis skills (experimental design and paper writing) x Practicals can also help with teamwork, help support theory, scientific thinking, training in being precise and rigorous. List of skills and experiences we thought are essential to molecular bioscience degrees: x Pipetting x Making solutions, pH and buffers, dilutions, etc x using statistics x calibrations curves (spectrophotometry, etc) x microscopy x asceptic techniques x purification methods x analytical methods x safety implications x chemistry is important to biochemistry degree Also help with non-lab skills: x communication skills (lab write up/ reports) x data interpretation (also knowing about accuracy of data and their limitations). x using databases x experimental design x developing mathematical skills x helps integrate information across modules Alternatives to wet lab practical classes: x bioinformatics and use of databases x public engagement projects x critical analysis needs to be incorporated into any literature-based project (possibly incorporating data analysis). x Educational projects (designing demonstrations, etc)
5. EU Project- Tentative Outline (GGA)
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GGA followed on what was elaborated during Cambridge ED- An outline of a project entitled:
Promoting Molecular Life Sciences (MLS) Education in Wider Europe: Which Skills, Training and Career development for Quality Enhancement
The tentative outline, with some questions and potential points for discussion was the following:
Tentative Outline of Application for a Grant under
“Erasmus for All”, Horizons 2020 (2014-2020)
(To be Discussed)
1. Proposed Title of Project: x Promoting Molecular Life Sciences (MLS) Education in Wider Europe: Which Skills, Training, and Career Development for Quality Enhancement? x OR Promoting Bioscience Education in Wider Europe: Which Skills, Training, and Career Development for Quality Enhancement? x OR Promoting Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education in Wider Europe: Which Skills, Training, and Career Development for Quality Enhancement? x OR......
2. Project acronym:......
3. Aim and objectives: Aim: To promote Molecular Life Sciences education in wider Europe Scope: - Levels: High school?-BSc?-MSc?-PhD? - Include or exclude molecular life sciences education in: Schools of Natural Sciences? In Medical Schools? in other Health-Related Schools? We are strong stakeholders of (molecular) bio-sciences. We should include (as we are the experts!) everything that touches bio-sciences. - Wider Europe: Which Countries? Keep our concentration on eastern Europe? - ......
Objectives (to be discussed):
x Build a Thematic network of Molecular Life Sciences (MLS) Education in Europe- with the help of FEBS Constituent Societies x Define the skills needed from a molecular life scientist x Define core knowledge needed from a molecular life scientist x Develop a document defining the expected outcomes of molecular life sciences education that will ensure that graduates have the competences needed for employment within and outside of academia.
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x Map Molecular Life Science curricula from selected regions of Europe-investigate and analyse the curriculum trends in MLS x Adress issues such as standards, outcomes, mobility, transparency and comparibility of qualifications (Bologna has resulted in anything but transparency and comparability. Educators in bio-sciences should be the ones that decide and determine what knowledges and skills are required. x Address the Bologna process x Develop an innovative (template) core curriculum (including content and educational methods) conforming to the criteria of the Bologna process Bologna has to be flexible. Teaching methods change and what is best may be different tomorrow (see Hattie). It is sufficiently difficult to define contents (e.g. what is really required today: understanding or just the skills to do something or even the skills to use a kit?). The definition of educational methods is even more difficult because what is right today maybe wrong tomorrow). What we may need is a “code-of-conduct” for educators, what their aims should be and how they may reach them – but the latter should only be suggestions and we should appreciate individual teaching skills and methods. x Promote European molecular life sciences education in wider Europe and internationally, and to encourage international students to do their studies in Europe x Develop a network for sharing knowledge and experience beyond Europe x Education requires a basis in society. We cannot promote bio-science education without the support by society. Keep in mind that large parts of society are anti- science (correlates with developmental status of a country) and that anti-science attitudes are actively (and successfully!) promoted by anti-science groups. Public understanding of science (including schools) is a prerequisite for successful education at universities and for the appreciation of science in society. x ......
4. Select the Programme and the Action (For FP7 it could have been Erasmus Mundus Action 3 Promotion of European Higher Education) http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus (OR, it could be thematic network building) For FP8 (Horizons 2020), it may be “Erasmus for All” or another suitable programme. Priority area: Deadline for Call : Programme Guide: will be determined Amount of Grant: about €300.000 ?? (over 2 or 3 years) This depends very much on the program. We may develop 1 to 5 courses as “demonstrations”, run them as pilot courses in different countries and do a comparative evaluation. This will definitely require more than 300.000. If we include schools and “science and society” it would be even more. Partners that develop courses, carry them out, groups that do the evaluation/documentation etc. Partners have to be motivated (via money!) to participate. The
6 group should not be too large. 5 or 6 countries with one “pilot university” each would be sufficient.
The Committee agreed that such a project on the European level is needed because the education and training of molecular life scientists to a high standard is critical to the advancement of science, innovation, productivity, wealth, and social cohesion of European society.
It was agreed to limit the scope of the project to Europe and to limit the level to BSc and MSc levels.
It was agreed to include molecular life sciences education in schools of natural sciences, medical schools, and other health-related schools.
The amount of budget should be around 1, 000,000 Euros (the budget would be finalised later) and it was agreed to ask FEBS treasury for financial support for getting professional help for the preparation of such a project (around 15, 000 Eoros).
6. Report on CV Support Activities (KE)
KE gave a report of the CV support activities that he had been undertaking at every FEBS Congress since 2008.
7. Report on Cambridge Workshop (FM)
FM gave an extended report of the Cambridge Workshop (december 2012) which was presented in the 2012 Annual report.
8. Update on 2013 Educational Activities:
Updates on the following events were made by GGA. The reports of these workshops are presented further below .
x St Petersburg 2013 FEBS Congress (Workshop on Monday, July 8th) x Gdansk Workshop– Saturday, July 13th, 2013 (AH-GG) x Tbilisi Workshop – 8-9th October 2013 x Sofia revisit and WS- 22nd November 2013 9. Planning for 2014 Educational activities:
GGA introduced the following events for 2014
x FEBS-EMBO Conference, Paris x Workshops in 2014 (Belgrade and Szeged) 10. Collaborations (IUBMB; IFCC; Wiley-Blackwell)
To continue the collaborations with IUBMB, it was agreed to write a project proposal to IUBMB Education Committee for Gdansk Workshop on Teaching Molecular Evolution.
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With IFCC, it was agreed to co-organise a Symposium on “PhD training in Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine” during World-LAB Congress in Istanbul (July 2014). With Wiley-Blackwell, it was generally agreed to collaborate during the FEBS Education Workshops - up-loading relevent chapters (in relation to the topic of the Workshop) from Wiley on FEBS Education Platform.
11. Any Other Business and the Next Meeting of the Committee
The next meeting of the committee was decided to take place in Paris during the FEBS- EMBO 2014 Conference (September 2014).
4.Representation at FEBS EX-COM Meetings, FEBS Council and at WGI visits GGA represented FEBS Education Committee and gave reports during the Rome EX-COM Meeting and the St. Petersburg EX-COM Meeting and Council. In addition, GGA joined the WGI visit to Belgrade in October 2013.
5.Educational Activities
The activities of the Education Committee in 2013 encompass the educational events during St Petersburg FEBS Congress, and education workshops: Gdansk Workshop on “Teaching Molecular Evolution”, and Tbilisi and Sofia Workshops on “Molecular Life Sciences Education”.
5.1.Educational Activities during FEBS St Petersburg Congress 2013
At the 38th FEBS Congress, the FEBS Education Committee organised a workshop entitled ‘Molecular Life Sciences Education for the Needs of Industry’ and a poster session on education in molecular life sciences. In addition, CV advising activity was also performed.
5.1.1.Workshop: Molecular Life Sciences Education for the Needs of the Industry
Introduction:
It is important in the fast-changing, international modern world that universities are aware of what industry requires of its workforce so that graduates are appropriately prepared to continue their careers. These requirements encompass not only scientific skills, but also non-scientific skills such as communication and commercial awareness. This workshop looked at the issues from three perspectives: - Industry’s needs – what does an industrial company look for in its recruits? - Developing academic research into applied science and commercialisation. - The university perspective – how can students be prepared for the needs of industry?
Programme:
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July 8, 2013 17.00 – 17.05 Gül Güner Akdogan (Izmir, Turkey), Keith Elliott (Manchester, UK) Introduction 17.05 – 17.40 Detlev Riesner Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Qiagen, Germany What the industry expects from molecular life sciences graduates? 17.40 – 18.15 Ruth Arnon Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel From basic research to applied science 18.15 – 18.40 Tomas Zima Prague University 1st Faculty of Medicine, Czech Republic How medical schools prepare students for the industry? 18.40 – 19.05 Panel Discussion (Co-Chairs and Speakers)
The workshop looked at scientific and generic skill requirements, such as communication and commercial awareness, for career success not only within but also outside of academia. Following a brief introduction by Keith Elliott (FEBS Education Committee), the talks of the workshop presented three perspectives on this topic: industry’s needs (what does an industrial company look for in its recruits?); how academic research could be developed into applied science and commercialisation; and the university perspective (how can students be prepared for the needs of industry?). At the end, there was an opportunity for open discussion between the speakers and the audience to share experiences – for example how different countries tackle the problems and how industry and academia can work together. Prof. Ruth Arnon’s inspiring illustration from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences set an excellent example of how academic research could impact on industry. Prof. Detlev Riesner pointed out that the percentage of PhD holders being recruited in universities was relatively low: though figures differ between countries, in Germany, for example, only 4% of PhD graduates were finally recruited as professors, and 2.5%, as permanent staff. The rest (93.5%) pursued careers outside universities. These overwhelming figures stressed very well the need for collaboration between universities and industry. It was also agreed that universities should plan ways of preparing students for industry, for which Prof. Tomas Zima from Charles University First Faculty of Medicine described an excellent working model. Attendance: This workshop was very well attended, with around 100 participants at all career stages and with representatives from both industry and academia. We hope it not only inspired university academic staff to work more on the issue of industrial collaboration, but also motivated young scientists to think more effectively about the translational potential of their research. Educational Resources: Wiley-Blackwell (the publishing partner for FEBS Journal) offered book chapters on subjects related to the workshop through a website linked to the FEBS education platform and the workshop participants were able to download these chapters.
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5.1.2. Poster session: It involved all posters related to education in molecular life sciences and provided an interactive platform for discussion. Some of the interesting posters presented were: ‘European funding for talented life scientists from anywhere in the world’ (European Research Council, Brussels, Belgium), ‘Careers and Research Performance of PhD Program Graduates of Health Sciences in Turkey’ (Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir), ‘Why Iranian students prefer doctoral education in Turkey’ (Hacettepe University Ankara, Turkey), and ‘Promoting deep learning in biochemistry by diversifying assessment strategies – experience at the university of Hong Kong’ (University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam).
5.1.3. CV Advising Activity: Finally, in the traditional collaborative activity between the FEBS Education Committee and the Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF), Keith Elliott provided CV advice to 35 YSF participants, which will help the young scientists in their bright future careers.
5.2. EducationWorkshops 5.2.1. FEBS Education Workshop - Gdaŷsk, July 2013 Description This workshop was agreed between FEBS Education Committee (lead by its Chair, Prof. Gül Güner) and both Prof. Jarosųaw Marszaųek (Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, a joint centre of University of Gdaŷsk and Medical University of Gdaŷsk) and Prof. Igor Konieczny (Dean of IFB). These local organisers coordinated the Education Workshop in conjunction with other activities (described below), making an extended event spanning 4 full days. Mainactivity:FEBSEducationWorkshopon“TeachingMolecularEvolution” The workshop was held on 13 July 2013, morning and afternoon (see schedule) Due to limitations in running the practical session, half the attendants followed that session in the afternoon on 14 July. Associateactivity:“MolecularEvolutionResearch” This was held on 14 July 2013, morning and afternoon sessions. Additionalactivity:“XIXBiotechnologySummerSchool” This covered the following two days (15 and 16 July) and was devoted to “Teaching soft skills – how to write a good grant” Parts A and B were jointly organized by x FEBS Education Committee (with kind support of FEBS Science and Society Committee) x Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdaŷsk and Medical University of Gdaŷsk x Polish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology x Foundation for the Development of Gdaŷsk University Part C was organized by Foundation for Polish Science. Venue All 3 activities over the 4 days were located in a building of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology (Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdaŷsk, Poland).
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Attendants
Target audience was PhD students, young scientists and academics involved in biochemistry and related biosciences, with an interest in understanding and teaching molecular evolution. 50 people registered for the event. This is the summary of demographics:
Centre of origin: Gdaŷsk rest of Poland Houston, TX, USA N 36 (72%) 11 (22%) 3 (6%)
Position: student PhD student PhD N 26 (52%) 19 (38%) 5 (10%)
Programme Full program is available at http://www.bss.ug.edu.pl/?tpl=schedule&lang=en Abridged program: FEBS EDUCATION WORKSHOP ON TEACHING MOLECULAR EVOLUTION 1st day (Saturday, 13 July) Morning sessions: Introductory lecture “Evolution: from modern to functional synthesis” – Jarosųaw Marszaųek (University of Gdansk, Poland) Lecture “Laboratory molecular evolution” – Dan Tawfik (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel) + brief discussion Lecture “Discussing on the origin of life as an educational tool in biochemistry” – Juli Peretó (Valencia University, Spain) + brief discussion In silico practical (for group A): “Molecular evolution illustrated using protein structure” – Angel Herráez (Alcalá University, Spain) Afternoon sessions: Lecture “Teaching metabolism with an evolutionary flavour” – Juli Peretó (Valencia University, Spain) + brief discussion Small group discussion (three small groups facilitated with the three trainers). Attendants could attend more than one group as they wished by rotating around the three rooms in ca. 30 min. time slots. Report to the whole group, general discussion and closing. 2nd day (Sunday, 14 July) Afternoon session: (after the “Molecular evolution research” sessions) In silico practical (for group B): “Molecular evolution illustrated using protein structure” – Angel Herráez (Alcalá University, Spain) Funding FEBS funded the expenses for lecturers of the 1st day (education workshop), combining support from Education Committee and Science & Society Committee. The local organisers provided material and economical support according to the usual terms specified in the agreement between FEBS Education Committee and FEBS Member Societies that apply for celebration of an education workshop.
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The additional activities in the extended program (B and C, 14 to 16 of July) were funded by the Gdaŷsk organisers with grants from other parties (EU European Social Fund, Foundation for the Development of Gdaŷsk University, Foundation for Polish Science, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG&MUG, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland, Polish Biochemical Society. UseofFEBSEducationPlatform(onlineresources) As it is usual with FEBS Education Workshops, a section was enabled in the online FEBS Education Platform to offer the attendants and trainers a means for disseminating documents and maintaining discussion, both during and after the event: x Slides from the speakers and additional reading material. x Discussion forums. x Complimentary book chapters related to education in biochemistry and the topics of the workshop, kindly offered by Wiley in support of FEBS Education Committee activities. As of 17 July, 17 attendants have registered to access the materials available in the platform, although they have not used the forums. A more detailed report about access and use of the platform may be obtained later from the webmaster, Prof. Peter Ott. Feedbackfromattendees A short feedback form was delivered to the attendants so they could assess their degree of satisfaction with the different lectures and activities, as well as with organisation issues. This is a common practice in all FEBS Education Workshops and helps us improve future activities. Following is the summary of results and some of the comments received:
Mean score, on a 1 to 5 scale (error bars span from min to max)
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1. Scientific sessions 1. Scientific sessions Morning sessions Morning sessions "Evolution: from modern to functional synthesis" – J. Marszalek "Laboratory molecular evolution" – D. Tawfik "Discussing on the origin of life as an educational tool..." – J. Peretó "Molecular evolution illustrated using protein structure" – A. Herráez Afternoon sessions Afternoon sessions "Teaching metabolism with an evolutionary flavor" – J. Peretó Small group discussion – Dan Tawfik Small group discussion – Juli Peretó Small group discussion – Angel Herráez 2. Organization of the workshop 2. Organisation of the workshop Registration process Materials provided (in printed form or online) Responsiveness of the organization team Facilities (lecture hall, computer lab, etc.) Lunches, coffee breaks 3. General evaluation of the workshop 3. General evaluation of the workshop Overall level of satisfaction
Comments on scientific sessions (1): – More “in silico” practical needed! Start from easy things to more complex bioinformatics analyses. I think it is very important for students who want to learn how to make their own future […] show them “how to move” in bioinformatics tools. – At the discussion, when there is a question to the lecturer, please give a microphone, because it’s hard to hear some questions (asking people usually talk too quiet). – I really enjoyed funny and cooperating presentation of Marszaųek and Tawfik, the best part of a day.
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– It was hard to follow the lecture of Dan Tawfik called “Laboratory molecular evolution” due to the lack of Powerpoint presentation. Comments on organisation (2): – Registration: There should be a possibility to choose roommates from your University. – There was no problem that there were no chairs during coffee breaks, but eating dinner [lunch] while standing is not so comfortable. – The idea of putting materials online on FEBS Educational Platform is a great one!
Reported by: Angel Herráez Member, FEBS Education Committee
5.2.2.Tbilisi (Georgia) Workshop on “Molecular Life Sciences Education” (8-9th October, 2013)
This workshop was agreed with Prof. Revaz Solomonia (AGB) during the FEBS WGI visit to Tbilisi in October 2012, where Gül Güner was a delegate. The special focus on this workshop was on introducing new trends in education as well as presenting tips for the future scientists, as requested by the Society. The Workshop was in the capable hands of Prof. Revaz Solomonia and his team and took place in Ilia State University.
On October 7th, the day before the workshop, the FEBS delegation met with the President of Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Prof. Otar Kvesitadze and members of the Association of Georgian biochemists.
Keith Elliott, Gül Güner Akdogan (FEBS education Committee) , and Mathias Sprinzl (FEBS WGI) were the workshop trainers . The Workshop was kindly supported by FEBS General Secretary, Prof. Israel Pecht.
There were around 45 participants from mostly Tbilisi –Ilia State University, Tbilisi State University, St Andre First-Called Georgian University, I. Javakhivhvili Tbilisi State University, Agricultural University of Georgia, I. Beritashvili Center of Experimental Biomedicine, and Tbilisi State Medical University.
Programme:
Following a short opening session by Revaz Solomonia and Israel Pecht, a general discussion was held on “Issues on Molecular Life Sciences Education in Georgia”.
Dr. Eka Ekaladze from Tbilisi State Medical University made a presentation on the state of medical education in their university. Ensuite, Dr. Lali Shanshishvili from Ilia State University described the BSc degrees in her university, with a comprehensive evaluation. A general discussion followed.
The next session was held on “Skills and key Knowledge Expected from a Molecular Life Sciences Graduate”. After a brief introduction of Dr. Keith Elliott, the participants broke-out into groups and discussed separately, after which reports were given to the whole group. Books donated from
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Wiley-Blackwell were presented to the volunteer reporters.
In the same afternoon, Dr. Gül Güner gave an overview on “Innovations in PhD training-European perspective”. The following sessions were focused on building on generic skills and on professional development in science. Tips were presented on: “How to write a research proposal” (Israel Pecht), “Applying to funds and programmes” (Gul Guner), “How to read and write a scientific article” (Mathias Sprinzl), and “How to write a CV: How to make the best of yourself?” (Keith Elliott). These talks were well-appreicated by the young scientists and lively discussions ensued.
On the second day, two main themes were treated: Problem-Based Learning in the morning, and biochemistry practicles in the afternoon. The PBL session was organised by Keith Elliott and Gül Güner, in a similar way as they have done many times: A brief introduction was given on PBL and its applications. The main characteristics of PBL were compared with other educational methods. Two different ways of approaching PBL, the first with a lot of freedom and the second, more structured, were presented. Keith Elliott demonstrated examples from application in Manchester and Gul Guner from Izmir. Then, the participants were divided into small PBL groups to discuss the cases.
FEBS Tbilisi Education Workshop participants with FEBS trainers (Oct 8-9th, 2013)
The afternoon session was on “designing laboratory practicals”. Following an introduction and
14 discussion of general concepts by Keith Elliott, Gül Güner introduced an innovative laboratory research practice: Special Study Modules. The use and usefulness of In silico practicals, dry practicals and wet practicals were discussed.
Feedback:
Oral and written feedback was obtained from the participants. Over 95 % of the participants rated the Workshop as “excellent”. Some comments quoted:
“Thank-you for such and interesting and useful workshop!”- “excellent workshop, thanks to all organisers”- “needed more time to discuss each item in detail”- “I got a lot of new and useful information from the workshop-thanks”.
All slides and reading materials from selected Wiley- Blackwell Book chapters were uploaded on FEBS education platform.
5.2.3. Sofia (Bulgaria) Workshop on “Molecular Life Sciences Education” (22 November, 2013)
FEBS Education Committee revisited a second time Sofia, the very first workshop of the Committee having been held here in 2008. This workshop was an annex to the stimulating St Kliment’s Days, organised by the Faculty of Biology of Sofia University. Prof. Mariela Odjakova, Dean of the Faculty of Biology, and Prof. Diana Petkova, President of the BBBA kindly hosted this workshop. Keith Elliott and Gül Güner (FEBS Education Committee) and Mathias Sprinzl (FEBS WGI) ran together this educational event. The participants (around 140) were mostly biology students, MSc and PhD students and young scientists, as well as some professors from the faculty, together with the international invited speakers of St Kliment’s days. FEBS team was happy to meet with some faculty who had attended the workshop in 2008.
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FEBS team and hosts – Sofia Workshop- 22 November 2013
The aim of the workshop was to promote molecular life sciences education by introducing new trends as well as working to strengthen the scientific skills of young scientists.
The programme involved a talk on “Innovations in PhD training- European perspectives” (Gül Güner), followed by “How to read and Write a Scientific Article” (Mathias Sprinzl), “How to Write a Project Proposal” (Gül Güner), and “How to Write a CV: How to Make the Best of Yourself” (Keith Elliott). A highlight of the Workshop was to meet with Prof. Ganka Kossekova (Sofia Medical University) who had organised the 2008 FEBS Workshop on Biochemistry Education. Her talk on “Molecular Life Science in Bulgaria-2008 FEBS Education Workshop and Beyond” encompassed, among other issues, many episodes of Bulgarian interaction with FEBS and IUBMB and how it impacted the scientific society in Bulgaria. As in Tbilisi, a session was held on “Key Knowledge and Skills expected from the Molecular Life Scientist”, including a short introduction and small group discussions. Books donated from Wiley-Blackwell were presented to the reporters of the small groups.
A gala dinner kindly hosted by the Dean Mariela Odjokova was offered to all participants and trainers.
Feedback:
80 % of the participants who filled in the questionnaire (90 participants) rated the workshop as
16 excellent.
Some of the comments (mostly from the students):
- “plan another one” - “to be held more often” - “the workshop should be in two days” - “everything was really professional. Thank-you for the experience” - “I am very impressed of you- Come back again, please” - “Everything was great. Thank-you for the opportunity to be here. Please come again”. - “It was very interesting and useful for us. Also, to know that there are people who want to help us to be more qualified. Thank-you:)”
Some participants of FEBS Education Committee Sofia Workshop-22.11.2013
5.3. Educational Activities Planned for 2014
5.3.1.Educational Activities during Paris FEBS-EMBO Congress
During the Paris Congress, two workshops on education are planned, one by FEBS Education Committee, and the other by collaboration between FEBS Education Committee and the French Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SFBMB). In addition, as traditionally, CV advising
17 clinics will be run by Dr. Keith Elliott.
Workshop 1: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014, 18:00-20:00 “What Skills and Key Knowledge to Expect from a Molecular Life Scientist? Organised by FEBS Education Committee Co-Chairs: Gül Güner, Frank Michelangeli
18.00-18.05 Introduction 18.05-18:25 Prof. Frank Michelangeli (Birmingham, UK) “What Skills to Expect from a Molecular Life Scientist?” 18.25-18.45 Prof. Jean Luc Souciet (Strasbourg, France) “What to teach in biochemistry? Results and prospects of a brief survey in French universities” 18.45-19.30 Small Groups Discussions Moderated by members of FEBS Education Committee 19.30-20.00 Presentations and Panel Discussion
Workshop 2: Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014 "New technologies to teach molecular life science" Organised by FEBS Education Committee and SFBMB Co-Chairs: Jean-Luc Souciet and a member from FEBS Ed-COM
18:00-18.05 Introduction 18.05-18.35 Quentin Vicens (Nice, France) “Peer Instruction: General view and Application to Specificity of Molecular Life Sciences” 18.35-19.05 Michael. E. Caspersen (Aarhus, Denmark) “The role of Peer Instruction in Educational Development” (Getting more scientists to revamp teaching) 19.05- 19.35 Neil Morris (Leeds) “Using technology to engage with students” 19.35-20.00 General discussion Supported by the company “Turning Technologies”: This company will provide us for free technology rental that would include all receivers and Response Cards for presenters and participants.
Education Workshops Planned for 2014
Workshop on Education in Molecular Life Sciences (Debrecen, Hungary)
24 August, 2014
The Hungarian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has proposed include the workshop within the framework of the next year annual conference of the Hungarian Biochemical Society, to be held in Debrecen, between August 24. and 28. It was decided to hold it as an “annex” to the Congress, to provide more focused time on education. It will be a one-day workshop. The main topics will be curriculum planning, designing laboratory practicals, problem-based learning, and research in undergraduate education. The coordinator for this Workshop from Hungary is Prof László
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Dux, and both Profs. Vértessy and Fésüs are in charge of the Hungarian Congress 2014 of Biochemistry. The workshop trainers will be from FEBS Education Committee as well as from Hungary and neighbouring countries.
5.3.2. Workshop on Molecular Lifes Sciences Education (Belgrade- Serbia)
This workshop was conceived during the WGI visit to Belgrade, which took place in October 2013. The coordinator for this Workshop from the Serbian Society is assistant professor Natalija Poloviđ from the Faculty of Chemistry University of Belgrade, Department of Biochemistry, who is the Secretary of the Serbian Society. The main topics, as requested from the Society, will be:
x Designing laboratory practicals x How to write a research proposal x Funds and programmes x Molecular life sciences education for the needs of the industry x What skills and key knowledge to expect from a molecular life scientist?
6. 50 YEARS OF FEBS AWARD FROM THE FEBS EDUCATION COMMITTEE:
This award is planned as an activity under the framework of the 50th year celebrations of FEBS. The guidelines for this education award were formulated previously and adapted to the present perspective. This award will be given once under the umbrella of the Anniversary celebrations.
SHORT-TERM TRAINING AWARD FOR MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION IN EUROPE
FEBS EDUCATION COMMITTEE
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Award Perspectives
This award aims to provide the awardee with educational opportunities (in a country from one of FEBS Constituent Societies) tailored toward specific home country needs. The awardee visiting the host-country institution studies aspects of undergraduate or post-graduate education that have the potential to promote and expand education programmes / courses/modules in biochemistry, molecular biology, and other bimolecular sciences in his/her home country institution and department.
Aim and Objectives
The award aims to promote molecular life sciences education in Europe to the highest quality at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.
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The objectives include:
x Assisting European educational institutions in improving and advancing the process of undergraduate or post-graduate education in the molecular life sciences x Facilitating placement of education training fellows in institutions (faculty, graduate school, research centre providing teaching…) able to provide excellent instructional experiences in areas of recognized home country need x Advancing the international exchange of information and skills in biochemistry, molecular biology and the molecular life sciences at large, and the same, in the context of broader areas, such as biochemistry and molecular biology education in medical training. x Contributing to the promotion of international understanding and exchange within Europe and with associate countries.
Award Description:
A Short-term Training fellowship will be awarded on merit, with preference for candidates from countries in need, in case of eligible applications. Mentoring will be provided by preceptors in institutions involved with undergraduate or post-graduate teaching within a Constituent Society country. Eligible areas of study include: innovative techniques in education (e-learning, distant learning…), educational methods (problem-based learning , project-based learning…) curriculum planning, designing laboratory practicals, evaluation systems, supervision/mentoring, quality and accreditation.. This study may be conducted in disciplines of molecular biosciences, as well as in educational disciplines, provided that they offer some association with a molecular-bioscience discipline. Although the major emphasis of this programme is to learn educational processes, the trainee may concurrently pursue some collaborative research interest with the host-institution research faculty. The time allocated to training in teaching should be at least 80 %.
The short-term training award is not provided for any of the following: basic or clinical research, degree-granting educational programmes, programmes that require tuition payments, grants for short-term courses or conference attendance, specialty training in residency programmes, training solely in laboratory/clinical procedures, or educational programs in schools of public health.
Eligibility of Applicants
Applicants for this programme must be faculty in biochemistry, molecular biology and other molecular life sciences from countries of FEBS Constituent or Associate Societies, possessing the following eligibility criteria: x Reside and work in their home countries at the time of application, acceptance and initiation of the education training award. x Provide evidence of membership of the Constituent Society (thus of FEBS) x Have a PhD or equivalent degree x Hold an academic teaching appointment in a school of science, engineering, or medicine, etc or postgraduate education institute/school. x Have at least three years of teaching experience in the home country following completion of their PhD (or equivalent) studies x Demonstrate competence in written and oral English (or in the language of the host country) x Have a position at the home country institution to which they will return upon completion of
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the programme.
Duration and Time of the Training Programme
The training programme will range up to two months and will be accomplished during the academic year 2014-2015.
Review Criteria
FEBS Education Committee reviews eligible applications and makes the decision for award. In reviewing applications, consideration is given to the following:
x Appropriateness and specificity of the educational programme proposed by the applicant and the endorsing home country institution. x The home country institution's plans for and commitment to utilizing the benefits of the fellowship to meet identified needs. x Assessment of the overall value of the fellowship experience to the individual, institution, home country, and the European Area. x Evidence that the applicant will be in a position to implement the proposed educational improvements upon return to the home country institution.
Award Announcement
Applicants will be notified of the final result of the review of applications no later than three months after the submission.
Conditions of Appointment
The Training Award recipient must accomplish his/her educational programme during the academic year 2014-2015. He/she is required to devote full time to the educational programme for which the fellowship was awarded. Any substantial change in the educational programme or a change in the host institution requires prior FEBS Education Committee approval. The Trainee is required to submit a final report upon completion of the programme, approved and signed by the Host Institution.
Financial Award
The Education Training Award is intended to cover subsistence and travel costs for the Fellow only; expenses incurred by dependents are not provided for. The daily subsistence allowance amounts to €70 per day. Travel costs will provide for a second-class two-way rail fare or a two-way economy flight between the place of residence and the host institution. The trainee is responsible for providing proof of health insurance during the visit period.
Application Procedure
Applications should be made by May 30th, 2014. Results will be communicated at the latest in three
21 months. The following documents should be accompanying the application form: 1. CV of the candidate 2. Programme of training visit 3. Nomination-support letter from the host institution, completed by an official of the home country institution. 4. Reference letter: must be completed by the applicant's head of department or equivalent
The applicant should submit the application to the Chairperson of the FEBS Education Committee both by e.mail and by post (and receipt will be acknowledged immediately):
Prof. Gül Güner Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry (Dekanlik Binasi 2. Kat) Inciralti-35340 Izmir-Turkey Phone: + 90 533 749 17 96 / + 90 232 412 44 03
Budget Requested from FEBS (50th anniversary budget): 5 000 Euros ( 60 days X 70 euros + travel )
7. Collaborations
As it was generally agreed, collaborations within and outside of FEBS were continued and new collaborations solicited. Within FEBS, collaboration with Science and Society Committee and with the Working Group on Integration has been fruitful. Within the framework of Paris 2014 FEBS-EMBO Congress, a new collaboration was started with the French Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, while Worldlab 2014 offered a platform for collaboration with IFCC and with ORPHEUS.
8. Conclusions
FEBS Education Commitee has made an effort to fulfil its misson of promoting molecular life sciences education throughout Europe. In spite of the reduction of budget due to the general economy strategy of FEBS, a number of high impact educational events have been successfully carried on, due to collaborations within and outside of FEBS. In addition, FEBS Education Committee has made an effort to reflect on its future path. FEBS Educaiton Committee is thankful to FEBS Executive Committee for its support.
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1
FEBS Working Group on Integration
FEBS WGI
Report 2013 2
Activities 2013
a) WGI meeting during the congress in St. Petersburg b) Visit in Georgia. Establishment of the Association of Georgian Biochemists (AGB) was celebrated on 7th of November 2013 in the Building of Georgian National Academy of Sciences under participation of its President Academician Professor Giorgi Kvesitadze. FEBS was represented by Secretary General Prof. Israel Pecht, Prof. Gul Guner, Chairman of Education Committee and Prof. Mathias Sprinzl, Chairman of the Working Group for Integration. About 60 members of the AGB participated in the meeting. Aims and missions of FEBS and AGB were presented and discussed. Young scientists were encouraged to seek contacts to research laboratories abroad before asking for FEBS support. c) Education Workshop organized by FEBS Education Committee under participation and contributions of Secretary General Prof. Israel Pecht and Prof. Mathias Sprinzl, Chairman of the Working Group for Integration took place on November 8.-9. in Tbilisi, Ilia State University. This well organized workshop, with participation of about 60 professors, postdocs and students, provided a very good opportunity for discussions of FEBS representatives with AGB members. d) November 6. -9. 2013 visit of Serbian Biochemical Society in Beograd by WGI. Participants from the FEBS were Güner-Akdogan, Chairman of the FEBS Education Committee, Mathias Sprinzl, Chairman of WGI, Tatiana Borisova, Member of WGI, Jerka Dumić, Member of WGI. From the Serbian side, the FEBS visiting group was accompanied by Prof. Dr. Mihajlo Spasic, President of the Serbian biochemical Society (SBS) and Prof. Dr. Marija Gavrovic-Jankulovic, General Secretary of the Serbian biochemical Society, who was mainly responsible for the local organization of the WGI visit. e) Several recommendations for SBS and FEBS arised from this visit. Additional effort should be made to: integrate students and researcher from all disciplines of life sciences under “umbrella” of SBS; increase the number of participants from SBS in FEBS activities (congresses, conferences, workshops); develop closer partnership between Universities and other life science institutions in Serbia and include regular seminar programs into curricula of Master and PhD studies; improve the information flow about FEBS activities to reach all members of SBS with special focus to young scientists. It was recommended that FEBS consider favoured treatment of applications from SBS, in frame of adopted FEBS rules, especially by support of Short term fellowships, Collaborative Experimental Scholarships and Summer fellowships for gifted, young Serbian scientists. Further it was recommended to organize an Education workshop in Serbia with emphasis on scientific networking and communication skills, biological databases, E-journals and E-teaching. FEBS visiting lectureship in Serbia can be intensified and realization of a 3+ FEBS Meeting of SBS with biochemical societies of neighbouring countries should be considered. f) Chairman of Education Committee and Prof. Mathias Sprinzl, took part in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Foundation of Institute for Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences 12. – 15. November in Poznan. This meeting and scientific symposium provided an opportunity to meet with the President of Polish Biochemical Society, Prof. Andrzej Dzugaj and discuss the joined actions of WGI and PBS in Belarus 3
and Ukraine. Meeting in Poznan provided an excellent opportunity for conversation with the members of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and many researchers in the area of life sciences in Poland. g) Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Faculty of Biology of the Sofia University “Kliment days”. M. Sprinzl took part in the symposium “Bioscience – Development and New opportunities” and delivered a FEBS lecture “Perspectives of Nucleic Acid Biosensors for medical applications”. During the visit in Sofia, Chairman of WGI, M. Sprinzl, met with representatives of Bulgarian Biochemical Society (BBS), Prof. Diana Petkova (Chairman) and Assistant Prof. Genoveva Nacheva (Secretary) and other Bulgarian biochemists. The meeting gave an excellent opportunity to meet young members of BBS who presented about 150 short lectures and posters during the meeting and to discuss their achievements, problems and perspectives. In the frame of the meeting an Education workshop took place in which M. Sprinzl participated as one of the lecturers.
Program 2014
a) Planned are WGI visits in Latvia, Ukraine (including West Ukraine) and Belarus (in cooperation with with Polish Biochemical Society). Contacts with Biochemical Societies of Bosnia-Hercegovina and Macedonia (J. Dumic) and Azerbaijan (T. Borisova) will be established. (An open issue remains the contact with Moldova and Albania) b) Participation of WGI in Education Workshop in Debrecen, Hungary (in cooperation with Education Committee). c) Participation of representatives of WGI in Annual Meetings of Biochemical Societies (dates have to be specified).
Suggestions for FEBS Executive Committee
a. Suggestions have to be made for the elections of a Chairman and two members for WGI. b. GDP/capita of CEE countries (as a basis for support of Hinari B countries). European countries with GDI/capita < 5000 US$, Hinari B countries, are: Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Albania and Moldova. c. Participants from Hinari B countries, which are regular members of FEBS obtain 50% reduction of registration fees for FEBS Congress 2014: (total limit is 20.000 €), d. Travel, registration fee and four day accommodation costs reimbursement for General Assembly delegates from Hinari B countries attending FEBS Congress in Paris. e. Reimbursement of Hinari B fees for electronic access to scientific literature.
FEBS Working Group on Women in Science (WISE) 2013 Activities
Acting FEBS WISE Chair: Cecilia Maria Arraiano, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal.
(1) The 6th Meeting of the FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award Committee
The FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award Committee met on 15 January 2013 in the Frankfurt Airport Conference Centre in order to decide the 2013 winner of the Award. Committee members were: Cecilia Arraiano (Chair of the meeting), Erik Boye, Matthew Freeman, Oscar Marin, Erich Nigg, Ana Tramontano, and Alfred Wittinghofer. Apologies from Ingrid Grummt were relayed, who was unable to attend. Also present: Gerlind Wallon (Deputy Director, EMBO); Rachel Coulthard (EMBO) – taking minutes.
The meeting had a fruitful discussion regarding the aim of this award. From the 28 nominations/re-nominations received from several countries, the 2013 Awardee was: Dr Geneviève Almouzni, Deputy Director of the Institut Curie in Paris, France.
The FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award recognizes and rewards the exceptional achievements of a female researcher in molecular biology over the previous five years. Winners of the award are role models who inspire future generations of women in science. Award: €10,000 and WISE statuette
(2) WISE activities at 2013 FEBS Congress, St Petersburg (also reported in FEBS News, September 2013)
(a) FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award and plenary lecture:
The FEBS|EMBO Women in Science Award 2013 was presented to Dr Geneviève Almouzni, Deputy Director of the Institut Curie in Paris, and the title for her talk was ‘The multifaces of chromatin assembly, a recipe that mixes new with old partners’. She gave an excellent lecture on her recent studies describing the underlying molecular mechanisms of chromatin.
Dr Cecília M. Arraiano gave a welcome in the name of FEBS and introduced the event, and Dr Gerlind Wallon, Deputy Director of EMBO, provided a short description of the selection procedure and historical background to the award, which is jointly sponsored by FEBS and EMBO. Dr Olga I. Lavrik, Head of the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry of Enzymes at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia, gave a few words of motivation focusing on the role of Russian women working in science. Dr Giacomo Cavalli, Investigator at the Institute of Human Genetics in Montpellier, France, was the nominator of this year’s winner, and gave a short laudation preceding the Plenary Lecture.
(b) Women in Science Career Lunch
A women’s career lunch was organized at the Congress site for 50 people (registrations for the event took place at the FEBS information desk). The participants came from a great variety of European countries. Career-related issues were discussed in small groups, each consisting of one or two female senior scientists plus younger scientists, and participants even exchanged addresses.
(c) The Women in Science (WISE) Seminar
Dr Cecília Arraiano introduced Dr Elizabeth Pollitzer, who gave the Women in Science Seminar at this Congress. She is Director of the genSET programme (www.genderinscience.org), an initiative run by Portia Ltd, which builds on the achievements of the now completed FP7-funded project. Portia Ltd UK is responsible for the European Gender Summit programme development and scientific content. The title of her talk in St Petersburg (of interest to men and women) was: ‘We need to talk about sex’. In her talk she used as an example the experience of genSET in trying to challenge scientists’ unquestioned adherence to the concept of ‘gender neutrality’. The well-attended seminar was followed by a discussion among the audience, and men and women talked about gender issues, especially in various cultural backgrounds. This event received very positive feedback from both the junior and more senior participants.
These FEBS Women in Science events at the Congress contributed to raising awareness of gender differences. The participants were able to reflect on this matter, focusing on the position of women in science and society. The presentations were followed by lively discussion among the audience.