EMBL Alumni Iberic Chapter Reunion

Juan Valcarcel elected member of the EMBL Alumni Association Board, representing Alumni from Portugal and Spain has organized the first meeting of the "Iberic Chapter" in Barcelona.

The program includes time for discussions among alumni, research seminars by Angus Lamond, Chair of the EMBL Alumni Association, and Peter Becker, EMBL alumnus, as well as a "Science & Society" event lecture by Prof. Andreu Mas-Colell, a prestigious economist and former Minister for Universities and Research of the catalonian government, on the topic "Is basic science an economically profitable activity ?"

The main goals of the meeting are:
1) to provide updated information about the EMBL Alumni Association, its activities and opportunities for the future (including networking among urselves and strengthening links between institutes in our countries and EMBL),

2) to get organized to set up useful tools (e.g. web pages) for exchanging information, providing mutual support, etc.,

and 3) discuss possibilities to act as lobbying bodies to import features of the EMBL system into our national research systems.