All Set for "Green"

The largest European congress for plant researchers to take place this year, the Plant Biology Congress Freiburg 2012, will be held at the University of Freiburg in Germany from 29th July until 3rd August 2012. Topics covering fundamental questions of plant growth as well as applied research on nutrition, biotechnology, bioenergy and worldwide climate change will be addressed in over 600 scientific contributions.

Not only will there be prominent scientists from Europe, USA, Japan and New Zealand taking part, prominence in the area of politics is also expected, notably German Federal Minister Annette Schavan, BMBF Berlin/Germany, EU Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, Brussels/Belgium and Hans Schlegel, Speaker of the European Space Agency (ESA) Astronauts at the NASA Space Center in Houston, Texas/USA who will be giving an account of his experiences in space.

The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG), in addition to financially supporting the Congress, will be offering advice to scientists on the formulation of grant applications. Various organisations will be providing information on “ERA-CAPS”, the new European initiative supporting excellent networks in plant biotechnology. Special workshops will be dealing with plant research in space, with new teaching methods and with career options for young plant scientists. The Congress will be rounded off with an extensive exhibition by publishers and companies.

Already the preparations for this event have historical significance for experts in the field as this will be the first joint Congress of the two largest European societies for plant sciences, namely the Federation of European Societies for Plant Biology (FESPB) and the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO).

The fact that both societies conferred on the initiators and local organisers, University of Freiburg Professors Heinz Rennenberg (Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences) and Ralf Reski (Faculty of Biology and FRIAS – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies), the task of implementing the Congress attests to the high regard that plant sciences in Freiburg has as a whole. At the technical level the Congress is being managed by “kongress & kommunikation gGmbH”, located in Freiburg/Germany.

Accredited journalists will have free access to all scientific events and exhibitions as well as the opportunity for interviews with scientists of their choice. Liaison and support will be provided by the press office of the University of Freiburg. Up-to-date information about the Congress can be found online on http://www.plant-biology-congress2012.de.

Press Accreditation and Organisational Information:
Katja Lemke
kongress & kommunikation gGmbH
Hugstetter Straße 55
79106 Freiburg / Germany
Tel.: +49 761 21680818
Fax: +49 761 21680817
Email: lemke@kongress-kommunikation.de
Scientific Organisation:
Prof. Dr. Heinz Rennenberg
Institute of Forest Botany and Tree Physiology
University of Freiburg / Germany
Tel.: +49 761 203 8300
E-Mail: sabine.pregger@ctp.uni-freiburg.de
Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski
Department of Plant Biotechnology
University of Freiburg / Germany
FRIAS – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
BIOSS – Centre for Biological Signalling Studies
SGBM – Spemann Graduate School for Biology and Medicine
Tel.: +49 761 203 6969
E-Mail: pbt@biologie.uni-freiburg.de