A word from...

Jerzy Langer, Chair of the ESOF Programme Committee

As one of the founders of EuroScience, I am very proud and happy to see how ESOF has grown to what it is today in 2016. Quite rapidly ESOF has become the major European interdisciplinary public gathering focused on science and its link with the economy and society. It has also become a unique place at which top scientists can talk to not only to each other, but to science policy makers, young science enthusiasts and ordinary citizens. It is a platform for public debate, where the most important matters shaping our societies are discussed in the context of how scientists think and work.

In 2016 our conference is structured around nine key themes, each of which will be featured in the newsletter in the lead-up to ESOF. This edition focuses on 'Healthy Populations' - which explores our health and well-being.

Healthy populations is one of the largest strands at ESOF and will cover issues such as personalised medicine, child well-being, microbiomes, humanitarian medicine, eHealth and data issues and antimicrobial resistance. The strand includes contributions from New Zealand paediatrician and Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, and Professor Ada Yonath, recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and best known for her pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome.

In the strand there are some 19 sessions across the three main days of the conference which guarantees to offer insightful discussion around the leading topics. So we would like to invite you to come to Manchester to experience ESOF where you can meet Nobel laureates, like-minded scientists, researchers and those just starting out in their careers.

The next plague – preparing for global pandemics

Our global lifestyles continue to expose humanity to unprecedented health threats, not just from ‘traditional diseases’ but also increasingly from new pathogens, zoonoses and newly-evolved varieties of disease, such as the Zika virus.

In this session, Dr Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific Officer Johnson & Johnson, Sir Andrew Witty, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline and Professor John Watson, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England will discuss the factors that contribute to pandemics and  examine the role of private industry, government and NGOs in prevention and addressing pandemics.

Read more about this session here.

Image: Ebola Virus, Global Panorama

Regression to the pre-antibiotic era: time to panic?

The resistance of micro-organisms to antibiotics is one of the most important threats facing public health. It may render many of the therapeutic drug breakthroughs of the last century powerless against infectious diseases. Given the rapid development of resistant microbes and new strains of viruses it is crucial to find new interventions to manage these threats.

The panel, including Nobel laureate in Chemistry Professor Ada Yonath, will discuss the underlying causes of resistance from an evolutionary and ecological perspective as well as at the genomic level.

Read more about this session here. 

Image: Ada Yonath

bluedot Ticket Winners

The lucky 400 winners of our bluedot competition have now been selected and will be enjoying the Saturday line-up of this amazing new festival.

We have recently notified winners of their success so if you haven't heard from us then unfotunately on this occasion you have not been successful.

bluedot will be held at the iconic Jodrell Bank, and features a stellar lineup including headline acts Jean-Michel Jarre, Caribou and Underworld with Air having just been added to the bill.

More information on the full line-up, Jodrell Banks and tickets can be found on the bluedot website.

ESOF Branding Toolkit

As ESOF draws nearer you may want to get more involved in the conference and show your support for it by advertising that you are taking part in the activities in July.

With this in mind we have created branding and digital communications packs which will allow you to show your support, whether you're a speaker, exhibitor, delegate or sponosor. Included in the packs are our logos, branded PowerPoint slides, digital posters and much more.

We appreciate all the support we have had to bring this conference to the UK and we would like to invite you to share your involvement in ESOF.

You can download the branding kit here.

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