First Regional Structural Biology meeting: Balkans and the South-East Mediterranean

Meeting

Date: 14-May-2021

Contact: Evangelia Chrysina

Instruct Partner

It has been recognized that researchers from European regions such as the Baltics and the Balkans are underrepresented as users of the structural biology services that are being provided by Europe-wide Research Infrastructures such as iNEXT-Discovery and INSTRUCT-ERIC, offering their extensive networking, training and access programs to external researchers.

We believe that the free access that is given to some of the best structural biology facilities world-wide is not only crucial for life science research, but also indispensable for addressing current and future societal challenges. Therefore, we see any non-inclusiveness as a potential weakness for the European Research Area, especially since these regions and their surroundings have developed strong local research programs over the past years.

In a first online "Regional Structural Biology Meeting" that took place on May 14th 2021, iNEXT-Discovery partners NHRF and NKI opened the discussion to address the potential of structural biology and European Research Infrastructures for a wide audience consisting of scientists, policy makers as well as administration representatives and other stakeholders from the Balkans and South-East Mediterranean.

Structural biology in the European science landscape was introduced by prominent scientists, ESFRI and the European Commission, and round table discussions focused on different topics such as research valorization, academic and industrial developments, strengthening and widening user communities and economic growth.

Organizing Committee

NHRF Evangelia Chrysina, Spyros Zographos, Georgios Spyroulias
NKI Anastassis Perrakis, Hans Wienk

AIMS

Increase awareness of EU-wide iNEXT-Discovery and Instruct-ERIC structural biology services
Emphasize on possibilities for remote access
Broaden the structural biology user community
Strengthen awareness and cooperation between European stakeholders

AGENDA

Session 1 (14:00 - 15:00 CEST)

14:00 - 14:05 Opening and scope (Dr. Evangelia Chrysina, 5’)

14:05 - 14:20 iNEXT-Discovery: Structural biology for translational research (Prof. Anastassis Perrakis, 15’)

Networking (data sharing, regional development, user communities, the general public, involving industry)
Opportunities for access to iNEXT-Discovery

14:20 - 14:30 INSTRUCT-ERIC: A European Research Infrastructure on integrative structural biology (Prof. Sir David Stuart, 10')

14:30 - 14:40 COVID19-NMR and structural biology facilities: initiatives and challenges (Prof. Harald Schwalbe, 10’)

14:40 - 14:50 Structural biology, Research Infrastructures and the context of Horizon Europe and regional support - view and news from the iNEXT-Discovery desk officer (Dr. Andreas Holtel, 10’)

14:50 - 15:00 The ESFRI perspective (Prof. Yannis Ioannidis, 10’)

Session 2 (15:00 - 16:00 CEST)

Stakeholders’ perspectives (breakout sessions and/or panel discussion & Topics for open discussion)

Valorisation of access to European structural biology RIs (access policies and funding schemes)
Regional structural biology RIs for economic growth, international cooperation, employability
How structural biology may strengthen/build partnerships with new users (non-structural biologists), the private sector and industry capitalising national investments (structural funds)

Session 3 (16:00 - 16:30 CEST)

Break / Q&A on iNEXT-Discovery and Instruct-ERIC services

Session 4 (16:30 - 17:00 CEST)

16:30 - 16:50 Results from the breakout sessions

16:50 - 17:00 Closure

Please use this link to register for the meeting (with registering for this event you accept that your name appears on our participation lists, and that you may be contacted by iNEXT-Discovery for evaluation of the event or for follow-up activity).

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