THIRD EUROPEAN CONGRESS FOR THE BARCODE OF LIFE BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 17-21 SEPTEMBER 2012
FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT : December 19th, 2011
The European Consortium for the Barcode of Life (ECBOL), the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) and the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) invite you to join us for the 3rd ECBOL conference under the theme “Barcoding of organisms of policy concern”. The congress will take place at the “Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts” which is located in the historical center of Brussels, next to the Royal Palace and within walking distance (10 min) of the Brussels Central Railway station. The congress will adopt the format and style of previous ECBOL congresses. The congress organization is in the hands of the Joint Experimental Molecular Unit (JEMU), the shared DNA barcoding research team of RBINS and RMCA, funded by the Belgian Science Policy (BELSPO).
The congress is financially supported by BELSPO, through JEMU, and the Fund for Scientific Research – Flanders (FWO), through the “Belgian Network for DNA barcoding”, a collaborative network of 21 Belgian research groups and laboratories that are involved in DNA barcoding activities, and of which ECBOL and CBOL are also members.
The congress is open for all contributions in the field of DNA barcoding, and will comprise a papers session, plenary speakers, and a poster session with posters on display throughout the conference. The conference will run over three days during the week of 17-21 September (exact period has to be decided). It will start with an “icebreaker” at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) which is within walking distance of the congress venue. The scientific presentations are then planned in sessions on the following two and a half days. During the poster presentation there will be a reception with typical Belgian appetizers and, of course… a selection of Belgian beers! The conference dinner will be on the last evening of the congress at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA). During the meeting, there will be a half-day meeting of the Network of European Leading Laboratories (NELL).
The congress organizers will try to arrange favorable deals for hotel accommodation with selected hotels in the city center of Brussels as close as possible to the congress venue, but participants can make their own arrangements. The congress venue is close to the Brussels Central Railway station, with international train connections from France, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the UK. There are also regular train and bus (No. 21) shuttles to Brussels International Airport. The congress venue is at 100 m of metro station "Troon/Trône".
Congress fees will include registration, abstract book, icebreaker, congress dinner, lunches, drinks and the poster reception. There will be reduced fees for students and early bird registrations.
The congress website will soon be activated, but here below we already list some websites that may be relevant so that you can already start planning your trip!
THE CONGRESS VENUE….
The congress will be held at the “Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and the Arts” .
a glance at the congress venue….
THE HOSTING INSTITUTIONS….
THE ROYAL BELGIAN INSTITUTE OF NATURAL SCIENCES (RBINS)
The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences will be the location for the “icebreaker”. For more information on the museum: http://www.naturalsciences.be/
THE ROYAL MUSEUM FOR CENTRAL AFRICA (RMCA)
The Royal Museum for Central Africa will be the location for the congress diner. A bus shuttle will pick you up from the congress venue and will drop you off after the dinner. For more information on the museum: http://www.africamuseum.be/
BRUSSELS….
No need to introduce Brussels… but anyhow, the capital of Belgium, home to the European Union Parliament and a central place in Europe. Easy to reach by plane, train, bus or car… Brussels has a wealth of museums and is internationally known for its Art Nouveau architecture. You may already have had lunch in the upper sphere of the Atomium, had a good beer on the Grand Place or visited the Sint-Michiels cathedral, but…
… have you already experienced a nice meal at the Matonge quarter (located close to the congress venue), visited the flea market at ‘Les Marolles’ or strolled the Antique market near the Zavelkerk?
If you already wish to update your knowledge on Brussels, visit the following websites:
About Brussels :
http://www.brussels.be/
http://visitbrussels.be/bitc/front/home/display/lg/en/section/visiteur.do
http://www.trabel.com/brussels.htm
http://www.belgiumtheplaceto.be/brussels.php
SEE YOU IN BRUSSELS! !
The JEMU Team
Contact information of conference coordinators:
Thierry Backeljau
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS)
Vautierstraat 29
B-1000 Brussels
Belgium
Email: thierry.backeljau@naturalsciences.be
Marc De Meyer
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA)
Leuvensesteenweg 13
B-3080 Tervuren
Belgium
Email: marc.de.meyer@africamuseum.be</p>