INVITATION

 
Dear Colleagues and Friends;

It is a great pleasure and honour for us to invite you to Vienna to attend the 53rd ERA-EDTA Congress in 2016, which will be held in cooperation with the Austrian Society of Nephrology. In addition many other societies with similar interests will join us as well. In line with a long standing tradition the scientific programme committee, this time chaired by Prof. Danilo Fliser from Homburg (Germany), is working hard to make this event again a memorable one by complementing up to date research sessions with diverse educational symposia. The Austria Center Vienna, the congress venue, can be reached conveniently from the historic city center (Stephansplatz) within 7 minutes by underground transportation. It is located within a few minutes´ walk from the river Danube and the Donaupark, a popular leisure area, and it has the capacity to host 20.000 delegates. It offers 24 fully equipped lecture rooms, 180 meeting rooms and 22.000 sqm of exhibition space.

Vienna is a modern city in the heart of Europe, which nonetheless was able to preserve its historic charm. Located near the city center one of the most famous buildings is the Vienna Secession built by Joseph Maria Olbrich, the dome of which can be seen on the front page of this announcement. The Vienna Secession was formed in 1897 by a group of artists (among them Gustav Klimt, Kolomann Moser and Josef Hoffmann), who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists because of the prevailing conservatism. Above the entrance visitors can read “To every age its art. To art its freedom”, which symbolizes the Secessionists´ desire to explore the possibilities of art outside the confines of tradition. The main theme of the Congress “from big data to personalized therapy – biostatistics meets molecular medicine” somehow mirrors this effort. The Vienna congress will focus on new ways on how research methodologies might change in the near future and why Nephrology is on the top list of areas that can benefit from these developments.

We all hope that you will join us at this event and share some great days of education and science but also use your visit to enjoy one of the most beautiful cities located in the heart of Europe.