Scientific Meeting

A digital platform with an “Austrian touch”.

First virtual edition: The Scientific Meeting

200 participants, 31 live talks and 53 poster presentations – the summary of the first virtual scientific meeting.

The Wings for Life scientific meeting is held every spring. Scientists from all over the world travel to Salzburg, Austria to attend the high-profile conference. They present research projects, exchange ideas, and initiate new collaborations. In 2020, the pandemic necessitated the cancellation of the meeting at short notice. However, under no circumstances did we want to sit out another year. Hence why we moved the conference online and designed a digital event platform in an “Austrian style”, with the Wings for Life headquarters as the main stage and a beer garden for networking purposes.

Big thank you to the Brandmood team. The event specialists ensured that everything went smoothly on a technical level. The organisation committee is thrilled that everything went according to plan.

Three questions for our Scientific Director Prof. Jan Schwab, MD, PhD:

Professor Schwab played a key part in establishing the foundation in 2004.

1. How did you find the virtual scientific meeting experience?

It was a worthy Wings for Life symposium. Researchers from all over the world tuned in to the platform. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, even enthusiastic in some cases. Many discoveries and new insights prove that the effort was certainly justified.

2. What exactly happened during the three days?

The scientific meeting is a so-called “investigator meeting”. Wings for Life funded researchers report on the current progress of their projects, “fresh from the bench”. This includes completely new, unexpected, and unpublished results. Particularily, the unexpected ones can often lead to new discoveries. The covered areas cover the full translational spectrum and range from fundamental science, preclinical research to early clinical testing. It is encouraging to see funded projects approach early to clinical testing.

3.

Why is the scientific meeting so important for its participants?

It offers a precious opportunity to present and discuss early discoveries even before they are published. It facilitates direct exchange and criticism early in the process and is an excellent place for networking and cooperation. All these aspects improve a scientific project and increase the relevance for patients who are hoping for treatments.

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