This year the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting takes place for the 68^th time, but for the first time in the newly renovated “Inselhalle”. For the last two years the meeting took place at the city theater and thus counted fewer participants. The “Inselhalle”, however, renovated for more than €50 million, now offers enough space for a record-breaking number of participants and Nobel Laureates: 39 Laureates and 600 young scientists from 84 nations are coming together in Lindau from June 24^th to 29^th – a larger and more diverse crowd than ever before. This years meeting is dedicated to Physiology/ Medicine. In addition to scientific core topics such as the inner clock and gene modified organisms, there will be dedicated session to the topics of science communication in times of “fake news” as well as the scientific practice of publishing journal articles.

Scientists as ambassadors of knowledge

The Lindau meeting was officially opened Sunday afternoon, among others, by German federal Minister of Research and Education, Anja Karliczek. A major point of her welcoming address was asking the researchers to improve their communication with and for the public: “Especially in times of easy answers and fake news I would like to hear strong scientific voices. Nobel Laurates and young scientists, you are ambassadors of knowledge in a free society that cannot be deterred by populist’s agendas.” Moreover, Karliczek stressed the importance of international collaboration in research – no single scientist or country would be able to solve the problems of today by themselves.

Representing the Free State of Bavaria, State Minister for Science and the Arts Marion Kiechle also attended the official opening. Furthermore, Austrian Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research Heinz Faßmann also joined the festivities. Moreover, numerous representatives of national and international scientific academies where also at the opening, including the academy president from South Africa, Mexico, Norway and the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina).  

Reducing the carbon footprint

Hostess and president of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, Countess Bettina Bernadotte, also welcomed the participants and simultaneously highlighted the importance of an environmentally friendly and sustainable conference: “Although many of you arrived by plane, because we feel personal exchange is very important, we aim to counteract these carbon emissions by supporting the local Degermoos marshland restoration project, which will bind carbon dioxide from the air and help minimize our carbon footprint.”

The Nobel Laureate meeting has been vocal in its efforts to counteract climate change for years. Alreadz in 2015 they published the “Mainau Declaration on Climate Change”. In fact, throughout the conference, there are no plastic bottles, cups or cutlery used in order to minimize waste.

New location offers new programme possibilities

The newly renovated Inselhalle offers new opportunities for the meeting: For the first time, the event offers parallel sessions such as the so-called Agora Talks. Here, the Nobel Laureates will answer questions from the audience. Moreover, during “Science Walks” the Laureates and young scientists can exchange ideas while taking a walk throughout Lindau.

Lastly, there are also a number of events for accredited members of the press, such as a press talk by recent Laureates Michael Rosbach and Michael Young, who received the Nobel Prize last year for their work deciphering the inner clock and circadian rhythm. Furthermore, there are a number of panel debates and other forums for discussions regarding personalized medicine as well genetic modification both in health care as well as agriculture. 

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting has been taking place at Lake Constance since 1951 and has since become a unique forum for international exchange across the life sciences.

jmr