FEBS

Societies are asked to contact the Chairperson
of FEBS Education Committee for future
potential workshops. The Education Committee
also organizes joint activities with other FEBS
Committees or Working Groups as well as with
education committees of other international
organizations such as IUBMB. The Committee also
disseminates educational resources for teaching
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and it promotes
innovative education methods. FEBS Education
Committee runs a website, the “FEBS Education
Platform”, containing a number of resources from
workshops and symposia it organizes or compiles
(http://edu.febs.unibe.ch/). Some of the material
is freely available and some courses are accessible
only with an access key ( ) which can be
obtained from the FEBS Education Committee.
Science & Society
The FEBS Science & Society Committee intends
to discuss and advise the Executive Committee
to address potential societal problems emerging
from the advancements in molecular biosciences.
The committee promotes participation in public
debates and makes on behalf of FEBS general
recommendations how to deal with all relevant
issues related to Science & Society, including
the ever-increasing ethical aspects of research.
FEBS also seeks to interact with other scientific
organizations and societies engaged in similar
activities, including joint workshops and debates
at the annual FEBS Congress.
FEBS Working Groups
The FEBS Working Group on Careers of
Young Scientists. The main activity of this
working group is in coordinating a yearly event,
the “Young Scientist Forum (YSF)”, an international
scientific meeting organized by young scientists
as a satellite for the annual FEBS Congress. The YSF
aims at promoting the career and international
network building of about 125 participants fully
supported by FEBS. The Forum offers a unique
opportunity to discuss projects, meet colleagues
and build a network among those that will be the
next generation scientists and leaders. Participants
include PhD students and early post-docs who are
also the main actors (speakers, organizers of round
tables) of this event. Round table discussions
addressing the various aspects of a scientific career
take place during the YSF and at the main FEBS
Congress as a “YSF session”. Additional activities
include: Counseling by e-mails and collaboration
with the IUBMB and EMBO. FEBS now sponsors
up to 20 participants in the EMBO Laboratory
Management Courses. These courses aim at the
training of young group-leaders in complementary
skills such as leadership, communication, staff
selection and effective problem solving.
The Working Group on Women in Science
aims to explore ways for FEBS’ engagement on the
topic of Women in Science (WISE). The activities of
the working group are to facilitate awareness on
the issues of women in science and to encourage
people to participate actively in the promotion
of gender equality in science. Initiatives are
undertaken with the aim to expand the prospects
for women to pursue a career in science. Workshops
on WISE issues take place at the main FEBS
Congress and a women’s career lunch is organized
where groups consisting of female senior scientists
and participants discuss personal career related
issues. Finally, an annual FEBS/EMBO Women in
Science Award is presented to a woman working
in the molecular life sciences, acknowledging her
exceptional achievement and inspiring future
generations of women scientists.
The Working Group on Integration (WGI)
explores ways of improving conditions of
researchers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
The WGI promotes integration of life-scientists
in the latter countries. It undertakes exploratory
visits to them and provides reports containing a
comparative analysis of the state of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology. The WGI suggests measures
to be taken both by FEBS and local governmental
bodies to improve the quality and competitiveness.
The WGI helps to encourage participation of CEE
countries in FEBS activities and organizes lectures,
whereby distinguished scientists are invited to
present new research or educational information,
as well as information on the benefits available
from the Federation.
The deadlines for all ONLINE applications are on:
March 1 & August 1 in each calendar year
All applications must be submitted online via the
FEBS homepage. Detailed information and all
guidelines are available at the FEBS website
www.febs.org
FEBS
Federation of European Biochemical Societies
A Global Charity Supporting Science &
Education in the Molecular Biosciences
Dear Colleagues:
FEBS is Europe’s leading scientific organization in the field of the molecular life sciences, with more
than 45.000 members of 46 National Biochemical Societies active all the way from Ireland and
Iceland in the west to Armenia and Azerbaijan in the east. Thus, FEBS provides a voice to a large part of
the academic research and teaching community in Europe and beyond.
FEBS publishes three world- renowned scientific journals: FEBS Journal, FEBS Letters and Molecular
Oncology, to which a new open access journal was added very recently - FEBS openbio. These serve
as platforms for presenting the most recent discoveries in the life sciences and also generate the
means for funding our Federation’s activities, ranging from fellowships for graduate and postgraduate
students, to the organization of courses, workshops and conferences, and the annual FEBS
Congress. The 2012 FEBS Congress shall take place in Seville, Spain, jointly with IUBMB, and all of you
are invited to participate (www.iubmb-febs-2012.org). Further activities address the promotion of
modern biochemistry and molecular biology education, advancing careers of women in science and
of young scientists as well as assistance in integration of developing communities such as those in
parts of Eastern Europe.
Of paramount importance is the advantage FEBS has in maintaining a close relationship with
thousands of its Constituent Societies’ members. Through the exchange of ideas and information
among its members, as well as through a constructive and collective opinion formation process,
we aim to provide thoughtful and influential input towards the development of European scientific
policies. Furthermore, an effective dissemination of scientific information understandable to the
layperson and to the public at large, about new scientific discoveries and achievements, are crucial
elements in the ongoing discussions on the role of science, especially in issues related to quality of
life and health. Taken together, all these and other important activities substantially contribute to the
promotion of scientific excellence mainly, but not exclusively, in Europe.
Winnie Eskild FEBS Chair 2012
Israel Pecht
FEBS Secretary General
Contact Info
FEBS Secretary General’s Office is located at the Weizmann Institute of Science,
Rehovot, Israel. All further contacts are available on the FEBS website.
www.febs.org
FEBS – A Global Player in Science
For many years, FEBS has been entertaining close
ties with the International Union of Biochemistry
(IUBMB). FEBS has been contributing to science
policy-making. Collaborative instruments such
as the Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE) or the
European Life Science Foundation (ELSF) have been
catalyzing the creation of the European Research
Council (ERC). The future will also bring networks
with related scientific organizations operating in
Asia and the American continent, underscoring
the global importance of FEBS as a scientific
organization promoting bioscience development.
FEBS Congresses
FEBS Journal
Published by WileyBlackwell, The FEBS Journal publishes full-length
research papers and reviews in all areas of
molecular life sciences. It is among the leading
journals in biology & biochemistry and has been
named a Rising Star (Thomson Reuters Science
Watch 2008) among them. Focus disciplines also
include bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics,
molecular and cell biology, systems biology as
well as signal transduction. Each year a prize is
awarded to a young scientist who has published an
outstanding paper in FEBS Journal.
ISI Thompson Impact Factor for 2010 is 3.129
http://www.febsjournal.org
FEBS annual Congresses are one of the most
visible activities of the Federation aiming to
present, especially to the younger generation,
a broad spectrum of the latest developments in
the molecular life sciences. The FEBS Congress,
held annually in countries that have a constituent
society of the Federation, provides a platform for
scientific presentations, discussions and exchange
of data and ideas. FEBS Congresses provide
opportunities for the presentation of original
communications in symposia and workshops.
Featuring approx. 2000-3000 attendees and a
showcase of the newest advances in biochemistry,
the annual FEBS Congress is one of the larger lifesciences congresses in Europe.
FEBS Letters
The next FEBS Congress will be held in Seville (Spain)
September 4th-9th 2012.
Published by Elsevier, highlights
new discoveries, approaches, as well as technical
developments, in basic, clinical discovery-driven
translational cancer research. The journal also
provides an international forum for debating
cancer issues, and for integrating the input of all
stakeholders. Molecular Oncology‘s News section
includes regular updates on new developments
in Cancer Research Infrastructures (biobanks,
databases, genomic resources).
ISI Thompson Impact Factor for 2010 is 4.25
www.iubmb-febs-2012.org
Guidelines and detailed information on the
application procedure to host the Annual FEBS
Congress are available at: www.febs.org
FEBS Publications & Publishers
The FEBS Publications Committee coordinates
the cooperation with two leading publishers,
Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell, publishing three
prominent FEBS journals in molecular life sciences
and translational cancer research, in addition to
its open access online journal. We invite scientists
to consider publishing their primary research in
FEBS publications, each covering a certain area
and offering distinctive advantages over other
competitor journals.
Published by Elsevier, FEBS Letters
enjoys international reputation for the rapid
publication of short reports in many areas of
Molecular Biosciences, and has recently become
the first journal to publish Structured Digital
Abstracts interlinking novel proteinprotein interaction data directly with
interaction databases. Each year an
award is given to a young author of a
paper published in FEBS Letters.
ISI Thompson Impact Factor for 2010 is 3.601
http://www.febsletters.org
Molecular Oncology
http://www.moloncol.org
FEBS Open Bio
FEBS Open Bio is a new online-only,
author-pays, open access journal for
the rapid publication of articles in the
molecular and cellular life sciences in both health
and disease.
http://ees.elsevier.com/febsopenbio
FEBS Fellowships
The FEBS Fellowships Committee coordinates
the FEBS Fellowships Programme that was set up
in 1978. Since then the programme has come to
be known as a highly competitive and prestigious
one thanks to the rigorous selection used and the
package FEBS offers fellows.
FEBS fellowships and scholarships are stipends
available to members of a FEBS Constituent
Society seeking to work in a different FEBS country
to that in which they are working or, in the case of
Return-To-Europe fellowships, to resume working
in a FEBS country.
FEBS offers Short-Term Fellowships (of up to three
months), Long-Term Post-Doctoral Fellowships
(of up to three years), Collaborative Experimental
Scholarships for Central & Eastern Europe (for
PhD. students from currently depressed economies
of Central and Eastern Europe for short visits to
well-equipped laboratories in Western Europe in
order to perform experiments they are unable to
carry out in their home laboratory due to a lack of
resources), Summer Fellowships (for students and
very young researchers interested in using their
free time in summer to upgrade their scientific
experience in a foreign laboratory), and Return-toEurope Fellowships (for post-doctoral scientists
currently working outside Europe and wishing
to return to the European area for a second postdoctoral position). In addition, FEBS has a special
Fellowship: Follow-up Research Fund through
which it offers support to particularly successful
long-term FEBS fellows in order to help them start
an independent research career in their country of
origin after completion of their fellowship. A FEBS
Distinguished Young Investigator Award is given
in recognition of excellent research conducted by a
recipient of a FEBS Long-Term Fellowship.
All applications must be submitted to the
Chairperson of the FEBS Fellowships committee.
Detailed guidelines and instructions as well as
deadlines can be found at: www.febs.org
FEBS Advanced Courses
The FEBS Advanced Courses Committee (ACC)
evaluates in a competitive process all applications
to organize FEBS events, usually in countries
in the wider European region with FEBS or
Associated Societies. The main decision criterion
for supporting events is the quality of scientific
programmes. Furthermore, successful proposals
require a strong emphasis on training elements
for young scientists. All organizers are encouraged
to seek collaborations and co-funding with other
scientific societies.
The instruments include FEBS Advanced
Lecture Courses and Joint FEBS/EMBO Lecture
Courses. These must address training needs
and the interaction of young scientists with
invited lecturers through tutorials, student talks,
posters and group discussions. New collaborative
instruments such as Joint FEBS/IUBMB Summer/
Winter Schools are foreseen for the year 2012.
FEBS Practical Courses and Combined Practical/
Lecture Courses must have strong hands-on
training elements in the programme, and provide
extensive tutoring of young scientists.
Finally, Workshops & Special Meetings focus on
timely scientific topics at the highest possible
levels, attracting both senior and junior scientists
from all over the world.
Young Scientists (PhD students & Post-Docs within
5 years after obtaining a PhD) wishing to attend
FEBS Courses or Workshops are eligible to obtain
support through Youth Travel Funds (YTFs) or
Transcontinental Youth Travel Funds (Trans-YTFs)
to cover participation in FEBS events. Trans-YTF
Grants are only available for young scientists from
Asia, North & South America, and Africa. Special
guidelines apply.
Education
The FEBS Education Committee promotes training
and education of highest quality in Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology from undergraduate to
postgraduate levels. Educational activities are
pursued during the annual FEBS Congress and as
educational workshops in FEBS member countries.
Such events, if possible, are timed to coincide with
national meetings of Constituent Societies. The