Dear Young Scientists,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 15^th annual FEBS Young Scientists' Forum (YSF) in Berlin from July 2 to 4, 2015.

The YSF was first established in 2001 by FEBS as a satellite meeting of its annual Congress. It gives young scientists the chance to meet and discuss their work with peers in a smaller group and friendly atmosphere. As well as providing them with a platform for presenting their science, the YSF offers young researchers an important opportunity to obtain career advice from those who are experienced group leaders. Our interactive, round table session will also offer training in vital skills such as scientific writing, provide vivid discussions on career development and highlight opportunities on how to successfully apply for post-doctoral grants or positions among other issues.

The prestigious speakers will give a keynote lecture during the YSF 2015:

Prof. Dr. Hermona Soreq, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, pioneers diverse molecular biomedicine approaches for exploring the mechanisms underlying stress-associated diseases.

Prof. Dr. Ana Pombo, from the Humboldt University and the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology at Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), who studies epigenetic regulation and chromatin architecture.

Dr. Lori Passmore, from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, aims to establish fundamental principles underlying the assembly of multi-protein complexes involved in mechanisms such as addition and removal of mRNA poly(A) tails. She further intends to define the structures of these complexes and gain insight into their activities and regulation. 

PhD students and postdoctoral fellows are welcome to submit applications, if they fulfil all of the following criteria:

• be up to 35 years of age, except if studies were started later, or were delayed by maternity leave (18 months per child), prolonged illness or other personal reasons
• be registered as a PhD student/postdoc at an institute of higher learning in a country where there is a FEBS constituent society or have completed a PhD within the last 5 years 
• submit an abstract to the 15^th YSF and to the FEBS 2015 Congress as first author. Both events should be attended. 
• be a member of a FEBS constituent society 
  www.febs.org/index.php?id=74
• have not received a grant from FEBS to attend a YSF in recent years, a FEBS YTF award to attend a FEBS Advanced Course or Workshop in 2015, or a bursary to attend the FEBS Congress in 2015

The successful YSF 2015 applicants will be registered and have their abstracts automatically submitted to the 40^th FEBS Congress. YSF grants can only be used to support participation in the YSF and FEBS 2015 Congress. Grants will cover registration, accommodation in shared rooms and up to 80% of the travel costs (for both the YSF and the FEBS 2015 Congress). Awards will only be made to support travel from the applicant’s current country of residence in the FEBS area to Berlin. The amount awarded will be based on the distance travelled and the most affordable options.

We look forward to meeting you in Berlin!

YSF 2015 organising committee
Dr. David Yadin, Fabian Gerth, Olga Herdt, Janine Lützkendorf, Jan Wollenhaupt, Claudia Gras

Chair of the organising committee 
Dr. Karine Santos

Chair of the FEBS working group in career of Young Scientists 
Prof. Claudina Rodrigues-Pousada 

Supported by