Scientific exchange is key to advancing the life sciences. As organisers of this inaugural annual conference The EMBO Meeting 2009, we are excited to offer a forum where experienced researchers can exchange new developments and younger scientists can learn from respected leaders in their fields.

As main focus areas, reflected in three plenary sessions, this inaugural meeting will highlight the rapidly developing and intensely debated field of stem cell research; new insights into the signalling pathways underlying normal development as well as tumorigenesis; and the fundamental topic of chromosome dynamics, maintenance and evolution. Poster sessions and 21 workshops will further extend these themes, for example by covering the underlying cell biological processes such as adhesion, polarity, signal transduction and membrane traffic, or the mechanisms of modification, repair and regulated expression of the genome. Additional workshops will discuss current topics such as cell death, nanobiology or functional and evolutionary genomics, ensuring a blend of subjects relevant to present-day molecular biology under the auspices of eminent and up and coming researchers in these fields.

Amsterdam, capital of The Netherlands, is world-famous for culture, commerce and science. Known as a city of knowledge, Amsterdam boasts two universities and countless scientific laboratories and is home to headquarters of many multi-national companies and international organisations. As you wander the streets you'll find that parts of the city have the allure of a village, despite being in the centre of one of Europe's most influential capitals.

We are proud to present this stimulating programme to you and look forward to welcoming you to The EMBO Meeting 2009 in Amsterdam.

Hans Clevers NL	Stephen West UK