Conference organizers

Leibniz Association (Leibniz-Gemeinschaft)

The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community, known as the Leibniz Association, is the umbrella organisation for 86 institutions conducting research or providing scientific infrastructure. Some 7,100 scientists and scholars work in the humanities and social sciences, economics, spatial and life sciences as well as in mathematics, the natural and engineering sciences and in environmental research. Altogether, ca. 16,000 people are employed at Leibniz Institutes, which have an annual budget of 1,3 billion euro.

Characteristic of the Leibniz Association is the enormous diversity of themes addressed by the institutes as well as its decentralised organisational structure: by far the majority of institutes are scientifically and organisationally independent. They conduct strategic, theme-based research and constantly strive for academic excellence and social relevance.

Within the Leibniz Association, 28 Leibniz institutions work together in the Leibniz Network on Biodiversity (LVB). It was founded in 2008 and combines the competences of Environmental Sciences, Economic and Social Sciences as well as Life Sciences. Scientists from the network focus themes of most important relevance for our society, give guidelines to the public opinion and advise policy makers to find efficient solutions and best practices for sustainable development and for realising biodiversity goals.

German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina is the world’s oldest academy involved in natural sciences. It was founded in 1652 in the Free Imperial City of Schweinfurt. Since 1878, it has been seated in Halle on the Saale river. The Leopoldina was appointed Germany's National Academy of Sciences in July 2008. Scientists are elected members who represent subject areas corresponding to the Leopoldina’s section structure and who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating academic excellence.

The Leopoldina

• as the National Academy advises the government, the parliament, and the public about socially relevant scientific issues.To this end ad-hoc commissions and working groups are appointed to issue statements and recommendations;
• represents German scientists in international academy circles and maintains links with scientific institutions in other European and non-European countries by organising mutual events or by cooperating in bodies such as the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), the Federation of the European Academies of Medicine (FEAM), the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP), the All European Academies (ALLEA), as well as with the national academies in the G8 countries; and
• promotes cooperation among researchers by organising a large number of meetings and symposia, biennial conferences (Jahreskonferenzen) and assemblies (Jahresversammlungen), as well as monthly lectures and seminars on the history of science;
• supports the training of junior scientists under the Leopoldina’s Fellowship Programme (Leopoldina-Förderprogramm), and promotes young scientists in the Young Academy (Junge Akademie).

To this end, the Leopoldina organises scientific events, all of which are open to the public and the proceedings of which are published. It drafts evidence-based recommendations concerning matters of social and political relevance, which are submitted to an interested public and to political decision-makers. The Leopoldina also publishes printed material and maintains a library and an archive.

Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F)

The mission of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre(BiK-F) is to carry out internationally outstanding research on the interactions of organismal biodiversity and climate. Using a broad spectrum of state-of-the-art methods from satellite-supported remote sensing of climate, area and ecosystem reactions to advanced genomics and mass spectrometry, the scientists of the centre document and analyse past and present patterns and processes with the goal of providing reliable projections of future developments.

The Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre integrates the multi-faceted expertise required for the in-depth investigation and management of climate-related biodiversity changes, including those that are relevant to the environment and health. It thereby contributes to the goals of international agreements at the regional, European and global levels, e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Fauna-Flora-Habitat or the Water Framework Policies of the European

The Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre has been established within the framework of the Hessian initiative for scientific and economic excellence (LOEWE) in 2008.

in collaboration with

The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research)

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research) a government-funded research organization, under the administrative authority of France's Ministry of Research.