B·Debate opens call for proposals to select top-notch scientific debates for 2014

They must be international events that promote debate, collaboration and the open exchange of ideas and knowledge among experts in the life sciences arena

15/05/2013

 

B·Debate-International Center for Scientific Debate Barcelona, an initiative of Biocat and the "la Caixa” Foundation, has opened its call for proposals for the 2014 calendar of activities. Since it was created in 2010, B·Debate has aimed to promote top-notch international scientific meetings in Catalonia to drive debate, collaboration and the open exchange of ideas and knowledge among experts and organizations of nationally and internationally renowned prestige. This call for proposals is geared towards renowned scientists and experts with links to research bodies in Catalonia that work in the field of the life sciences.

The debate proposals must especially focus on the values promoted by B·Debate:

  • Frontiers of science: generating new cutting-edge knowledge in the life sciences. Identifying strategic challenges and new fields of research and study.
  • Social impact: contributing innovative solutions that improve the conditions and quality of life of people and their environment. 
  • Internationalization: high level of international participation, both in terms of the areas of science dealt with and the participating speakers and organizations. 
  • Multidisciplinary: Approaches from transversal and complementary areas of science and disciplines. 
  • Barcelona-Catalonia: participation of researchers with links to local research bodies (speakers and participants). Promoting collaboration and consolidation of networks of national and international stakeholders, organizations and experts.

The standard format for B·Debate activities follows these criteria:

  • 2 or 3 days long
  • Closed sessions (participation with personal invitation only) 
  • Maximum 50-60 participants 
  • Participation from international organizations and speakers 
  • Program including portions geared towards generating debate

B·Debate’s contribution encompasses anything from the joint creation of the scientific program and complementary actions related to the proposal through to covering agreed upon economic expenses, which vary in each case and may include:

  • Travel and accommodations
  • Venue 
  • Food and transportation 
  • Organizing non-scientific activities 
  • Technical secretariat and general coordination
  • Press and communications office
  • Actions to spread and raise awareness of scientific issues

Proposals must be submitted online, from 15 May through 6 September 2013 (inclusive), and will be evaluated by the B·Debate Scientific Committee and selected based on their degree of excellence and how well they fit with the values promoted by B·Debate.

Rules and regulation, call and submission form: http://www.bdebate.org/convocatoria

This year, B·Debate is organizing twelve debates in Barcelona with more than 300 renowned experts from around the world. The first, to kick off the calendar of events, is Advances in Plasmodium vivax Malaria Research with the New York Academy of Sciences, the "la Caixa" Foundation and ISGlobal on 28 and 29 May. The rest of the debates will be in the second half of the year, covering key topics in research like epigenetics and cancer, antimicrobial resistance, the impact of nanotechnology on the development of diagnostic technology and therapeutic solutions, and the impact of ageing on mental health and quality of life, among others.

Twelve debates were also held in 2012 with some twenty organizations, 210 speakers (60% from abroad) and 1,085 participants. The scientific leaders included Dr. Manuel Galiñanes (Vall d'Hebron Hospital and VHIR), Dr. Óscar Vilarroya and Dr. Adolf Tobeña (Autonomous University of Barcelona), Dr. Jordi García-Mas (Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics), Dr. Mara Dierssen (Center for Genomic Regulation), Dr. Maria V. Sánchez-Vives (Institute for Biomedical Investigation August Pi i Sunyer), Ferran Sanz (GRIB-UPF-IMIM), Susana Santos (Institute of Photonic Sciences), Cristina Villanueva (Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology), Jordi Camí (Pasqual Maragall Foundation) and Xavier Bosch (Catalan Institute of Oncology).

Questions:
Biocat
Laia Arnal (Head of Research and Scientific Debate)
larnal@biocat.cat
Tel. +34 93 310 33 30