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The 2015 Annual Conference of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry

KENJI INAGAKI

Kenji Inagaki

I'd like to take this opportunity to say a few words about the forthcoming 2015 Annual Conference of the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology and Agrochemistry.

This is the first time that the Annual Conference will be held in Okayama, and it will be organised by the Chugoku-Shikoku Branch for the first time since the 2004 Conference held in Hiroshima. The Conference will take place at two venues, the Hotel Granvia Okayama, which is directly connected to the JR Okayama Station, and Okayama University Tsushima campus, which is a convenient seven-minute bus ride away. As our hundredth anniversary draws near, we look forward to a large attendance and hope that the event will stimulate new developments in bioscience, biotechnology and agrochemistry.

Now, I would like to introduce our plans for the Annual Conference.

The Conference will be held over four days from 26 March (Thursday) to 29 March (Sunday). The first day will feature an awards ceremony, award lectures, the JSBBA ‘Chemistry and Biology Symposium’ and a social gathering, all held at the Hotel Granvia Okayama. Similar to last year, the social gathering will be held within the hotel, thus eliminating the burden of moving to a different location. During the Chemistry and Biology Symposium that primarily targets senior high school students and members of the general public, we plan to hold a “mini excursion tour” to Okayama Castle and Kōraku-en for those who cannot participate in the symposium, so please come and participate in this event.

General presentations and affiliated exhibitions will be held at the Okayama University Tsushima campus from 27 March to 29 March. Please note that Okayama University is a non-smoking campus, so there will be no smoking areas throughout the campus. Following from last year's Annual Conference, general presentations will be delivered using computers and LCD projectors. We seek your cooperation in ensuring that the presentations run smoothly. We plan to host our customary luncheon seminars in collaboration with various enterprises and organisations. We also intend to hold a luncheon symposium entitled JABEE and Gender Equality. We hope that you all actively participate in these symposia. On the afternoon of 28 March, we will host the Industry, Academia and Government Academic Exchange Committee Forum to further promote industry collaboration. In addition, we will organise a free evening mixer to offer participants the chance to engage in casual exchange.

The JSBBA Junior Conference, an event that offers high school students an opportunity to share their research presentations, will be held for the tenth time. We hope to have a large attendance of members, including educational and student members. This year's presentations will begin at 10:30 a.m., so we have decided to invite students who can stay at the hotel for the previous night to participate in the JSBBA Chemistry and Biology Symposium.

On the final day of the Conference (29 March), 23 symposiums will be held during morning and afternoon sessions concurrently with general presentations. The theme for this year's symposiums is ‘bioscience, biotechnology and agrochemistry at the heart of interdisciplinary research and new technological innovation’. The symposiums will follow the concepts of ‘pioneering next-generation bioscience, biotechnology and agrochemistry through interdisciplinary research’ and ‘contributing to regional revitalisation through global bioscience, biotechnology and agrochemistry research’. We hope that the symposiums will generate lively exchange and stimulate further research development.

On the evening of the final day of the Conference (29 March) and the following day, the ‘Frontiers Symposium’ that targets young researchers will take place at Yunogo Bishunkaku, a hotel in Yunogo Onsen. The hotel is located on the outskirts of the City of Mimasaka, a 40-minute bus ride from the meeting venue. This year, we plan to host an excursion for participants to visit ‘Biomass Town Maniwa’. We hope that the event will provide valuable opportunities for exchange between young researchers. We also warmly welcome graduate and undergraduate students to join the tour.

The Organising Committee is led by faculty members from Okayama University and assisted by many JSBBA Chugoko-Shikoku Branch members. We will allocate duties among the committee members and prepare to ensure that the event is well-received by those in attendance. Please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Secretariat or the JSBBA Secretariat if you would like to pass on any comments or if there is anything you are unsure about.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to many enterprises and organisations that have donated funds or will contribute exhibits, participate in luncheon seminars or display advertisements for the Conference. It is my ardent hope that this year's conference in Okayama will greatly contribute to the development of bioscience, biotechnology and agrochemistry research and technology, deepen exchange between our members and provide opportunities for young researchers to achieve great strides.