Final Programme

ESCMID – News from the President
Dear Colleagues and Members of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
I would like to join Professor Pierre Dellamonica and Professor Andreas Voss in welcoming you to
this year’s ECCMID. Judging from the great number of abstracts received it is likely to become one
of the largest ECCMIDs ever.
Clearly ECCMID has now become the major European congress of clinical microbiology and infectious
diseases. We feel that the Programme Committee has managed to gradually improve the scientific
quality with a very broad range of keynote lectures, symposia and free communications. This could
not have been achieved without the large number of high quality abstracts submitted during these
last years.
ECCMID is the most important means for ESCMID to serve its members. However, the Society
also has many other activities which the members can benefit from. Each year we support young
members, especially from Eastern Europe, so that they can attend ECCMID and other activities.
We also support several postgraduate courses in various parts of Europe. Another important
part of our activities is to support and strengthen Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
as medical specialities in Europe.
Our involvement in infection-related science is mainly through the ESCMID study groups, which
cover a broad range of topics. They offer opportunities for European scientists to co-operate,
communicate and present new findings during ECCMIDs.
During the last years the co-operation between ESCMID and the European Union has increased.
ESCMID has received a grant from the EU, which partly funds EUCAST (European Committee on
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing). This has enabled an intensified activity within EUCAST and the
Committee has been able, in a record time, to achieve consensus on susceptibility break-points of
most antibiotics within Europe.
ESCMID has also, together with the European Respiratory Society (ERS), become a partner in GRACE,
a large EU-funded research project on community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections.
ESCMID and ERS will be responsible for the educational activities within GRACE.
Both EUCAST and GRACE are important milestones for ESCMID since they mean that ESCMID is
now recognised as a full partner in EU-sponsored projects. The Society has also been recognised by
the new European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC where ESCMID holds a seat on
the Advisory Forum, the scientific council of the agency.
The strength of ESCMID depends on its membership. The more members we get, the stronger we
will become. I hope those of you who are not yet ESCMID members will consider the advantages
of joining us. Membership benefits include registration at a reduced price for all ESCMID events,
including ECCMID, eligibility for travel awards and access to our news service.
For more details on the advantages of being an ESCMID members come and visit us at the ESCMID
booth located on level 1 close to the main entrance.
I wish you the best of possible experiences in Nice during ECCMID.
Prof. S. Ragnar Norrby
ESCMID President
www.escmid.org/eccmid2006
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