Name: Mediterranean Life Sciences Union Annual Meeting (MedLIFE-24)
Date: 8–10 December 2024
Place: Congress Center of Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey/Hybrid
Submission deadline: 31 August 2024
Website: https://2024.med-life.org/index.php

It is a pleasure and an honor to invite you to attend the Mediterranean Life Sciences Union Annual Meeting (MedLIFE-24), which will be held in person and online from 8 to 10 December 2024, at the Congress Center of Istanbul Technical University. Researchers from all fields of life sciences, both in the Mediterranean area and throughout the world, are invited to present and discuss their most recent research discoveries at MedLIFE-24 and to publish their findings in the MedLIFE-24 proceedings.

After the remarkable successes of the Mediterranean Geosciences Union Annual Meetings (MedGU-21 in Istanbul, MedGU-22 in Marrakech, and MedGU-23 in Istanbul) that were aimed mainly at highlighting the contributions of the Earth Sciences community in addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it became obvious that there is a need to expand this global scale initiative to create extensive and comprehensive international annual meetings for other science unions in order to connect researchers and enable them to present and discuss their most recent findings.

With this objective in mind and as a continuation of the tremendous success of the MedGU Annual Meetings, which have attracted overwhelming interest with over 4000 abstract submissions from 95 countries, MedLIFE-24 will be organized to provide a forum for life scientists from the Mediterranean region and all over the world. Researchers, particularly those in the early stages of their careers, can be informed about the latest studies and discuss their latest unpublished findings with experts from the wide-ranging fields of life sciences.

Connecting and communicating the impact of life science research on sustainability is critical for shaping and influencing the future of life sciences, including training next-generation life scientists, accelerating scientific innovation, and advancing our understanding of life, the planet, and beyond. In this regard, life sciences should continue to play their specific role in achieving the SDGs. For example, the life sciences have been used in the health, medicine, and pharmaceutical industries to improve people’s quality of life. In addition, several SDGs directly or indirectly address the water–food–energy nexus, which has been a focal point for life scientists throughout history. Life scientists are, therefore, critical to delivering the SDGs. Their vast knowledge of the function and interactions of living organisms and their environments, together with their ability to translate this knowledge into tools to inform policy and practice, may help to enlighten many important areas and inform many key aspects of sustainable development.

In this context, MedLIFE-24 seeks to highlight and strengthen the synergies and links between various domains of life science and the UN SDGs. For example, SDG 3, “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being”, is one of the 17 goals and targets that is especially pertinent to life science. It represents the core of efforts towards sustainability in the field. Given their traditional focus on “purposive” research, life scientists have adopted and continue to pursue integrative approaches, for example, by complementing perspectives from natural and technical disciplines with those from the environmental and social sciences. They can thus offer expertise in integrating knowledge from the natural, technical, and social sciences to provide solutions for many of the global challenges posed by sustainable development.

MedLIFE-24, through engagement by life scientists in academia, research, industry, government, and civil society, working across sectors and in close partnership with other disciplines (e.g., engineering, earth science, environmental sciences, and social sciences), can inform many key aspects of sustainable development. MedLIFE-24 will host initiatives that allow life scientists to conduct transdisciplinary research with stakeholders. This could contribute to the development of theory since integrating academic and experiential knowledge from practitioners is crucial to achieving the transformation towards sustainability.

During MedLIFE-24, prominent speakers will be invited to give Plenaries. Moreover, we are planning a rich Conference Program, including regular and Special Sessions, a Social Program, and an Excursion to Cappadocia, where participants can take a little time out to explore the wonders of Turkey and discover new experiences and sensations.

As with the previous MedGU Annual Meetings (see SpringerLink), the research findings presented at MedLIFE-24 will be published in the conference proceedings by Springer in the IEREK Interdisciplinary Series for Sustainable Development ASTI Book Series (indexed in Scopus/SCImago) and in Special Issues; this is in order to encourage greater scientific cooperation and to open doors to new and enriching collaborations between life scientists on opposite shores of the Mediterranean and from all over the world.

MedLIFE-24 is looking forward to welcoming you to Istanbul. Your participation, in person or virtually, will support MedLIFE’s mission of ensuring a sustainable future for humanity in the region and the planet.

Join us for a memorable experience!

The MedLIFE-24 Steering & Organizing Committees