On behalf of the Executive Committee, we are pleased to invite you to attend The 13th Annual Meeting of the European Council for Cardiovascular Research (ECCR), which will be held from Friday 10th - 12th October 2008 in La Colle sur Loup, Nice, France.


All active workers in the cardiovascular field are encouraged to participate and it is the wish of the Executive Committee that the conference will attract both basic scientists and clinicians.


The programme will include a number of keynote speakers, oral presentations, workshops and hot topic sessions. Considerable time is set aside for critical discussion and posters. The conference is thus intended as a forum for critical analysis of the latest research results.


Although the programme will be decided on the basis of the topics of the submitted abstracts, presentations and general subjects will include:


• Metabolic disease
• Genetics
• Cardiac biology
• Atherosclerosis
• Signal transduction/receptors
• Clinical hypertension
• Renal function
• Endothelium
• Vascular biology
• Renin-angiotensin system

Abstracts are now invited for this meeting (deadline: Friday 6th June 2008). A number of scholarships will be available for young investigators (under 40 years of age) whose abstracts are accepted for the meeting. Those eligible to compete for these scholarships, which will cover the costs of registration and accommodation, should indicate this on the abstract form. As in previous years, prizes will be given for the best oral and poster communications.


We look forward to your active contribution to what we hope will again be an exciting meeting in support of cardiovascular research in Europe.

Martin Paul
President