Third time lucky: SPP Zurich coming on 7-8 May 2021!
Last year, we decided to postpone our SPP in Zurich to May 2021, and - believing that third time’s a charm indeed - we stick with this decision. We’d really love to see all of you in person! But times are uncertain and ask for extra caution. We plan to organise an online conference.
So, finally, SPP is “coming” to Switzerland for the first time ever! SPP 2021 will be taking place “in Zurich”, bringing together ~250 representatives of the research community. This time, our scientific discussions will focus on how science & industry can support each other, work together, and inspire a change. As always, we will bring together the Polish scientific diaspora from all over the world - but the event is open for everyone! More information coming soon. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter (below) to make sure you don't miss any updates.
Keep calm & Curie on!
Polonium Team
Abstract book
When & where?
7-8 May 2021
(instead of 25 - 26 Sept 2020,
instead of 15 - 16 May 2020)
We’re in Zurich in spirit, but the event is happening ONLINE = all over the world!
Unlimited space to join us online, with interactive options, online workshops and more!
If you have any questions regarding the event or registration process, email us at spp2021@poloniumfoundation.org
Tickets? Nope, it’s FREE!
Regardless of the scenario.
It’s been a tough year and we’re just nice like that.
(But, as this year has been tough for us as well, we will really appreciate voluntary donations from those of you who are in a position to support our mission. Check out the ‘Support us’ tab if you would like to chip in.)
The terms & conditions of registration and attendance are available here.
Talks & poster sessions
This year’s conference will have sessions focused specifically on science & business, but interdisciplinarity is what makes our conference special!
We want to create a space for students and researchers to connect and share their experiences, challenges and ideas.
We invite abstracts from students and researchers from various scientific disciplines, including humanities, life sciences, physical and applied sciences, computer sciences or social sciences, in the form of talks and poster presentations.
Find out about other people’s research or present your own work in the form of poster presentations or 10 minutes talk.
Each year the best poster and presentation are recognised by a dedicated jury and by the public’s vote.
This year’s PRIZES include:
cash prizes
in-kind prizes: two cameras Nikon Z 50 Kit 16-50 mm 1: 3.5-6.3 VR DX, kindly sponsored by Nikon
Deadline to submit an abstract (7 April 2021) has now passed. You are welcome to register as a non-presenting attendee - we hope to see you there!
Keynote speakers
Magdalena Skipper
Editor in Chief, Nature
Maciej Lewenstein
The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Castelldefels
Invited speakers
Eli Lilly & Company
Gene therapy delivery systems – recent advancements and remaining challenge
Magdalena Filipowicz-Sinnreich
University Hospital Basel
Deciphering immunological processes within the gut-liver axis
Michal Januszewski
Google Research
Connectomics: automating brain mapping with machine learning
Adam Izdebski
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena and Institute of History, Jagiellonian University in Krakow
What triggers a climate crisis? Lessons from natural and historical archives
Rafał Kamiński
OncoArendi Therapeutics
Ensuring success in drug discovery and development – how to minimize attrition
Marcin Pietrzyk
Unit8
Applied Artificial Intelligence - The story of Unit8 - solving business problems for big industries like chemical, finance, manufacturing and pharma using Artificial Intelligence, big data and advanced analytics
Kaśka Koltowska
Uppsala University
Orchestrating lymphatic endothelial cell migration
Jakub Tomczak
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
There is no AI without Deep Generative Modelling
Sylwia Hyniewska
University College London
Nonverbal behaviour and the healthy crypto-bias
Agenda
Please note, all the times are in Central European Summer Time (so the time zone in Zurich, Switzerland)!
Workshops
Boost your career with NAWA
Katarzyna Pietruszyńska, Magdalena Kowalczyk, Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA)
Access to funding is essential for scholars to excel in their research careers. NAWA is happy to offer grants for academics at all stages of their careers that help to create an environment where researchers and students can achieve their best work. When applying for a grant, candidates dedicate a significant investment of time and engagement to this process. What are the key elements that make for a successful grant application? How can you make your application stand out from the crowd? This workshop aims to increase the chances of your proposal being successful.
Mental health and wellbeing in academia
Workshop facilitator: Diego Hangartner, Institute of Mental Balance and Universal Ethics, in partnership with MeWell
How come that we have all our biological needs met - but we still feel unhappy, frustrated, stressed and anxious? In this workshop, we will discuss our basic mental structure, pointing toward ways and methods to update our current mental operating system. What happens when our mind is highjacked by the self-sabotaging reactions of distraction, stress, and anxiety? This is especially true in the high-pace world of academia.
Cutting-edge neuroscientific and clinical research is increasingly showing how a few simple insights, together with specific training methods, can build up positive neurological systems to counterbalance these out-of-control reactions. In the workshop we will try out these mental strategies as well as have an open discussion about mental health challenges in academia.
From R&D to Spin-off company
Katarzyna Kapłon, PLUGin Foundation
In the first part of the workshop, we will look at the path you can take to turn your science project into a starting point for a successful business. How to build a research and development project? When to go for funding? Why market analysis is a scientist's best friend? And above all: how the university can help scientists in the commercialization of ideas and earn money at the same time and why spin-off companies are the easiest, although not simple way to earn money on projects based on knowledge.
Development of early-stage companies - financing your ventures and choosing the right strategy
Adrian Kondrat, PLUGin Foundation
In the second part of the workshop, we will explore different forms of financing new ventures as well as discuss the pros and cons of each of them. We will also analyse which of them are better in the early stage and which are more beneficial at a later stage of the development of your startups. Subsequently, we will examine different development strategies and tradeoffs associated with them. As there is not just one correct way, we will look through a few examples of companies successfully utilising different strategies and discuss what factors should be considered while choosing a strategy.
Entertainment
Socializing cannot be the same this year. But, with all safety measures in place, we can still have a bit of fun.
Steve Cross might be the UKs’ nerdiest comedian. To be honest, he’s much too lazy to check. He specialises in making clever people funny and runs Science Showoff, where anyone can try anything about science on stage.
He’s been to SPP before, where he begged anyone to marry him so he could work in the EU.
No-one helped him out.
We are very excited to have Steve join us again, this time as the host of the Science Comedy Deathmatch: Poland vs The World. Make sure you tune in for this unmissable part of SPP online entertainment!
Strategic partners
Honorary partners
Community partners
If you have any questions regarding the event or registration process, email us at spp2021@poloniumfoundation.org
Projekt jest współfinansowany w ramach programu Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego pod nazwą „DIALOG” w projekcie “Gateway to the Polish Research Diaspora: portal oraz wydarzenia integrujące polską światową społeczność badawczą”.
