The 2009 Edition

The 6th World Life Sciences Forum - 2009 Edition

In 2007, BioVision focused on the contribution of Life Sciences to the Millennium Development Goals - six of the eight MDGs are directly related to Life Sciences. In addition, in twenty years, more than half of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, with a high percentage in cities above or close to the 10 million inhabitants’ mega-city threshold. The pressing issues of the MDGs will greatly impact these concentrated urban areas. The challenges raised by water supply and sanitation, food supply and communicable diseases will be even more acute in megacities.
This is the reason why BioVision 2009 has chosen to focus on Life Sciences and the City.

The Life Sciences & Urbanization track

The 2009 Forum will principally address a major developmental issue: the transition towards a massively urban world population.
For thousands of years, humanity thrived in rural areas. By 2050, humanity will have grown into a mass of 9 billion inhabitants of which 6.5 billion will be living in urban areas. These numbers, further penalized by density, water shortages and lack of sanitation, challenge the very concept of a city. Indeed, cities as they existed in the past are no longer sustainable. They are crying out for solutions. Many can be found in Life Sciences and its associated technologies.
Fortunately, this accelerating urbanization is already mobilizing prominent international, governmental and non governmental organizations. BioVision 2009 will join their efforts by addressing a neglected but crucial component:
How can progress in the various Life Sciences ease this urban transition? How can they contribute to dealing with water and food supply, health safety, ecosystem degradation, atmospheric pollution or climate change?

The Life Sciences and Urbanization track will include the following sessions

The Advances in Life Sciences track

In addition to its thematic track, BioVision prides itself on its ongoing commitment to the presentation and debate of recent achievements in Life Sciences and its associated technologies including stem cells and RNA biology. Often neglected by the mainstream, scientific research continues to impact society and BioVision is the premier forum for discussing their role in society.

The Advances in life Sciences track will include the following sessions