On September 22-24 an international conference took place in Warsaw entitled „Managing Innovation”. This event was organised by the Medical University of Warsaw in cooperation with the Nencki Institute, representing the CePT Consortium and by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The Conference Organising Committee was chaired by Dr. Marcin Szumowski who with the support of its member Paweł Nowicki, was responsible for developing the conference program and inviting world renown lecturers. Prof. Jerzy Duszyński was a member of the Conference Scientific Committee and served as panellist in the key conference session.

The aim of this conference was to intensify cooperation in the R+D sector in Eastern and Central Europe as well as develop, based on the best foreign practice, a strategy and organisational model for a technology transfer platform established under the Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT).

On the second day of the conference a ceremony of laying the foundation stone took place for construction of the Centre of Preclinical Research, which is an investment executed by the Medical University of Warsaw under the CePT Project.

Prof. John Wood Chairman of the European Research Area Board (ERA) and long time Chairman of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) chaired the Conference Scientific Committee. The highest merit of presentations was ensured by inviting prominent specialists in the area of innovation management (from EMBL, Weizmann Institute, Oxford University, Mayo Clinic in the USA and the Technical University of Denmark), representatives of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, European Commission, European Investment Bank, JASPERS, representatives of Polish and international biotech innovation companies and key European and Polish research centres.

A detailed program of the conference, a list of lecturers and their bios as well as additional materials are available at www.managinginnovation.pl