Following the last year initiative, the beginning of the academic year 2009/2010 of the Ochota Biocentre PhD Studies was celebrated in the hall of the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering. More than 380 PhD students participated in the ceremony. Among them there were the students of five Polish Academy of Sciences institutes (the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, the Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology and the Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering) and the students from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.

The ceremony was honoured by the presence of the President of the Polish Academy
of Sciences prof. Michał Kleiber, the Chairman of the Biological Sciences Division
prof. Andrzej Legocki, the President of the Foundation for Polish Science prof. Maciej Żylicz, the Prorector of the Warsaw Medical University prof. Sławomir Majewski and the Prorector of the Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities prof. Wiesław Godzic. The Warsaw University was represented by the Dean of the Faculty of Biology prof. Joanna Pijanowska and the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry prof. Paweł Kulesza. The Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship was represented by Mr Mariusz Frankowski.

Prof. Adam Szewczyk, the Director of the Nencki Institute and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Institutes in the consortium, delivered a presentation of the Ochota Biocentre.

The President of the PAS, prof. Michał Kleiber, wished the PhD students a possibility to make their most ambitious dreams come true. Together with the Chairman of the Scientific Board of the Nencki Institute, prof. Leszek Kaczmarek, he handed out diplomas and statuettes to the young scientists whose dissertations were distinguished by the Nencki Scientific Board in 2008.

The opening lecture “About defectibility of perpetuum mobile” was delivered by prof. Andrzej Sławiński from the Warsaw School of Economics. The next lecture “Translational research on example of bone grafting” was presented by prof. Wiktor Jędrzejczak from the Faculty and Clinic of Hematology, Oncology and Internal Diseases of the Public Central Teaching Hospital in Warsaw.