Social Program (Preliminary) 

Besides the scientific program of the conference, an extensive social program will be offered. The conference will be officially opened at our historical town hall and you will visit some of the most beautiful places in Leiden and The Netherlands. By means of social activities the participants will have the opportunity to socialize and establish contacts for the future.

The entire social program is free of charge for the active visitors, and we will try to place all active students during the Thursday, Friday and Saturday Social Program. Please note: The places at the Sunday’s Post Conference Tour are limited. Subscription to the Post Conference tour will be based on ‘first come, first serve’-principle. If there are places left at any of the Social Program activities, these will become available to passive participants at cost price. These prices will be announced in due time.

Thursday the 17^th of March
At this second day of the conference, the participants will discover the historical city of Leiden. Our dedicated crew will guide you through our beautiful city. A guided boat trip takes you along the canals of Leiden, from which you have an excellent view at many famous monuments. You will also visit one of Leiden’s most well known museums. You will visit the Boerhaave Museum (The National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine) or you will visit Naturalis (The National museum of Natural History).
In between all these activities you will enjoy a delicious lunch in our Academy building. The University of Leiden owns this building since. The Academy building is still in use by the University for lectures and official occasions, such as graduations and doctoral defences.

After a long day full of new impressions, it is time to dress and impress! Go back to your hotelroom, give yourself a quick make over and make sure you will be back in time for the opening ceremony in our town hall. Here, you will be welcomed in Leiden by representatives of the city council as well as the University. I am sure that the cocktail outfits of the ladies and the suits of the men will add something extra to this event! After this ceremony we will head to the Kamerlingh Omnes building, were we will enjoy a Gala Dinner. This building used to be Leiden University’s very first laboratory. These days it houses the Faculty of Law. This building is well known because of its great ambiance: a great place for our first dinner!

Friday the 18^th of March
After an extensive day filled with scientific program it is now time to relax and socialize! First we will enjoy drinks in our student bar HePatho. There you will also have the opportunity to chat in informal settings with the companies and departments of the hospital and university that were present at the Career and Internship fair earlier this day. This might be the basis of your future research project or career. Afterwards we will walk together to the heart of our city to have a buffet dinner.

After the dinner will we head to 'Het Arsenaal'. The military once marched here around, since this department used to be a garrison and a weapon's arsenal until the 1970s. Now-a-days it houses the East Asian library and the departments of Japanese, Chinese and Korean studies. In this covered courtyard you will have time to get to each other even better! Drinks will be served and the band of our medical faculty, the so-called M.F.L.S.-band, will provide enough entertainment for the rest of the evening! Seat yourself somewhere and exchange your experiences of the previous days with your new international friends!

Saturday the 19^th of March
Unfortunately, the scientific part of our conference will come to an end at Saturday afternoon. However, our social program will continue! This night we will gather all within one of Leiden’s student associations to have a diverse buffet and to conclude the night with an enormous party! A DJ will host the night and a band will make sure that you keep your feet on the floor and your hands right up in the air! This will be the ultimate chance to pick up some international dance moves and catch up with your new international friends.

Sunday the 20^th of March: Post conference tour
At the last day of the conference we will go by coach to the city of Rotterdam. Rotterdam is well known for its enormous port: the largest in Europe. We will depart from one of the many docks to continue our tour by a river cruise to the picturesque village of Kinderdijk, a famous village because of its many, typically Dutch wind mills. In 1997 the mills of Kinderdijk were put on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The nineteen wind mills symbolize the way in which the Dutch have managed the water for centuries, and some of them are still in use nowadays. After our visit to Kinderdijk we will get back to Rotterdam again by the river cruise and a traditional Dutch pancake lunch will be served aboard.