XXII Congress and General Assemblyof the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)

Dear Colleagues,The Spanish crystallographers kindly invite you to participate in the XXII Congress and General Assemblyof the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) to be held in Madrid, Spain, in August 2011.With the help of the persons implied in the International Program Committee, we will do our best to offer a scientific program of the highest quality, aimed at showing the latest developments and topics in the field of Crystallography, one of the most multidisciplinary sciences that links together frontier areas of research.A meeting of this magnitude is clearly very attractive for Spanish official institutions such as the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Industry and Energy, Universities and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Even the King and Queen of Spain are willing to support this event and have been very kind accepting to be the Chairpersons of the Honorary Committee. This royal gesture will be relevant to stimulate other institutions to sponsor and facilitate the organization of our meeting.We are making significant efforts to get funds to allow the participation of the highest possible number of young researchers, whose presence is important for the diffusion of crystallography among many other associated areas of research, without forgetting a great number of retired scientists who have so much to transmit. A special effort is also being made together with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation to facilitate the presence of scientists from countries with which Spain maintains especially warm relations like those of Central and South America as well as from developing countries.Madrid, the capital and largest city of Spain, located in the centre of the country, represents the perfect symbiosis and harmony between efficiency and quality of life, at a price which is hard to beat anywhere else in the world. It is a city where you will find everything…, without forgetting its wonderful surrounding cities. The Local Organizing Committee is preparing a very open meeting for all crystallographers from all over the world, a place where everybody can feel satisfied in all aspects.We all are confident to have your support and contributions to this Congress.With kind regards,Enrique Gutiérrez PueblaChairman