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The 4^th Annual and Final Conference of the Sustain COST Action (FA1208) on  "Pathogen-informed strategies for sustainable broad-spectrum crop resistance" will take place from 1/03/2017 to 3/03/2017 in Bled, Slovenia.

The conference will be held in the Hotel Kompas in Bled, a town on Lake Bled in the North-Western Slovenia, a popular tourist destination in Slovenia. Bled is one hour from the Ljubljana International Airport by public transport.

It will welcome around 120 participants and is organized by Dr. Barbara Gerič Stare (Agricultural Institute of Slovenia) and Dr. Saša Širca (Agricultural Institute of Slovenia).

Official tourism promotional video of Lake Bled Slovenia

https://youtu.be/6TQXFPoCPc4

The Conferences will address the main topics of the Sustain Action and cover the focus of its 4 Working Groups:
 
1/ Pathogen effectors and virulence

2/ Plant proteins and processes targeted by effectors

3/ Effector evolution and diversification

4/ Immune receptors and allelic variants of host targets for resistance breeding and engineering

FINAL PROGRAM

Click here for more information about the working groups http://www.cost-sustain.org/Working-groups.

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Local Organising Committee

Barbara Gerič Stare, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Saša Širca, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Scientific Committee

1. Thomas Kroj, INRA Montpellier, France
2. Aska Goverse, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
3. John Jones, James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK
4. Bart Thomma, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
5. Godelieve Gheysen University of Gent, Belgium
6. Nemo Peeters, INRA, Toulouse, France
7. Hans Thordal-Christensen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
8. Didier Tharreau, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
9. Eva Stukenbrock, Max Planck Institute, Marburg
10. Vivianne Vleeshouwers, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
11. Beat Keller, University of Zurich, Switzerland
12. Barbara Gerič Stare, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Slovenia
13. Saša Širca, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Slovenia
14. Anna Coll, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia
15. Branka Javornik, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Getting to Bled

The nearest international airport is Ljubljana. A shuttle service will be arranged to collect participants from Ljubljana airport and take them to Bled. The journey time will be 30 - 45 minutes.

By driving:

Leave the Jesenice - Ljubljana motorway at the Lesce–Bled exit and follow the signs for Bled, a distance of 5km. Turn left shortly after passing the crossroads with the traffic lights. Drive uphill and turn right directly into the Hotel Kompas car park.

How to participate:

The participation to the workshop requires pre-registration since the places for the meeting are limited. For this, all those wishing to participate have to complete the online form and submit a 250-words abstract for an oral and/or poster presentation. Alternatively, participants from companies can upload a short letter outlining their interest in the Conference. Pre-registration are CLOSED

Please Read carrefully the insctructions for the abstracts

All applications will go through a selection process by the scientific committee and successful applicants and selected speakers will be made aware of the jury's decision end of October 2016. Completing the form does NOT mean that you are allocated a place at the meeting. Please do not make any travel bookings until you have received confirmation that your application to attend the meeting has been approved.

Participants (in particular early stage researchers and colleagues from inclusiveness target countries) can receive reimbursement of their travel, accommodation and subsistence costs by the SUSTAIN COST grant. Request of reimbursement must be done in the online form. Decision on reimbursements will be taken by the organizing committee.

Venue and costs:

- The conference package covers the hotel room (3 nights, Tuesday February 28^th – Friday March 3^rd ) the meals during the whole duration of the Conference (Dinner on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and Lunch on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), refreshments during breaks, a guided castle visit and all conference material (including a printed abstract book). Depending on whether you stay in a single or a double room the rates are:

* Single Room: 374,93 €

* Double Room: 301,43 €

- In case you wish to stay at the hotel for additional nights you should arrange this with the hotel. The prices are:

* Single room 64 € / night per person + 1,27 € tourist tax,

* Double room: 39,50 € / night per person + 1,27 € tourist tax.

Travel:

- The conference starts early in the morning of March 1^st. You therefore need to arrive in Slovenia the day before.

- The conference ends around lunchtime on March 3^rd. In case you have to leave immediately you can order a lunchbox instead of lunch at the hotel

- For transfer from Ljubljana Airport to Hotel Kompas in Bled and back we strongly recommend the company Stuttle Markun with which special rates have been negotiated. This door-to-door service costs 13 € for a one way trip (20 € in case of a single passenger). Please be aware that you need to book Stuttle Markun on your own through e-mail: markun.shuttle@gmail.com; e-mail subject: COST SUSTAIN; with the arrival/departure information in the mail (flight No., date and time of arrival/departure) once you have your flight itinerary confirmed. Other options for transfer from and to the airport exist but are much more expensive or much less convenient. There is also the possibility to go to Ljubljana with this company after the conference.