What kind of meeting is this? For the laureates from last year or a yearly meeting for all previous laureates who'd like to attend?
This explains the consistent presence of Bettina and her husband at the Nobel Prize Ceremony and Banquet.
This years The Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting was dedicated to physiology/medicine, last years meeting was dedicated to chemistry, 2019 meeting is dedicated to physics. I have understood that the organizers invited for instance this year all the Nobel Laureates of physiology/medicine alive to the Meeting. And about 40 of them attended. About choosing the young scientists to the meeting later on this post.
Count Lennart Bernadotte launched the meetings in 1951. He chaired the Council for Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings for 38 years, and was then chosen as the Honorary President. Countess Sonja Bernadotte took over as the President of the Council after that.
Since October 2008, Countess Bettina Bernadotte is president of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings and member of the Board of the Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. She has been a member of the Council since 2005.
The history of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
Since their beginnings in 1951, the Lindau Meetings have evolved into a unique international forum for scientific exchange. It was the two Lindau physicians Franz Karl Hein and Gustav Wilhelm Parade who approached Count Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg of nearby Mainau Island to jointly develop and implement the idea that marked the start of a long and continuing history.
Count Bernadotte – a grandson of King Gustaf V of Sweden – had excellent connections to Stockholm. Especially due to his efforts, seven Nobel Laureates agreed to participate in the first “European Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Medicine” held at Lindau in 1951. This extraordinary meeting was conceived as a European initiative of post-war reconciliation among scientists.
The initial success led to the establishment of periodic meetings of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, dedicated alternately to the Nobel Prize disciplines physiology or medicine, physics, and chemistry. Already back in 1953, the decision was made to have undergraduates, PhD students, and post-doc researchers join the dialogue. In 2004, the first of the additional regular Lindau Meetings on Economic Sciences was held.
About the meetings
Once every year, about 30 Nobel Laureates convene in Lindau to meet the next generation of leading scientists: 500-600 undergraduates, PhD students, and post-doc researchers from all over the world. The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings foster the exchange among scientists of different generations, cultures, and disciplines.
The meetings focus alternately on physiology and medicine, on physics, and on chemistry – the three natural science Nobel Prize disciplines. An interdisciplinary meeting revolving around all three natural sciences is held every five years. In addition, the Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences is held every three years.
The scientific programme of each Lindau Meeting is based on the principle of dialogue. The different sessions – lectures, discussions, master classes, and panel discussions – are designed to activate the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experience between and among Nobel Laureates and young scientists.
Young scientists
The opportunity to join the annual gathering of Nobel Laureates at Lindau is provided exclusively to outstanding young scientists aged up to 35 – undergraduates, PhD students, and post-doc researchers. In order to participate in a meeting, they have to pass a multi-step application and selection process.
Applicants who have successfully mastered the application process undoubtedly represent the emerging generation of leading scientists and researchers. Apart from taking the one-time chance to participate in a Lindau Meeting, these young scientists become part of a special community – a network of excellence. As alumni of the Lindau Meetings, former participants stay connected with each other and become ambassadors of the scientific dialogue fostered by the Lindau Meetings.
Nobel Laureates
The commitment of Nobel Laureates to foster the exchange among scientists has been the mainstay of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings ever since their beginnings in 1951. To this day, more than 430 recipients of the Nobel Prize have followed the annual invitation to meet the next generation of leading scientists at Lindau.
For many Nobel Laureates, the Lindau Meetings have become an integral part of their yearly schedule. More than 300 Nobel Laureates have joined the foundation’s Founders Assembly in the endeavour to support the Lindau Meetings and their outreach projects.
For young scientists at the beginning of their careers, it is a valuable opportunity to meet these undisputed role models and mentors, to seek their advice, to exchange thoughts and views, and to discuss current developments in science and beyond.
At the Lindau Meetings, the Nobel Laureates shape the scientific programme with their topical preferences. As a result, the Lindau Meetings provide the unique opportunity to experience both the professional and the personal side of Nobel Laureates.
All this information and much more can be read here:
The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings _ Young scientists meet Nobel Laureates in physics, physiology or medicine, chemistry and economic sciences
