The Opening Ceremony for the European Cancer Congress will take place on Friday 25 September from 19:15 in the Congress Centre.

The keynote speech will be given by Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer of AACR and Secretary-Treasurer of the AACR Foundation. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in communications from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the AACR, Margaret Foti worked collaboratively with its elected officers to provide the corporate knowledge and continuity of leadership that have been critical to the association’s progress and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. During Foti’s tenure, the AACR’s membership has grown from about 3,000 to 35,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in 97 countries. Margaret Foti has since launched seven major peer-reviewed scientific journals: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Prevention Research; Cancer Discovery; and Cancer Immunology Research. Dr Foti also leads the AACR’s scientific partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, a charitable initiative that supports groundbreaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated time frame. Dr Foti is the recipient of many national and international awards for her contributions to cancer research including the European CanCer Organisation Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr Foti will deliver a lecture focusing on “New Funding Models for Accelerating Progress Against Cancer”.

The Opening Ceremony will also feature an inspiring talk on science and music. As is customary, the National Organising Committee will introduce Vienna and Austria to the Congress participants. Prof. Dr. Klaus Laczika will present a “History of the Viennese Waltz – the Complexity of Ease – How did it all start, how did it evolve and where has it lead us?”

Following the ceremony, there will be a Networking Reception – an opportunity for Society Members and all experts participating in the Congress to meet and begin their exchange of ideas and thoughts on the latest achievements in research laboratories and clinical environments.