The PhD symposium is organized by graduate students of the four research institutes at the VBC: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI), Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) and Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA). It is an interdisciplinary conference with 18 international highly respected scientists from Germany, England, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA, talking about the role of communication in different fields of biology - from molecular neuroscience and immunology to plant science and biolinguistics. 

Very great care has been taken during the selection of the topics to represent the interests of all institutions. This year's theme of the symposium - communication - was chosen by the graduate students themselves and is divided into four levels: intra-cellular (inside the cell), inter-cellular (between cells), the intra-organismal (within the organism) and the inter-individual (between individuals) communication. 
The organization of a PhD-Conference is a unique opportunity for the students to learn more about organization, management and logistics. It provides an opportunity to meet top scientists and to interact with international students. The network that is built through this and the skills that are learned are very useful for their further career. This year, 300 participants have registered for the symposium. About half of them work at the Vienna Biocenter, the other half is traveling from 25 different countries.