Three Nobel Prize laureates together for the first time in the Netherlands

From Sunday 19 to Wednesday 22 November 2017, the University of Groningen (UG) will be hosting the Molecular Machines Nobel Prize Conference at various locations in Groningen. This international conference is in honour of the winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2016: Professor Ben L. Feringa , Professor Jean-Pierre Sauvage and Professor Sir James Fraser Stoddart , who were awarded the Prize for their work on developing molecular machines. This is the first time that the three laureates will appear together in the Netherlands. So in the next few days, don’t be surprised if you spot a Nobel Prizewinner roaming through the streets of Groningen.

This special conference starts on Sunday evening in De Oosterpoort cultural centre with a reception for the delegates, to be attended by the Mayor of Groningen Peter den Oudsten and the King’s Commissioner René Paas. Each day of the conference proper will revolve around one of the three Nobel Prizewinners. They will not only address the conference, but also take an active part in the programme. In addition to Feringa, Sauvage and Fraser Stoddart, the academic programme of the conference includes several other renowned speakers from the world of molecular chemistry.

At the special request of Feringa, a maximum of three hundred guests will attend the (private) conference, so that there will be enough time and space for delegates to speak to the Nobel Prize laureates in person.

The conference starts on the evening of Sunday 19 November with a reception in De Oosterpoort, and a special presentation of the book Real Nano – How molecules have become nanomachines by science journalist Martijn van Calmthout in association with the UG. The first copies of the book will be handed to the Nobel Prizewinners. The book will be on sale in the University’s I Shop from early December.

During the afternoon session on Tuesday 21 November, the entire conference will move to the Aula of the UG’s Academy Building. The three Nobel Prize laureates will be welcomed by the Board of the University of Groningen. At around 5 p.m., the delegates will visit the ‘NUCLEUS - Imagining Science’ exhibition in the Der Aa-Kerk, part of the 24th edition of the Noorderlicht International Photography Festival . The three laureates will naturally inspect the ‘Playground’, which is the result of a partnership between photographer Jos Jansen and Prof. Ben Feringa.

The instigators of the Molecular Machines Nobel Prize Conference were Prof. Adriaan Minnaard, director of the UG’s Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, and Prof. Kees Hummelen. Both Hummelen and Feringa work at this research institute. The practical arrangements are being managed by the Groningen Convention Bureau.