Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is our great pleasure and privilege to invite you to London in May 2015 to take part in the 52nd congress of ERA-EDTA. The Society is planning a meeting of outstanding scientific interest and quality in the world-famous city of London.

The Congress is being held in partnership with the UK Renal Association and other international Societies and the Scientific Pro- gramme will benefit greatly from their contribution and collaboration.

The meeting will be held in the ExCeL Congress Centre to the East of London, not far from London City Airport, the Olympic Site and Canary Wharf. Hotels will be available locally and mostly within 20 minutes walking distance from the Congress Centre.

The scientific programme has been meticulously prepared and organised by the Scientific Committee. As ever, it will allow for major coverage of the main clinical areas of interest for practicing nephrologists, and it will also feature cutting-edge scientific discoveries. Translational research has as usual a prominent part in the programme, and special thought and attention has been paid to chronic kidney disease, geriatric nephrology, and other important clinical areas.

There will be an extended CME programme at the day of the opening ceremony, as usual one of the jewels in the crown of ERA-EDTA Congresses, and within that programme there will be many presentations from the ERA-EDTA working groups. As always, the “late breaking clinical trial” session promises to be exciting and stimulating. The Young Nephrologists’ Platform will also be prominent in the Congress programme. As last year, we also plan to continue collaboration with The Lancet.

The theme for the Congress is the River Thames itself. Evocatively once dubbed “Liquid History”, the river has seen many of the most famous and memorable people and occasions over the last few centuries. The river wends its careful way from a rural setting right into and across one of the world’s most famous and vibrant cities. Ebbing and flowing like our scientific knowledge-base, the river commands respect and admiration in equal measure. We hope that the river can symbolise constancy and change, as we face the implacable often obdurate challenges deriving from both acute and chronic kidney disease with unceasing optimism and vigour.

We are all really hoping you will find the city welcoming, the programme exciting, the company stimulating and the experience enriching.

We look forward very much to welcoming you to London in May 2015 for the 52nd ERA-EDTA Congress

Andrzej Wiecek

ERA-EDTA President

David Goldsmith

52nd Congress President

Ziad Massy

Chair of the Scientific Committee