"BMEP - Biomedical Sciences Exchange Program", established in 1980, endeavors to make you think about things in a different way – especially in the North American / European context. It also, however, intends to question your assumptions regarding medicine and healthcare worldwide.

On its path towards the Life Sciences, medicine will be characterized in the 21st century by the following influences and developments:

- Molecular medicine, leading to new pathogenetic findings in diagnostics and, in the long term, also therapy;
- The new economy, as an initiator in the field of life sciences (health and nutrition), space technology, leading to new materials and miniaturization developments, as well as computer science as a concomitant prerequisite;
- obvious new justifications for further development of the welfare state or the "social contract".

The "BMEP of IALS" is committed to this development of biomedicine and the life sciences, as well as to awareness of other cultures, the support of and preparation for new leadership.

Through its international network of experts, the IALS is able to respond to new ideas, initiatives and proposals in the life sciences. The IALS sees itself as a "think-tank" responding to scientists, clinicians, government officials and industry. We seek to provide a forum where multiple stakeholders can obtain research, consultation, technical assistance, training and evaluation.

Building on this mission, in 2006 the IALS implemented the "IALS-University Network" as an interdisciplinary "think-tank" comprising the institutional members:

- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin.

We gratefully acknowledge two new members:

- Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin
- St. Petersburg State University.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Heidrun Stache for her fervent and sustained support of IALS/BMEP activities from our East Westphalian office in Bad Oeynhausen.

Hannover/Potsdam, July 2008

Hilmar Stolte, M.D.
President IALS & BMEP
Univ. Professor, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Distinguished Professor, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin