Dear Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to officially invite you to come and present your latest results at the Microscopy Conference 2013 in Regensburg, Germany. It will be held at the University of Regensburg, Germany, from August 25–30, 2013. This conference follows the tradition of the "Dreiländertagung Mikroskopie". Following the great success of the Microscopy Conference 2009 in Graz, Austria, a joint conference of the "Dreiländer" and the MCM, the MC 2013 in Regensburg will be jointly organized by ten microscopical societies from 11 countries: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungaria, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia, and for the first time, Turkey.

The congress venue is the campus of the University of Regensburg in Southern Germany, which already hosted a "Dreiländertagung Mikroskopie" in 1997. Regensburg itself is a beautiful city, located at the river Danube, founded by the Romans, with narrow streets, a remarkable stony bridge from the 12th century, a magnificent cathedral, and a superb city center with the flair of the middle age and Italian cities.
On the Microscopy Conference MC 2013, there will be an exciting scientific program, with plenary talks, sessions with short talks, poster sessions, workshops, and ample time for discussions. We have applied at the European Microscopy Society EMS that this meeting will receive the status of an "EMS extension". The conference will be unique in bringing together scientists from all over Europe, and we are confident that well over 900 participants will contribute to the success of the meeting.

As on previous conferences, the MC 2013 will host a large trade exhibition, which aims to show the latest equipment from the manufacturers of all different kinds of microscopies and microscopy techniques, as well as suppliers of accessories and consumables, preparation tools, image analysis systems, and all important publishers in the field. The manufacturers are cordially invited to present their latest equipment and developments and highlight potential applications in technical lectures which will address a general and broad audience. In the exhibition area on the campus of the University of Regensburg, next to the lecture halls, the commercial exhibition will form an integral part of the conference. This will help the MC 2013 to become a comprehensive source of information for anybody interested in microscopy, in physical, materials, or life science.

We are convinced that this outstanding opportunity will have a great value for you and your colleagues and that it will bring you close to the whole European microscopy community.

We welcome you to Regensburg and to the MC 2013!

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Rachel, University of Regensburg