The conference Magnetic Moments in Central Europe (MMCE) was conceived in 2007 with the vision of providing a unique knowledge-sharing event for NMR scientists and students in the region. The philosophy behind MMCE is centered on the following main goals:
 

• The conference is didactic in its fundamental spirit. Rather than expecting scientists to communicate their latest results aimed to be published in a scientific journal, the conference wants to offer, in the form of so-called Tutorial Talks, scientists an opportunity to speak about their research, their intellectual and emotional struggles, their aha!-moments, their provocative thoughts and their acquired wisdom in relation to their chosen topic in such an informal, conceptual, personal and edifying manner that would not normally be possible in the context of a "regular" scientific presentation. Tutorial Talks are expected to project a kind of distilled wisdom on a topic that can potentially be more captivating and instructive to both students and seasoned NMR scientists than a new-result-centered "regular" lecture.

 

• In addition to being beneficial for specialists in a given field, Tutorial Talks should foster communication and understanding between various branches of NMR.  

 

• MMCE aims to address all walks of theoretical and applied NMR spectroscopy, ranging from fundamental theory through small-molecule structure determination, new pulse sequences, software and hardware development, etc. to biological molecules.

 

• The talks offered by a speaker at MMCE need not necessarily be "trendy"; old concepts addressed from a new, exciting, or eye-opening perspective are welcome.

 

• MMCE also accommodates the presentation of cutting-edge new results, with the speakers being encouraged to add some didactic flavor to their talks.

 

• MMCE wishes to act as a dynamic NMR discussion forum in both an intellectual and social sense. Discussions are encouraged after each presentation, and to that end sufficient room is provided in the program.

 

• It aims to become a well-consolidated platform for building social capital in the NMR community of Central Europe and beyond.

 

• MMCE is dedicated to involving many young scientists and university students as participants.

MMCE is held every second year in varying locations within Central Europe. It usually lasts for five days, starting Wednesday evening and ending Sunday noon. Topics are divided into sessions. There are no parallel sessions. As a general rule of thumb, each session starts with a Tutorial Talk lasting about 1 hr, followed by a few Invited Talks which are 30 min long. Tutorial Speakers and Invited Speakers are invited by the scientific board of MMCE. Generally all travel expenses are covered for the Tutorial Speakers and local transportation fees are covered for the Invited Speakers. For both the Tutorial and Invited Speakers all other conference expenses (registration, accommodation, meals and social events) are covered for the whole duration of the conference with the understanding that they take part in the discussions prior to and after their own presentations. Each session also provides space for a few 20 min talks delivered by the regular participants of the conference. There are also poster sessions and student presentation sessions.