On 6^th of November 2015 IMDEA Materials, one of the seven IMDEA Institutes, opened its doors for the 1^st IMDEA Conference: Science, Business & Society. The event will be opened by the President of the Community of Madrid (Comunidad de Madrid), Cristina Cifuentes, and by the Spanish Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I), Carmen Vela.

The conference consists of two different parts: in the first part, Industry and Society are the principal actors, while in the second part focus is on Science. The objective is nonetheless the same: to demonstrate that in all seven IMDEA Institutes science, industry and society have been working together for almost ten years with a view to attracting talent to the Madrid Community and making internationally renowned science useful for the society as a whole by means of a solid and strong collaboration with industry.

During the first part of the conference, the President of the Community of Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, and the Spanish Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I), Carmen Vela will both speak after the official welcome on behalf of the Director of the hosting institute, IMDEA Materials. The renowned Dr. David Warren from the State University of New York at Stony Brook will also give a conference, followed by a round table session including among others the Director General of Universities and Research in the Community of Madrid, José Manuel Torralba, the Director General and CEO at ITP, Ignacio Mataix, the Director General of FCC-Acualia, Félix Parra Mediavilla, and the Managing Director at Telefónica I+D, David del Val.

In the second part of the conference, the scientific community is splendidly represented by some of the top researchers from the IMDEA Institutes who will briefly account for the work being carried out in their respective institutes.