The NIH Research Festival organizing committee, cochaired this year by scientific directors Dr. Marvin Gershengorn of NIDDK and Dr. Eric Green of NHGRI, announces that the 2004 NIH Research Festival will be held Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 in the Natcher Conference Center. The committee is now accepting poster abstracts online through July 2 by all NIH investigators and Bethesda FDA/CBER investigators. The committee requests a limit of one poster submission per first author.

The theme of this year's festival will focus on new and exciting areas of activity in intramural research. Dr. Michael Gottesman, NIH deputy director for intramural research, will highlight the advances in the festival's keynote address entitled "The NIH Intramural Research Program: Current Status and Future Prospects," on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 9 a.m.

Other events during the 4-day annual showcase of intramural science will include symposia and poster sessions, special exhibits on resources for intramural research, the Job Fair for NIH Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellows, the Festival Food & Music Fair and the Technical Sales Association scientific equipment tent show.

For a preliminary schedule of events and online poster registration, visit http://festival04.nih.gov. Applicants will receive email confirmation of receipt of their poster abstracts and will be notified of acceptance by email in early August. For more information about poster registration, contact Paula Cohen at (301) 496-1776 or email pc68v@nih.gov.