welcome to Nuremberg, the regional metropolis of Franconia, in the northern part of Bavaria! It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 16th European Microwave Week (EuMW), which will be held at the Nürnberg Convention Center (NCC), from Sunday 6th to Friday 11th October 2013. The European Microwave Week, with the European Microwave Conference (EuMC) as its centre piece together with the European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC) and the European Radar Conference (EuRAD), is the premier RF and microwave event in Europe and brings together our community from around the world. The three conferences come together with the European Microwave Exhibition, which is the largest RF and microwave trade show in Europe. The Week is organised by the European Microwave Association (EuMA). The first Week was held in Amsterdam in the year 1998, and now it is the first time that the Week will come to Nuremberg. However, for the European Microwave Conference alone it is already the second time because thirty years ago, in the year 1983 (when Germany was still divided into two countries) the 13th EuMC already took place in Nuremberg. Both the conferences and the exhibition are complemented by workshops, short courses and seminars. With 1055 preliminary papers as well as 48 workshop and 12 short course proposals submitted from nearly 60 countries we had a good response to our Call for Papers, and I am sure that out of these submissions our technical programme committees made an exciting, highquality international conference programme presented in oral, poster, special, focus and panel sessions as well as in workshops and short courses; you will like it! The opening and closing plenary sessions of each of the three conferences will feature key-note speeches by world leaders in their fields and a welcome address by the President of the IEEE. In addition, exhibitor workshops and seminars on a variety of topics will be organised. We will also have a one-and-a-half day Special Forum on Defence and Security featuring presentations from industry leaders and concluding with an executive panel session. This special forum will be held in combination with the opening session of the European Radar Conference. Three exciting panel sessions will be integrated into the Week’s programme. We will repeat the successful Women in Microwave Engineering (WIE) event, which shows growing interest. This year’s WIE event will focus on the challenges for RF and microwave technology induced by the current development trends towards the Internet of Things and cyber physical systems. Professional associations are promoting technological advances and innovations and are fostering networking. In the case of RF and microwaves, "How can we do better for the Microwave Community?" is a key question in our rapidly changing knowledge- and informationbased society which will be addressed by the presidents of EuMA, IEEE, IEEE MTT-S, and VDE/ITG in a presidents’ panel. The key qualification for the industrial production in the 21st century is the capability to develop and manufacture electronic systems. An executive panel session featuring experts and executives being involved in today’s electronic systems development trends will discuss whether Europe can afford to let it happen that its capabilities to produce and test electronics are more and more shifted to Asia. Two European microwave schools and two student competitions will be offered especially for students and PhD students. The European Microwave Doctoral School features world leading microwave scientists and engineers as distinguished lecturers whereas the European Microwave Student School is devoted to microwave measurement techniques; here the students may earn also credit (ECTS) points. In addition, eligible students are invited to take part and compete in the Student Challenge, which is a poster competition, as well as in the Student Design Competition, which is a design and measurement competition. Our student activities will also incorporate a Graduate Student Industrial Career Platform for PhD, master and bachelor students who are about to finish their academic studies and who may use this opportunity to get in touch with the industry. Furthermore, both university as well as non-university research institutes will present their current research results and demonstrate their application potential in our Research Institute Platform. EuMW2013 will host the fall meetings of the European Microwave Association including its first National Society Liaison Committee meeting. I am also happy that the Administrative Committee (Ad- Com) of the IEEE Microwaves Theory and Techniques (MTT) Society has decided to have its AdCom fall meeting as well as its Technical Coordinating Committee and its Chapter Chairs’ meetings in Nuremberg during EuMW, a fact which reflects the excellent relationship between EuMA and the IEEE MTT Society. EuMA has also an excellent cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC) steering committees, which is demonstrated by the EuMC2013 Special Session on APMC, which is an all-invited session. EuMW2013 will host also the Executive Committee (ExCom) fall meeting of the IEEE Section Germany, an IEEE German MTT/AP Joint Chapter meeting, and several technical committee meetings of the Information Technology Society (ITG) of the VDE and of other technical associations being active in the field of RF and microwaves such as the European Radio and Microwave Interest Group (EuRaMIG). We will offer several social events such as a EuMIC Get-Together and the traditional Welcome Reception at NCC Ost on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, and a State Reception of the Free State of Bavaria in the Historical City Hall Nuremberg in the Old Town on Wednesday, just to name the most prominent ones. We also will have an interesting partner programme which does not only include activities during the Week but also pre- and post-conference tours. Getting to Nuremberg is easy via the Nuremberg Airport, by high speed trains (ICE trains) or by car. During EuMW2013, in Nuremberg there will be many hotel rooms available for you. We have also pre-booked several hotels for you, all of which are located in or near to Nuremberg’s lovely Old Town from where NCC Ost can easily be reached. Your registration package will include a 7-day pass to freely use the public transportation system of Nuremberg incorporating all metro lines, S-trains, trams and public buses. You will receive this 7-day pass as part of the booking confirmation if you register online, so in this case you will have your ticket already in your pocket when arriving in Nuremberg.