Welcome to 62nd ERA Congress

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We are delighted to welcome you to the 62nd ERA Congress, taking place in the beautiful city of Vienna from June 4^th to 7^th, 2025.

This year’s Congress promises to be an exceptional event, centred around the theme «Game Changers in Nephrology» with the inspiring slogan «Beyond Nephrology.»

Under the expert guidance of our Scientific Programme Chair, Paola Romagnani, we have curated a comprehensive and innovative programme that will explore the latest advancements and transformative ideas in nephrology. Our goal is to push the boundaries of our field and inspire new approaches to patient care and research.

Ten renewed CME courses, organised by the CME (Continuing Medical Education) Committee, led by Beatriz Fernandez Fernandez, will span from basic science to genetics to dialysis. These courses will also explore the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the medical field, with a focus on Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) prediction, management, and ethical considerations. As usual, hands-on courses, overseen by Kate Stevens, will be part of the first day of the Congress, which will be on Wednesday (instead of the traditional Thursday), allowing participants to leave already on the Saturday, when the Congress will end.

Under the leadership of Paola Romagnani, the Scientific Committee has meticulously crafted a comprehensive programme of 43 main symposia and 24 Free Communication sessions. This involved a discerning selection of international experts and esteemed key opinion leaders. Ronald Gansevoort, who chaired the paper selection committee alongside Congress President Ivan Rychlik, provided invaluable support in this endeavour.

This year, the Congress is held jointly with the Austrian Society of Nephrology, represented by Kathrin Eller as Congress Secretary and Michael Rudnicki, ÖGN President.

One of our key targets this year is to reinforce the message about the importance of maintaining healthy kidney function and the risks of chronic kidney disease. In collaboration with the Austrian Society of Nephrology, we will conduct public screenings outside the Congress centre. These screenings aim to inform the general population about the crucial importance of kidney health and raise awareness about the risks and damage that can develop over time. Additionally, we will engage with schools in Vienna, working with middle-level classes to teach students about the vital role kidneys play in our health.

The overwhelming response to our call for abstracts, with a record of 2835 submissions from 91 countries, underlines the continuing interest in our Congress.

After the great success of the Late Breaking Clinical Trial (LBCT) session held last year in Stockholm, we have decided to introduce a special LBCT session without any other sessions in parallel. This will allow all attendees to participate and enjoy the latest results of important clinical trials. The ERA Council carefully evaluated over 17 LBCT abstracts and selected those that impact daily clinical practice for presentations.

As last year, we will have the Square and the Research Zone areas for scientific content and accepted abstract presentations. The Square is an area where clinical experts present case reports and important study results, while the Research Zone is the heart of the research contribution to our Congress. Here, accepted abstracts are presented in a dynamic way at the Focussed Orals Hall or the new X-wall (2025) e-posters area: here delegates can meet abstract authors and discuss their research results.

We are excited to bring together leading experts, researchers, and practitioners from around the world to share their knowledge and experiences. This Congress will provide a unique platform for networking, collaboration, and the exchange of groundbreaking ideas that will shape the future of nephrology.

We look forward to your active participation and contributions, which are vital to the success of this event. Together, we can make a significant impact and continue to advance the field of nephrology.

Welcome to Vienna and to the 62nd ERA Congress!