The XVI annual conference 2011 took place in Turku, Finland and enjoyed great success in terms of numbers of delegates (300), quality of presentations and interactive networking. The 20th anniversary of RIMS was celebrated with a historical overview by one of its founders; Dr. P. Ketelaer. The Finnish MS Society was also celebrating its 40th anniversary, so it was a very special occasion.
We thank the local organizing committee, lead by Dr. J. Ruutiainen, for the tremendous efforts made to make this conference memorable. Prizes for the best poster and platform presentation were given to:

• Munia Vereecken (OT, Melsbroek, Belgium), ‘In search of an instrument to assess wheelchair driving skills in persons with MS: adaptation and evaluation of “the wheelchair circuit’’.
• Rita Bertoni (PT, Milan, Italy), ‘Validity of scales rating upper limb in people with MS’

2011 has been the election year for the executive board.
Eija Luoto (Masku, Finland) stepped down after 6 years of presidency which has seen the development of many new activities including the fellowship program and the recent RIMS grant program (see also below). Together with the outgoing President, Claudio Solaro (MD / Genoa, Italy), Judith Lutz (MD / Zurich, Switzerland), Ingrid Galan (MD / Barcelona, Spain) and Brita Løvendahl (director / Copenhagen, Denmark) completed their final terms. We thank them for having served for six years, taking care of RIMS and guiding this network for best practice and research in new routes. Vicky Matthews (nurse / London, UK), Thomas Henze (MD / Regensburg, Germany) and Peter Feys (PT / Hasselt, Belgium) continued as executive board members, while 5 others were elected:

• Vincent de Groot (MD / Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
• Christoph Heesen (MD / Hamburg, Germany)
• Allessandra Solari (MD / Milan, Italy)
• Païvi Hämäläinen (Psychologist / Masku, Finland)
• Ulrik Dalgas (Sport Scientist, Aarhus, Denmark).

RiReGra is the new RIMS grant program.
This program aims to stimulate and facilitate collaboration between members regarding shared best practice networks, implementation of innovation, research projects, multi-center studies, etc.
Applications can be made when different members from different countries participate, for an amount of 5000 euro maximally. The application process will soon be available on the website with guidance on submission deadlines for grant applications; October 11th and successful application notification before mid February 2012.

We also very much wish to encourage persons to experience other member centers through the RIMS fellowship program, and to continue strong support for in-between meetings of the special interest groups. Please consult the website of the different SIG’s for information on upcoming events.

We also have great pleasure in inviting you to view the preliminary program of the 2012 RIMS conference which will take place in Hamburg, Germany on 31 May-2 June 2012. The local committee is Dr. Christoph Heesen and Dr. Thomas Henze. Key themes for the conference are to be “Application of shared decision making in different domains” and “Neurophysiology underlying motor rehabilitation”.

Check our website for regular updates of the program.

We very much look forward to working and collaborating with you; on research projects, sharing expertise and exchanging experiences in MS rehabilitation.
For the coming months, we wish you a great summer with good weather and some enjoyable free time for fun and relaxation.

Peter Feys,
President of RIMS

On behalf of the executive board.