Dear Workshop Participants,

we would like to welcome you to the 20^th MR Angiography workshop.

The International MRA Workshop, which was founded in 1989 by a team led by Prof. Jim Potchen, has established itself as the premier annual conference focusing on vascular MR research and clinical applications.

The Workshop has been held all around the world from the US, to Canada, to Asia, and to Europe and for the first time in its 19 years of existence it will take place in Austria.

As Local Organizing Team we are proud to host the 20^th Anniversary Meeting in Graz. The Medical University Graz and the Graz University of Technology are by tradition promoters of research initiatives in South Eastern European countries.

With respect to the commitment to academic centres in the neighbouring countries we have the privilege to assign stipends for nine young scientists in the field of Magnetic Resonance Angiography.

The 2008 Annual Conference will cover all major topics in the vascular application of Magnetic Resonance including new technical developments as well as clinical applications in diagnostic and interventional MRA.

For generous support of the conference we are indebted to the Federal Government of Styria for its donation. Significant support by Corporate Sponsors at an international and national level has also been graciously provided . The sponsors are listed inside this website and will also be found in the conference-handbook.

Furthermore we are indebted to the established London/Ontario Team with Janette Wallace, Johanne Guillemette and Christine Charette. We also thank the local team, naming Verena Fischl as meeting secretary, Gerlinde Pansi, Sabine Pfandl, Gerald Schweighofer, Eveline Taucher and Wolfgang Wieser for additional help in the preparation of the congress.

We do hope, you will enjoy the scientific meeting as well as the atmosphere in the City of Graz, its surroundings and its social events.