The second meeting of the ReProForce FP7-REGPOT-2009-1 project partners took place on February 21^st 2011 in the Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Altogether 25 scientists participating in the project from IPIR-BAS and 4 representatives from the supporting partners organizations took part in the meeting. The participating partners were: Prof. Gandolfi (Milan, Italy), Prof. U. Markert (Jena, Germany), Prof. N. Fernandez (Essex, UK) and Prof. K. Teerds (Wageningen, Netherlands).

Three from the project partners: Prof. H. Donat and Prof. U. Kleinstein (Magdeburg, Germany) and Dr. Besenfelder (Vienna, Austria) attend at the additional meeting that took place on March 26^st 2011.

The meeting was organized in two working sessions and was carried out in strict and professional environment. All project participants showed active and motivated attitude.

• The meeting started with an opening speech of ReProForce project director Professor Margarita Mollova who presented a detailed report about the performed project activities during 2010. In brief, the achieved progress was encouraging. The project partners expressed their content and underlined that it would be a good base for the continuation of the project development in the coming years.
• Detailed reports about the fulfillment of the mobility program 2010 were presented by Dr. K Shumkov and Dr. P Rashev from IBIR-BAS who participated in short-term theoretical and experimental trainings in the partners’ laboratories. Based on the reports and the discussions, it was evident that the trainings were successful and useful.
• A scientific working program of Dr Soren Hayrabedyan, PhD recruited by ReProForce project was presented and discussed in detail. The presented program entitled “Sertoli cells – a crossroad of innate and adaptive immunity and germ cells regulator in testis.” received complete approval and provoked a scientific interest among the meeting participants. Many useful recommendations and advices as well as offers for collaboration were proposed to Dr Hayrabedyan from the project partners.
• A lecture entitled “How to write a successful scientific publication for a peer-review journal” was presented by Prof. K. Teerds. All scientists from IBIR-BAS were invited to the lecture.
• A lecture entitled “The role of integrins in the human endometrium” was presented by Prof. H. Donat.
• A lecture entitled “IVM: a new technology in assisted reproduction” was present by Prof. J. Kleinstein.
• The new laboratories equipped with apparatus purchased in 2010 with the funds from the ReProForce project, which represent technical improvements for better scientific research, were shown to the partners.
• A debate about the schedule concerning the working topics, the time convenience of the partners and the junior scientists that will participate in the exchange mobility programmes for 2011 was carried out. Lecture themes and lecturers were specified.
• A big interest provoked the lecture of the scientific expert of ReProForce project Assoc. Prof. E Kistanova. Information about the perspectives for creation of common scientific project and collaboration with ReProForce partners was provided. The major scientific priorities in the topics "Health" and "Food, agriculture, resources of the sea, fisheries" of FP7 that correspond to the scientific interests of IBIR and the partners were presented. A discussion concerning the common problems and interests of the partners’ sides and the opportunities for enlarging the scientific network was carried out. Importantly, the attraction of more partners for participation in the development of new projects in European programmes and the usage of the partners experience and the technical and scientific potential of IBIR acquired as a result from the ReProForce project were also considered.

The schedule of the forthcoming scientific events of ReProForce project for 2011 was given to the partners. The 13^th International Symposium for Immunology of Reproduction organized by International Coordination Committee for Immunology of Reproduction (IBIR-BAS) that will be held in Varna on 22-24 June 2012 was announced to the partners, in order to broadly disseminate and to allow the interested scientists to attend the congress.