A brief history of Scandinavian society for immunology

The Scandinavian Society for Immunology (SSI) was established with the purpose to advance the study of immunology in Scandinavia and to facilitate contacts between individuals and laboratories working within the field. To fulfill this the Society should organize scientific meetings and laboratory courses and take any other measure to support the development of immunology. A second objective was to establish contact and scientific exchange with other societies in Europe and overseas. By joining five national societies from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) into one umbrella society this has given SSI a more powerful voice in international organizations such as European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS) and International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). The Scandinavian Foundation for Immunology and the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology has greatly facilitated the annual meetings to be of international high quality and by attracting more participants. Thus, SSI provides a forum for Nordic immunologists to share their research results and to increase collaboration over the borders. In conclusion, the SSI has undoubtedly been and will hopefully continue to be a major strength for Scandinavian immunology.