Since 1975, the Marcel Grossmann Meetings have been organized in order to provide opportunities for discussing recent advances in gravitation, general relativity and relativistic field theories, emphasizing mathematical foundations, physical predictions and experimental tests. The objective of these meetings is to elicit exchange among scientists that may deepen our understanding of spacetime structures as well as to review the status of ongoing experiments aimed at testing Einstein's theory of gravitation either from the ground or from space. Previous meetings have been held in Trieste MG1 (1975) and MG2 (1979), Shanghai MG3 (1982), Rome MG4 (1985), Perth MG5 (1988), Kyoto MG6 (1991), Stanford MG7 (1994) and Jerusalem MG8 (1997). Interested scientists should address a member from any one of the organizing committees or the conference secretariat.

The University of Rome "La Sapienza"
With approximately 200.000 students and 60 Institutions, the University "La Sapienza", in latin "Studium Urbis", has become the largest Centre of Learning in the Mediterranean. It was founded in 1303 by Pope Bonifacio VIII. In 1431 by the will of Pope Eugenio IV the University was given a fixed endowment. In 1527 the students gave origin to various Academies and the topics of teaching were further extended. In 1660 three major institutions were founded: the main library "Alessandrina", the splendid Botanical Garden on the Gianicolo Hills, both still operating today, the church "S. Ivo" and the palace of "La Sapienza", designed by Borromini, today part of the Senate of the Italian Republic. In 1789 the school of Engineering and the Medical School were instituted. In 1888 a new medical school was opened in the "Policlinico Umberto I". In 1935 part of the University was transferred in the new campus, designed by Piacentini, were Tullio Levi Civita and Enrico Fermi were members of the Faculty of Sciences.