May 2013 will mark the 30th year since the publication in Science reporting for the first time the identification of a retrovirus associated with AIDS-related syndromes, now referred to as human immunodeficiency virus.

To celebrate this anniversary, the Institut Pasteur in collaboration with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, ANRS and sidaction is organizing an international symposium.

The objective of this symposium is not to trace the history of the discovery of the virus, but to focus on the critical challenges and the future priorities that remain in HIV science as a result of 30 years of fantastic achievements.