The COMPARE launch was attended by 172 delegates. The launch was introduced by Professor Tim Softley, PVC for Research and Knowledge Transfer at the University of Birmingham, who outlined the partnership of the Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors to the worldwide audience. Professor Brian Kobilka, winner of the Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2012, gave a talk entitled “Structural insights into the dynamic process of G protein coupled receptor activation” which was informative and well received and sparked a number of thought provoking questions and responses.