We look forward to seeing you at the SuRE Biennial '24 conference. Following is information about transportation and NIH Campus security. To help make this a seamless experience, please read below to learn what to expect and how to best navigate your arrival and departure from the conference — most notably by allowing an additional 30 minutes each morning to go through NIH security.
Tuesday, July 23
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday, July 24
8:30 am - 4:15 pm
NIH Main Campus
Natcher Conference Center
Building 45
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD
A light breakfast, starting at 7:15 am, and an afternoon boxed lunch will be provided to attendees on both days in the Natcher Building, ensuring you don't have to leave the NIH Campus for meals. Dinners are for each attendee's personal time, with a wide selection of restaurants in the Bethesda area.
There is an optional networking mixer at 7:00 pm Tuesday at the Hilton Garden Inn Bethesda, with light snacks and a nearby cash bar.
Hilton Garden Inn Bethesda
7301 Waverly Street
Conference attendees staying at different hotels or those driving into Bethesda are welcome to catch the shuttle at the Hilton Garden Inn.
We recommend catching the shuttle between 7:00-7:30 am to have time to check through NIH security, arrive at the Natcher Building, grab a bite, and be seated in time for the first session which will begin promptly at 8:30 am.
Shuttles will be available to transport attendees from the Hilton Garden Inn Bethesda to the Natcher Building starting at 7:00 am each morning and back to the Hilton Gardin Inn after the last session each day. A Biennial '24 team member will be in the hotel lobby each morning to help guide you to the shuttles. Taking the Metro or driving to the NIH Campus is an option, but due to NIH security protocols, we highly advise attendees to take the shuttle.
Guests to the NIH Campus must go through NIH security and present a government-issued photo ID. Please allow an additional 30 minutes each morning, so you have sufficient time to get through security.
Whether taking the shuttle, driving, or walking, attendees must enter through the NIH Gateway Visitor Center (Building 66), adjacent to the Medical Center Metro Station at the South Drive entrance to campus. At the NIH Gateway Center, attendees without an NIH ID will need to provide a government-issued ID such as a driver's license or passport and state their visit's purpose to obtain a Visitor's Pass to enter campus. Please note that visitor passes must be prominently displayed at all times while on the NIH campus. Additionally, a new Visitor's Pass will need to be obtained for the second day of the conference (visitor passes are only valid for one day).
All visitors should be prepared to submit to a personal inspection before entering the campus. These inspections may be conducted with a handheld monitoring device, a metal detector, or by visible inspection. Your personal belongings may also be inspected and passed through an x-ray machine. Please note that under federal law, the following items are prohibited on the NIH campus: firearms, explosives, archery equipment, dangerous weapons, knives with blades over 2½ inches, narcotics, controlled substances, alcoholic beverages, and open containers of alcohol.
While we recommend taking the hotel shuttle, some attendees may want to use public transportation to get to the conference or return to their hotel room. The Bethesda Metro Station, on Wisconsin Ave, is a 4-minute walk from the Hilton Garden Inn Bethesda.
To reach the NIH campus via Metro, take the Red Line toward Shady Grove to the Medical Center stop. The Natcher Building is a 5-minute walk from the Medical Center station (located on Center Drive directly behind the Medical Center Stop). Information about the Metro transit system, including fares, schedules, and estimated travel times from other stops, can be found at http://www.wmata.com/.
It is strongly recommended that attendees take the hotel shuttle or public transportation to the NIH Campus, but if you choose to drive, you should park in lot MLP 11, also known as the Gateway parking garage. Vehicles parking in MLP-11 are outside the perimeter security and will not go through vehicle inspection, reducing the time it takes to get to campus. View the NIH Campus visitor map to find all lots that allow visitor parking. After parking in MLP-11, attendees should proceed to the Gateway Center to get a visitor badge and walk to the Natcher Building. Note that vehicles left in the MLP-11 parking garage after 11:00 pm on weekdays or during weekends are subject to ticketing and towing.
If you choose to bypass parking in MLP-11, you must enter the Gateway Center complex through "NIH Gateway Drive," where your vehicle will be required to undergo inspection.