The FEBS Congress and YSF 2026: save the dates!

The 50th FEBS Congress, hosted by the Netherlands Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NVBMB), will be held 4–8 July 2026 in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Stay tuned for the opening of registration and abstract submissions this fall for a special milestone edition of the FEBS Congress.

In conjunction with the 50th FEBS Congress, the satellite FEBS Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF) 2026 for about 100 PhD students and postdocs will run in Wageningen 2–4 July 2026. For those selected, YSF grants will support participation in the YSF and ensuing FEBS Congress. Stand by for more details soon about how to apply; the YSF application deadline will be in December 2025.

FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award 2026

The FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award 2026 has been announced, honouring Carola García de Vinuesa, Principal Group Leader and Assistant Research Director at the Francis Crick Institute (UK). She is recognised for her pioneering discoveries on antibody responses and autoimmune diseases, and for her remarkable ability to connect science with society.

García de Vinuesa’s internationally acclaimed work has shed new light on the genetic and molecular basis of autoimmunity, opening up new perspectives for diagnosis and treatment. Beyond her research, she has played a leading role in public engagement, most notably through her involvement in the Kathleen Folbigg case in Australia, where genetic research helped overturn a major miscarriage of justice.

The award will be presented at the 50th FEBS Congress in Maastricht in July 2026, where García de Vinuesa will deliver a plenary lecture and take part in discussions with early-career researchers.

FEBS Advanced Courses 2026

We have received the applications for the 1 September deadline, the last round (Round 2) for courses to be delivered in 2026, as part of the FEBS Advanced Courses programme. Over the next few weeks, they will be evaluated by the FEBS Advanced Courses Committee.

We list below the courses that were approved after the 1 March deadline (Round 1). Visit the Advanced Courses calendar for updates on these upcoming 2026 courses. While they are building their course websites, some of the organisers shared a post on the FEBS Network to flag their events. We invite you to read them and share them with your contacts.

FEBS Advanced Courses approved after Round 1 of the 2026 call:

• Generative AI for protein engineering (Landenberg, Belgium 19–24 April 2026)
• HFP2026: Molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions and virulence in human fungal pathogens (La Colle sur Loup, France 16–22 May 2026) | FEBS Network post
• Retina in a dish: Methods & applications in life sciences (Kuopio, Finland 8–12 June 2026) | FEBS Network post
• MASLD: From novel liver model systems to organelle pathophysiology (Spetses, Greece 3–8 September 2026) | FEBS Network post
• 6th Danube Epigenetics Conference (Budapest, Hungary 19–22 October 2026) | FEBS Network post

FEBS Advanced Courses 2025

Secure your spot before the year ends!

The remaining courses in 2025 are listed below. If you are interested in a course, contact the organizers directly to find out if they are still open for last minute registrations.

The evolving role of mitochondria in metabolism
Belgrade, Serbia | 14–18 September 2025

Susan Lindquist School on Proteostasis
Espoo, Finland | 16–19 September 2025

Expanding frontiers in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase research 
Dubrovnik, Croatia | 28 September – 3 October 2025

Computational approaches to understanding and engineering enzyme catalysis
Stockholm, Sweden | 29 September – 3 October 2025

Connecting the exposome with redox regulation in health and disease
Luso, Portugal | 6–9 October 2025

Molecular and cellular pathways of aging in hematopoiesis
Crete, Greece | 20–24 October 2025

Interested in the next round of applications?

Do you want to organize a FEBS Advanced Course? The next deadline for applications is 1 March 2026 for courses to be delivered in 2027. We are updating the guidelines and will add them to the FEBS website before the end of the year, ready for the next round.

Need some inspiration on how to structure your course? Check out the past courses calendar for links to previous course websites.

The FEBS Advanced Courses on the FEBS Network

We continue to get great posts on the FEBS Network from participants in FEBS Advanced Courses. We list the latest below:

• "The best conferences have wet hair in the dress code", from Zuzana Johanovská, a PhD student at the FEBS Advanced Lecture Course ‘Biological surfaces and interfaces: biointerfaces at lipids, proteins and polymers’ (Spain, 8–13 June 2025)
• "From static snapshots to dynamic visions", from Joydeep Baral, a PhD student at the FEBS Workshop 'Time-resolved spectroscopy meets time-resolved crystallography: the future of dynamic photobiology' (Hungary, 6–8 May 2025)

Molecular Oncology

Circulating cell-free nucleic acids (cfDNA, cfRNA, miRNAs), along with components in extracellular vesicles (EVs) and cellular entities like circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), are becoming an invaluable source for liquid biopsy applications. Our latest thematic issue in Molecular Oncology features a curated selection of articles, that highlight diverse approaches utilized in liquid biopsy research and clinical applications pertinent to cancer. If you are interested into publishing your liquid biopsy research, check the open call for content here.

The journal has two more active calls for content in collaboration with the EACR on Cancer Neuroscience and Immuno-Oncology.

The FEBS Journal

Our Special Issue The Microbiome in Health and Disease brings together review-type articles from leading authors who summarise host–microbe interactions. As research progresses, harnessing the power of the microbiome may pave the way for novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, reaffirming the notion that we are never alone—our microbial fellow travellers accompany us through life, for better or worse.

FEBS Letters

FEBS Letters is pleased to announce a new special issue on Dendritic cells in health and disease, organised by guest editors Francesco Andreata (IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan), Francesca Granucci (University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan), and Laura Marongiu (University of Milano-Bicocca). This exciting issue includes seven articles focussed on different aspects of dendritic cells, including their role in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and cancers, the use of IL-10-producing dendritic cells in immunotherapy, and the dual nature of T_DC cells. The final two articles focus on methodological advice—vital reading for immunologists looking to get to grips with multiplexed imaging or single-cell RNA-seq analysis. Read the full issue for free at the above link.

FEBS Open Bio

Many non-coding RNAs (microRNA, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs) can act as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes to regulate tumor initiation and/or development. We invite you to read our latest Special Issue on Non-coding RNAs in cancer featuring four Review articles that showcase how recent technological advancements have accelerated our understanding of their potential  as cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

We also invite you to check our newly open call for content on host-pathogen interactions here. We particularly invite contributions on technological advancements/new methodologies and/or research protocols. We look forward to your submission!

Announcing the awardees of the 2025 PROBio-LatAm Fellowships

We are delighted to announce the 8 talented trainees from Argentina, Mexico, and Uruguay who have been selected for the inaugural IUBMB–FEBS–PABMB PROBio-LatAm Fellowships. These fellowships will support their stays of up to 6 months in European laboratories, where they will advance their research projects and strengthen international collaboration.

2025 Fellowship Awardees:

• Héctor Luis Blanco (National University of Tucumán, Argentina) will travel to Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires CNRS Aix-Marseille University, France, in Dr. Adeline Goulet's lab.
• Camilla Lucía Colantuono Seguí (University of the Republic, Uruguay) will travel to the University of Bern, Switzerland, in Dr. Norbert Polacek's lab.
• Chiara Coronel Cappellari (University of Concepción del Uruguay / IBR-CONICET, Argentina) will travel to EMBL Hamburg, Germany, in Dr. Matthias Wilmanns's lab.
• María Sofía Deschutter (National University of Rosario, Argentina) will travel to Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires CNRS Aix-Marseille University, France, in Dr. Pierre Santucci's lab.
• Rosa Lillian Díaz-Chávez (IPICYT, Mexico) will travel to the Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, KU Leuven, Belgium, in Dr. Patrick Van Dijck's lab.
• Alexis Fernando Pecci Genaro (University of Córdoba, Argentina) will travel to the Mitochondrial Membranes Laboratory (Department of Physical Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Spain, in Dr. Iván López Montero's lab.
• Malena Tejerina Cibello (University of San Martín, Argentina) will travel to the Unité de Virologie Structurale, Institut Pasteur - CNRS UMR 3965, Paris, France, in Dr. Felix Rey's lab.
• Sabrina Aldana Vallone (Institute of Physiology, Molecular Biology and Neurosciences, Argentina) will travel to the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain, in Dr. Guadalupe Sabio Buzo's lab.

We warmly congratulate the awardees and wish them every success in their research journeys!

FEBS Education and Training

FEBS & NBS Joint Education Workshop
Registration is open for the FEBS & Norwegian Bioscience Society (NBS) Joint Education Workshop “Teaching Large, Thinking Deep: Active Learning and Assessment in Expanding Classrooms”. The programme will focus on active learning, fair assessment, and empowering educators.

???? 18–19 September 2025 |???? University of Bergen, Norway

Call for FEBS Education Events
The next call for in-person education events organised by FEBS Constituent Societies will open on 15 September 2025. Proposals can be submitted until 15 December 2025 for events taking place between January and June 2026.

???? Call open: 15 September 2025 | Deadline: 15 December 2025

FEBS Education and Training Conference 2026
Save the date for the next FEBS Education and Training Conference, bringing together educators, researchers and institutional leaders to explore innovative approaches in life sciences education.

???? 25–29 March 2026 | ???? Kuşadası, İzmir, Türkiye
ℹ️ More details will be announced soon

Support for meetings of FEBS Constituent Societies

FEBS3+ Meetings: call for proposals

The FEBS3+ programme supports conferences equivalent to an annual national scientific meeting of a FEBS Constituent Society but organized through collaboration of three (or more) such Societies. It aims to increase international collaboration between molecular life scientists in a subset of FEBS countries, such as those in a particular region or linked in other ways, while also encouraging sharing of Society expertise and efforts. FEBS3+ Meeting grants of €20,000 are available.

The deadline for proposals from FEBS Societies for FEBS3+ Meetings to be held in 2026 is 30 September 2025. Find guidelines here.

Upcoming FEBS3+ Meeting

The third FEBS3+ Meeting in 2025 takes place later this month in Belgrade, and registration is open:

FEBS3+ Meeting: Advances in Molecular Biosciences: from genes to personalized therapies; Serbian Biochemical Society SBS (organizer and host), with HDBMB (Croatia), MBKE (Hungary), SBD (Slovenia) and ABMBBIH (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Societies | Belgrade, Serbia | 24–27 September 2025

FEBS National Lectures: call for proposals

FEBS National Lectures are FEBS-supported plenary lectures from distinguished scientists from outside the event-hosting country at scientific meetings of FEBS Constituent Societies. An engraved glass award is presented to the lecturer. Applications are invited from FEBS Societies for FEBS National Lectures at 2026 events; find more details in the FEBS website’s Societies support section.

The 49th FEBS Congress: thank you!

If you were in Istanbul for the FEBS Congress 2025, thank you for all your contributions as speakers, poster presenters, audiences and exhibitors – including helping to create a strong sense of community and connection at the event. FEBS also extends special thanks to the Turkish Biochemical Society as the host Society, for all their efforts creating a memorable Congress.

With the theme ‘Bridging Continents to Advance Life Science’, a nod to the unique location of Istanbul, the event attracted over 2000 registrants from 67 countries for a rich and inspiring scientific programme of invited speaker talks, selected delegate talks and posters across the molecular life sciences, as well as a sprinkling of interesting sessions on wider topics and several social/networking opportunities.

You can now enjoy some special moments captured during the five days of the event as photos or a short video, and find some highlights of the event summarized here.

Interested in attending a future FEBS Congress? Save the date for the 50th FEBS Congress in the Netherlands next year: 4–8 July 2026.

FEBS Advanced Courses

The second half of 2025 includes the courses listed below. Courses later in the year, such as the workshops on aging in hematopoiesis and on redox medicine, or the special meeting on aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, are open and welcoming participants. If you are interested on a course coming up soon, contact the organizers directly to find out if they are still open for registrations.

FEBS Advanced Lecture Courses
Functional genomics of metabolic diseases
Spetses Island, Greece | 29 August – 3 September 2025  

FEBS Special Meetings
Expanding frontiers in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase research 
Dubrovnik, Croatia | 28 September – 3 October 2025

FEBS Practical and Lecture Courses
Computational approaches to understanding and engineering enzyme catalysis
Stockholm, Sweden │ 29 September – 3 October 2025

FEBS Workshops
Immunology, metabolism and ageing
Matrei am Brenner, Austria │ 8–11 September 2025
Connecting the exposome with redox regulation in health and disease
Luso, Portugal │ 6–9 October 2025
Molecular and cellular pathways of aging in hematopoiesis
Crete, Greece │ 20–24 October 2025

Joint FEBS | EMBO Lecture Courses
Venice Summer School 2025: Emergence & evolution of multi-level regulatory systems
Venice, Italy | 17–22 August 2025 
The new microbiology
Spetses Island, Greece | 3–11 September 2025
The evolving role of mitochondria in metabolism
Belgrade, Serbia | 14–18 September 2025
Susan Lindquist School on Proteostasis
Espoo, Finland | 16–19 September 2025

Round 2 of the call for proposals for 2026 FEBS Advanced Courses

Are you planning to apply to organize a FEBS Advanced Course? The next deadline for applications is 1 September 2025. Find out more about submitting an application for funding to organize a course in 2026.

The FEBS Advanced Courses on the FEBS Network

As we enter the second half of 2025, we would like to celebrate the FEBS Advanced Courses that took place earlier this year. Several of the participants and organizers have shared a FEBS Network post with us about the courses, and we flag here a selection:

·       What was it like to attend the FEBS Special Meeting on “Sphingolipid Biology: Breaking Boundaries" as a speaker and as a student?

·       How has it helped to attend the Joint EMBO | FEBS Lecture Course "Physical Virology: Across Length Scales" and what does it mean to win a special award for this student?

·       What was the scientific and training content of the FEBS Practical Course “Fluorescence Microspectroscopy: Functional Imaging of Biological Systems”?

·       How was the FEBS Workshop “Time-resolved spectroscopy meets time-resolved crystallography: the future of dynamic photobiology” structured to optimize learning and foster a research community?

·       What were the key topics covered at the FEBS Workshop: European Workshop on Bacterial Protein Toxins?

FEBS Education and Training

• Join us at the FEBS & Norway Bioscience Society (NBS) Joint Education Event: Teaching Large, Thinking Deep: Active Learning and Assessment in Expanding Classrooms, September 18–19, 2025, Venue: Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen - Target Audience: University educators (medical/biomedical sciences), PhD/postdocs interested in teaching.
• Save the date and mark your calendar for the leading European forum in molecular life sciences education: FEBS Education and Training Conference, March 25-29, 2026 / Pine Bay Resort, Kusadasi, Türkiye

Join fellow educators, researchers, and institutional leaders in a vibrant, hands-on, and forward-thinking event.

FEBS3+ Meetings

There’s still just time to register for a FEBS3+ Meeting this September in Prague or Belgrade. These are broad scientific meetings organized through collaboration of three (or more) FEBS Constituent Societies from nearby countries. Explore the programmes and registration information at the links below:

·       FEBS3+ Meeting: Unlocking the Secrets of Life (XXVIII Congress); Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – ČSBMB (organizer and host), with SSBMB (Slovakia), PTBioch (Poland) and GBM (Germany) Societies
   Prague, Czech Republic | 7–10 September 2025

·       FEBS3+ Meeting: Advances in Molecular Biosciences: from genes to personalized therapies; Serbian Biochemical Society – SBS (organizer and host), with HDBMB (Croatia), MBKE (Hungary), SBD (Slovenia) and ABMBBIH (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Societies
   Belgrade, Serbia | 24–27 September 2025

FEBS3+ Meetings 2026

FEBS Constituent Societies are invited to submit proposals now to receive FEBS funding for FEBS3+ Meetings to be held next year. Find guidance on the FEBS website here. Deadline: 30 September 2025.