EFB May Newsletter

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Beyond lectures: highlight events at ECB2026

The European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB2026) offers much more than lectures and symposia. This year’s programme includes interactive sessions designed to support researchers, build skills, and connect science with industry.

Highlights include:

BioToP / BioproEng session – Enzyme, metabolic and cell engineering research from BOKU University doctoral schools.
Elsevier Workshop – Practical guidance on scientific publishing, from manuscript writing to peer review.
European Research Council (ERC) Session – Key insights into ERC grants, from application to evaluation.
Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB) Session – Microbial innovations for biomanufacturing, sustainability, and circular bioeconomy.
AFoB–EFB Joint Session – Strengthening biotech collaboration between Asia and Europe.
ProteInn Club Pitch Session – Fast-paced 3-minute pitches of breakthrough microbial protein innovations with industry interaction.

Registration

Abstract submission and early bird deadline extended until 31 May

The deadline for abstract submission and early bird registration for the 9th Conference on Physiology of Yeasts and Filamentous Fungi (PYFF9) has been extended until 31 May 2026.
Researchers still have time to submit abstracts for oral or poster presentations and register at the reduced early bird rate.
PYFF9 will take place on 8–11 September 2026 in Valencia, Spain, and will cover a broad range of topics related to yeasts and filamentous fungi, including:

Fungal physiology and metabolism
Evolution and adaptation
Pathogenesis and resistance mechanisms
Synthetic biology and systems biology
Food and beverage fermentations
Cell factories and industrial applications
Circular economy and sustainable production
Emerging tools and technologies, including AI and data science

Registration

Final week for abstract submission & early bird registration

Join us at the Food Biotechnology Conference, taking place on 8–9 September 2026 in Sion, Switzerland, at HES-SO Valais.
Submit your work for oral or poster presentations before 31 May 2026 in areas including:

Sustainable food ingredients through biotechnological innovation
Fermentation and upcycling in food systems
Microbiome-active foods and health functionality
Enabling technologies in Food Biotechnology
Ethics, regulation, and societal impact of Food Biotechnology

Registration discounts:

Early bird registration until 31 May 2026
10% discount for EFB Institutional Members
10% group discount for 3+ participants from the same organisation

Registration

ASBE8: innovation in synthetic biology

Join the 8th Applied Synthetic Biology in Europe Conference (ASBE8), taking place on 4–6 November 2026 at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, UK.

ASBE8 will bring together leading experts in applied synthetic biology, including speakers from MIT, the University of Cambridge, DTU, UC San Diego, CSIC and more.

Topics include:

Bio-based production and clean growth
Therapeutics, diagnostics, and gene editing
Crops, soil and bioremediation
Computational design technologies

Important deadline: 19 July 2026

Abstract submission
Early bird registration

Registration

Top article of the month
Adaptive laboratory evolution of Actinobacillus succinogenes for enhanced acid tolerance and succinic acid production

OPEN ACCESS

Share your reseach in the New Biotechnology Green Deal Biotechnology Special Issue

For more information contact events@efbiotechnology.org

ECB2026: Turn your membership into real visibility
EFB Institutional Members benefit from a strong package of advantages at the European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB2026), designed to maximise visibility, participation, and impact across the biotech community.
Key benefits include:

Reduced registration fees for congress participation
Discounted rates for exhibition booths
Special conditions for sponsorship opportunities
Increased visibility during the congress
Direct engagement with key stakeholders from academia, industry and policy

Voice of Biotechnology in Europe — Institutional Members Panel at ECB2026 A high-profile panel where EFB Institutional Members take centre stage in shaping the European biotech conversation. This is a unique opportunity to showcase your organisation’s role, strengthen your visibility, and engage directly with leading voices from academia, industry, and policy across Europe.

Learn more about ECB2026 Congress

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS

Biomanufacturing is vital to Europe’s future
Join industry leaders and EU and national policymakers at EuropaBio’s 4th Biomanufacturing Policy Summit on 4 June 2026 in Brussels. Discover how legislation can deliver real impact for competitiveness, supply chains, decarbonisation, healthcare and resilience. Invitation only. [+]

Kuhner Seminars and Trainings
The Kuhner Science Talk series offers expert insights into shaken cultivation systems in 45–60 minutes, with practical tips for reliable workflows. Next session: 11 June 2026 – Online monitoring unveils what is going on in your cultivation vessel. Discover current solutions and how Kuhner TOM and microTOM improve control, data quality, and overall bioprocess transparency. Register now! [+]

Looking for NMR services?
Our analytical laboratory, located in Switzerland, is equipped with a 600 MHz NMR system with a BBFO Probe. The system’s high sensitivity enables efficient data collection from small sample volumes in less time, making it ideal for routine analyses. We would be happy to collaborate on advanced applications, including protein and solid-state NMR. [+]

Advances in Chemical Biology – New CHIMIA Special Issue
The Swiss Chemical Society has published a special issue of CHIMIA featuring selected work from EFMC-ISCB 2025. It highlights advances in chemical biology, including drug discovery, peptide macrocycles, chemical proteomics, chromatin biology, and RNA-targeting strategies. [+]

FEMTCI 2026 Congress: Building Bridges in Integrative Medicine
The 16th FEMTCI Congress will take place on 29–31 May 2026 in Peñíscola, Spain, focusing on integration between conventional medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The event will bring together international experts for scientific exchange, workshops, and networking in a collaborative, interdisciplinary forum. [+]

ESACT Courses 2026 - Extended Application Deadline
Great news: the application deadline for the ESACT Courses 2026 has been extended to 3 June 2026! Designed for students, academic and industrial scientists, these highly interactive courses cover the latest advances in mammalian cell technology – from biotherapeutics and vaccines to cell and gene therapy, as well as metabolic and bioprocess modelling. For full course details, eligibility criteria, and applications info, please visit our website. [+]

iBET is part of the European Vaccines Hub (EVH)
EVH is a large-scale initiative strengthening Europe’s capacity to rapidly develop safe, effective, and scalable vaccines for future pandemics. iBET provides bioprocess R&D, advanced bioanalytics, and technology transfer expertise to support efficient, GMP-compliant, large-scale vaccine production, within EVH’s “Regulation & Manufacturing” pillar. [+]