FEMS Regional COLLAB (14.-15.9.)
About
About
FEMS Regional COLLAB
FEMS Regional COLLAB TOPICS
| Eco Innovations & Health Horizons |
| Biotechnology |
| Engagement & Growth |
FEMS Regional COLLAB Meeting supported by
Expand your network. Shape new collaborations
Scientists often need partners with complementary expertise to solve complex problems. At this meeting, you will meet exactly those people – and many of them are closer than you think.
FEMS Regional COLLAB is a new type of FEMS meeting in Vienna, 14-15 September 2026, designed to help microbiologists build meaningful, long-lasting collaborations across Central Europe. Coming directly before the ÖGMBT Annual Meeting (a FEBS3+ meeting), it creates the perfect moment to connect with regional peers. FEMS Regional COLLAB focuses on Central Europe and is co-shaped by three FEMS member societies from Austria, Croatia and Slovenia:
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Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology (ÖGMBT) |
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Slovenian Microbiological Society |
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Croatian Microbiological Society |
Why a regional meeting?
The goal is to connect researchers who live and work near each other, making it easier to start and sustain collaborations, project consortia, and joint funding applications. International guests are very welcome and bring valuable complementary perspectives to the regional network!
Bridging academia, industry, and funders
We see a strong need to connect academic research with application and impact at an early project stage.
This meeting creates structured opportunities for:
- Academic scientists to explore exploitation potential and application routes for microbial solutions with industry partners.
- Industry researchers to meet academic groups, outline real-world challenges, and co-develop research ideas.
- Funding agencies to present schemes and, importantly, listen to academia and industry about emerging needs and future topic calls.
Main objectives
During FEMS Regional COLLAB, we aim to:
- Get to know each other and learn from each other’s expertise.
- Identify opportunities for future joint and cross-border research projects.
- Explore what makes collaborations with industry successful in practice.
What you can expect
This is a regional matchmaking event, designed for scientists from academia, industry and funding stakeholders.
We keep plenary content short and interaction time long.
Participants will:
- Meet peers and like-minded colleagues from neighbouring countries, facing similar scientific and practical challenges, and leave with a concrete list of people you can contact directly.
- Learn from scientists working on the same themes and methodologies you are dealing with in your own projects.
- Experience how dedicated time for networking and discussion helps you grow as a professional and sparks new ideas.
Who should attend?
FEMS Regional COLLAB is ideal for:
- Scientists at all career stages who are curious, collaborative, and eager to build new networks.
- Late-stage PhD students, early postdocs, tenure-track researchers and early PIs who want to:
- form new project consortia
- prepare European or bilateral funding applications
- find complementary expertise in the region
- Company and industry partners who want to engage with academia, present challenges, and co-design solutions and consortia.
- Funding agencies interested in presenting programmes and learning directly from researchers and industry where support is most needed.
Meeting format
We use an engaging, highly interactive format that maximizes participation:
Plenary kick-off – Short scene-setting talks and a panel outlining scientific themes and collaboration opportunities.
Scientific introduction talks – Brief presentations from research groups highlighting groups expertise diversity in key microbiology areas:
- Biotechnology: synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, microbial bioprocesses, enzyme engineering – solving applied problems.
- Eco innovations & Health horizons: circular bioeconomy, waste valorization, sustainable biorefineries, microbiome engineering – addressing environmental challenges, antimicrobial resistance, microbiome therapeutics, viral diagnostics, vaccine platforms – exploring medical frontiers.
Table discussion rounds – Moderated small-group discussions where everyone can contribute, designed to connect people with shared interests.
Poster session & reception – Intensively networked poster session followed by an informal reception to continue conversations.
Dedicated stakeholder rooms – Separate spaces for industry, funding bodies, and publishing to enable focused dialogue, open new perspectives, and broaden horizons.
Open Space Technology – Participant-driven sessions where attendees propose and lead breakout topics, consolidating discussions into concrete action plans with clear next steps.
More detailed information of the session formats can be found on the program overview tab.
Join the ÖGMBT
Become an ÖGMBT-member and take advantage of lower registration fees. Click HERE for information on ÖGMBT membership benefits and subscribe for membership online before registering for the Annual Meeting.
Language
The scientific program of the 18th ÖGMBT Annual Meeting is held in English.
Warning: Participant contact details scam
You may have rceived an e-mail offering to sell participant contact information. ÖGMBT does not share or sell such information with other organizations.
Organizers
The ÖGMBT Office (Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology) is fully in charge of organizing the Annual Meeting. This guarantees continuity and a high standard of organization.
For any further information or inquiries related to the 18th ÖGMBT Annual Meeting feel free to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Invited Panelists
Plenary & Invited Panelists
| Plenary Katharina Wincor, AT |
| Plenary Christa Schleper, University of Vienna, AT |
| Eco Innovations & Health Horizons Denis Kutnjak, National Institute of Biology, SI Ines Mandić-Mulec, University of Ljubljana, SI Ana Bielen, University of Zagreb, HR Dijana Škorić, University of Zagreb, HR Maja Rupnik, University of Maribor, SI Patrick Mekuni-Mester, VetMedUni Vienna, AT Marina Santic, University of Rijeka, HR |
| Biotechnology Doris Ribitsch, BOKU, AT Dušica Vujaklija, Ruđer Bošković Institute, HR Nina Čuljak, University of Zagreb, HR |
Program Overview
Program Overview
For a detailed program description please see below the grid image.
Program description
Day 1
The meeting will begin with an introduction outlining the unique structure of the FEMS Regional Collab Meeting, followed by a kick-off talk from music conductor Katharina Wincor on the critical role of collaboration in the music industry. The analogies that can be drawn from the music world, are intended to help colleagues respond more directly to one another and make for smooth processes between large groups of collaborators.
The day continues with short presentations by panelists, clustered into two themes: Eco Innovations & Health Horizons, and Biotechnology. These inputs are designed as scientific “appetizers”: each panelist briefly introduces their topic, key challenges, and opportunities for collaboration, aiming to spark ideas rather than provide comprehensive overviews. Together, these talks equip participants with enough context to actively engage in the subsequent workshops.
Following the panel presentations, the meeting shifts from listening to active participation. Attendees move into workshop-style sessions organized around the three themes. The goal of this phase is to deepen the discussions initiated in the plenary, identify shared interests, and develop concrete collaboration ideas such as project concepts, joint publications, or network initiatives.
Each theme (EcoInnovations & Health Horizons, Biotechnology) is represented by several tables hosted by the respective panelists. Participants are invited to join the table that best matches their interests and may rotate between tables if desired. In this format, panelists act as conversation anchors rather than traditional speakers.
Day 2
Room of funding
An excellent opportunity for funding agencies to engage with the microbial research community, with a regional focus on Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria. The event is designed to foster tailor-made connections between funders, academic researchers, and industry stakeholders, enabling meaningful exchange and collaboration.
By identifying emerging hot topics and shared priorities, the event will help align future funding strategies with areas of high relevance for both academia and industry. It also aims to strengthen awareness of existing funding programs and facilitate targeted matchmaking between researchers and the most suitable funding opportunities.
- Pitch talks by funding agencies
- Table discussions (participants can freely assign them to the tables and move during the session)
Room of industry
The room of industry offers a great opportunity for industry stakeholders to connect directly with the regional microbial research community. It provides a platform to build strategic, tailor-made connections with leading academic groups and emerging talents in the region.
By bringing together experts from academia and industry, the meeting highlights current and emerging topics with high innovation potential, enabling companies to identify relevant trends, technologies, and collaboration opportunities. A central focus will be on identifying key challenges that need to be addressed to drive business innovation, fostering discussions on how microbial research can translate into scalable solutions and competitive advantages.
The event also facilitates dialogue on shared challenges and translational pathways, helping to align research directions with industrial needs and accelerate the development of impactful microbial solutions.
- Pitch talks by selected company and industry partners mainly highlighting their main business and one challenge they are facing (related to microbiology)
- Table discussions (participants can freely assign them to the tables and move during the session)
Room of Communication and Outreach
The Room of Communication and Outreach offers an exchange platform to explore how microbial research can be shared more effectively with diverse audiences, from policymakers and journalists to educators, students, and the wider public. The session will introduce key principles of science communication and outreach, combining theory with practical approaches to help researchers communicate their work clearly, creatively, and impactfully.
Through selected case studies, participants will gain insight into successful science communication and outreach initiatives, highlighting different formats, audiences, and strategies for engagement. The session will also provide an overview of FEMS pathways for science communication, including International Microorganism Day, blogs, social media, podcasts, and webinars, showcasing opportunities for researchers to amplify their work through established communication channels.
By bringing together microbial researchers with media professionals, such as journalists, science writers, and art-and-science communicators, as well as representatives of outreach initiatives, the session will foster meaningful exchange around how microbiology can be made more visible, accessible, and relevant to society. It aims to build tailor-made connections between researchers and communication experts, encouraging new collaborations that strengthen public engagement, support knowledge exchange, and enhance the societal impact of microbial science.
- An Introduction to Science Communication & Outreach (theory and practice)
- Science communication and outreach case studies with panel discussion
- Overview of FEMS pathways for science communication (International Microorganism Day, Blogs, Social Media, Podcasts, & Webinars)
Open Space Format
The open space format creates a flexible and interactive environment that encourages direct exchange among participants at themed tables. Instead of a fixed agenda, discussions are shaped by the interests and expertise of those present, allowing ideas to emerge organically. This setup fosters equal participation, facilitates networking across disciplines, and enables focused conversations that can quickly evolve into concrete collaboration opportunities.
Social Program
Social Program
Wine & Science
Sept 15, 19:00-22:00
The ÖGMBT Annual Meeting is also famous for its “Wine & Science” reception (Tuesday evening, September 15), which is included in the registration fee. This welcome reception is held within the industry exhibition area. The exhibitors bring along wine for tasting with the participants and ÖGMBT takes care of cheese and desserts. There are many wine specialties to taste and we have already counted at one of the tastings about 120 different varieties - but don't worry, there are also non-alcoholic offers ;-) Just join and enjoy the networking!
Industry Exhibition
Industry Exhibition
The industry exhibition will showcase companies and institutions presenting their products & services for the life sciences community.
