Nordic EMBL Partnership brings its research community together in Umeå

The annual meeting provides an opportunity for researchers from the four Nordic EMBL Partnership nodes (DANDRITE in Denmark, FIMM in Finland, MIMS in Sweden and NCMBM in Norway) to share their latest research, explore new collaborations and strengthen connections across the network. The 2026 meeting also welcomed the VU-LSC EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies from Vilnius, Lithuania.

Connecting the Nordics with Europe, and looking ahead

This year’s meeting also provided an opportunity to reflect on the Nordic EMBL Partnership’s place within the wider European research landscape. New EMBL Director General Anthony Hyman joined the meeting and met with Vice Chancellors, Directors, Council Members and funders at a reception held alongside the programme. He then opened the scientific meeting with his keynote, Understanding complexity, connecting Europe – EMBL’s vision for the next era of biological discovery where he emphasized that AI will be used to solve key questions in biology and enable the next era of discovery as a methodological shift in analysing molecular biology phenomenon and by generating complex hypotheses.

The meeting also looked to the future of the Nordic EMBL Partnership itself. Janna Saarela, Speaker of the Partnership, shared an update from the Steering Committee, setting out priorities and ambitions for the Partnership’s next phase.

Science and collaboration across borders

The scientific programme showcased the breadth of research within the Nordic EMBL Partnership, spanning fundamental biology, molecular mechanisms of disease, and translational research. Alongside presentations from researchers across the four nodes, the programme also featured a keynote lecture from Guillaume Duménil on bacterial infection and pathogenesis in acute meningococcemia.

With scientific presentations, poster sessions, discussions and informal networking, the meeting created a space for researchers at different career stages to exchange ideas, establish new connections and identify opportunities for collaboration. This reflects one of the Partnership’s central strengths: bringing complementary expertise together across institutional and national borders.

Supporting the next generation

The meeting began with the Young Investigator Meeting (YIM), bringing together PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from across the Partnership. The dedicated programme gives early-career researchers an opportunity to develop their scientific networks, exchange experiences and discuss their research and career development with peers and senior researchers.

The value of the YIM was clear in conversations with participants. For many, one of the biggest benefits was the opportunity to meet other early-career researchers from across the Partnership – people at similar stages in their careers, but working in different fields and at different institutes. It provided a space to share experiences, compare perspectives and discover how much they have in common.

“Whether you are a PhD student in infectious diseases or you work in neuroscience, as we all do in DANDRITE, there are still many things and considerations that are the same” said Frederik Holte Rasmussen, DANDRITE.

“This has also been an opportunity to see some of all the different paths people take, instead of always only comparing them with the experience of the one PI you talk to on a day-to-day basis” said Sophia Anna Wilhelm from NCMBM.

Dongkyun Lim, who is a NORDPOD Fellow at NCMBM and DANDRITE, highlighted that the Partnership Meeting was a great opportunity to widen his network: “What I appreciate is that this is an opportunity to meet fellow members of the Partnership from across the four Nordic institutes.” A sentiment echoed by several other participants in the YIM programme.

Supporting early-career researchers is an important part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership’s activities, alongside fostering scientific collaboration and providing access to shared expertise, infrastructure and training opportunities. The annual meeting brings these different aspects of the Partnership together in one place.

The 14th meeting in Umeå continued this tradition by strengthening connections across the Nordic research community while creating new opportunities for collaboration with EMBL and partners across Europe.

Celebrating science and creativity

The meeting also celebrated the scientific contributions and creativity of the Partnership’s researchers, with prizes awarded for the Best Posters (Jose Antonio Flores, MIMS, Sophia Wilhem, NCMBM, Anna Nylund, FIMM), the Best Flash Talks (Marc Carillo Perez, FIMM, Villads Winton, NCMBM), Marius Vinogradovas, Life Science Center-Vilnius, and the 2026 Science & Art Competition (1st - Minttu Polso, FIMM, 2nd - Chaitra Shankar, MIMS, 3rd - Andrea Moreno, DANDRITE 

Together, these activities reflect the breadth of the Nordic EMBL Partnership community, bringing people, ideas and perspectives together to strengthen scientific exchange and create new opportunities for collaboration across the Nordics and Europe.

About the Nordic EMBL Partnership
The Nordic EMBL Partnership is a major strategic player in Europe’s molecular understanding of disease mechanisms, thanks to its complementary research expertise, outstanding research infrastructures and industry collaborations.

Photo: Sofia Nordin, Chilimedia