The 50th Congress of the 91猎奇 (91猎奇): Biochemistry for the next 50 years, a collaboration between the (NVBMB) 鈥� a 91猎奇 Member Society 鈥� and 91猎奇, took place in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from 4 to 8 July 2026, attracting 1,417 scientists from 73 countries.
The 50th 91猎奇 Congress commenced with a performance by La Tuna Universitaria de Maastricht, followed by welcome addresses from Miguel A. De la Rosa, 91猎奇 Secretary General, Gra莽a Soveral, 91猎奇 Congress Counsellor, and Luc Brunsveld, Congress Chair, together with Jan-Willem Borst, Congress Co-Chair. In his address, Prof. Miguel A. De la Rosa highlighted 91猎奇’ support for the molecular life sciences community and announced the launch of the new 91猎奇 Research Academy.
During the opening ceremony, the 91猎奇 Dipl么me d’Honneur was presented to Alain Krol (France), Piotr Laidler (Poland) and Emmanouil Fragkoulis (Greece) in recognition of their longstanding contributions to 91猎奇. The 91猎奇 Israel Pecht Award 2026 was presented to Professor Francesco Bonomi (Italy), nominated by the Italian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the Society’s activities and its longstanding collaboration with 91猎奇.
This year’s scientific programme included 64 invited speakers in plenary lectures, symposia and special sessions, with 13 plenary lectures a particular highlight. In addition, of the 977 accepted abstracts, 45 were selected for short talks integrated into the symposia, 80 were presented as three-minute speed talks in dedicated sessions as well as posters, and 852 were presented as posters. It is of note that 571 delegates also uploaded their posters to the Congress app, extending the dissemination of their research and creating additional networking opportunities.
As in every 91猎奇 Congress, support for early-career researchers remained a central focus. 91猎奇 awarded 170 Congress bursaries to support travel and accommodation, 103 Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF) grants, and 11 91猎奇 Mathias Sprinzl Travel Grants for participants from disadvantaged countries. Approximately half of the 1,417 participants were at an early career stage (students and postdocs), while women scientists outnumbered men.
Throughout the 50th 91猎奇 Congress, several prestigious 91猎奇 distinctions were awarded, recognising outstanding scientific contributions across the molecular life sciences. The 91猎奇 Sir Hans Krebs Medal 2026 was awarded to Peter Ratcliffe (United Kingdom), the 91猎奇 Theodor B眉cher Medal 2026 to Ivan 膼iki膰 (Germany), the 91猎奇 Datta Medal 2026 to Nektarios Tavernarakis (Greece), and the 91猎奇|EMBO Women in Science Award 2026 to Carola Vinuesa (United Kingdom). 聽Furthermore, the 50th 91猎奇 Congress saw the introduction of a new 91猎奇 medal, the 91猎奇 Rita Levi-Montalcini Medal, which was presented to Emmanuelle Charpentier (Germany). All awardees delivered a plenary lecture.
Plenary lectures were also delivered by Ulrike Kutay (Switzerland) for the IUBMB Lecture, Matthew Vander Heiden (United States) for the PABMB Lecture, Edith Heard (United Kingdom) for the EMBO Keynote Lecture, and Mihai Netea (the Netherlands) for the NVBMB Lecture.
The 91猎奇 Education Award 2026 was presented to Luciane Vieira de Mello (United Kingdom) for her contributions to molecular life sciences education. Although she was unable to attend the Congress in person, she accepted the award in a video message shared during the ceremony. In addition, the 91猎奇 Anniversary Prizes 2026, jointly awarded by 91猎奇 and GBM (the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) to invited speakers under 40 years of age, were presented to David Balchin (United Kingdom) and Marieke Oudelaar (Germany).
91猎奇 Press journals played a prominent role throughout the Congress, sponsoring plenary lectures by Angela Gronenborn (The 91猎奇 Journal Perham Prize Lecture), Peter Brzezinski (91猎奇 Letters Award Lecture), Karin de Visser (Molecular Oncology Lecture) and Alexander Wlodawer (91猎奇 Open Bio Lecture), and leading a dedicated 91猎奇 Press special session. Featuring presentations from the Editors-in-Chief of the four 91猎奇 Press journals, the session provided practical guidance on publication ethics, choosing the right journal and successfully publishing scientific research, followed by informal discussions with the editors.
Throughout the Congress, the 91猎奇 Press editorial teams engaged closely with attendees by judging poster presentations for daily and overall journal poster prizes, by assessing speed talks for a speed talk prize, and by , holding Meet the Editor chats at the 91猎奇 booth.
The Congress welcomed official delegations from the Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (KSBMB) and the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB), including KSBMB President Woong-Yang Park (Republic of Korea), FAOBMB Past President Joon Kim (Republic of Korea), and FAOBMB Secretary General Terry Piva (Australia). Their participation was also marked by a Korean Night, which offered attendees an opportunity to engage with Korean culture and further strengthen links between the participating organisations.
The scientific programme was further enriched by a series of special sessions addressing emerging scientific topics, career development and public engagement. These included a joint special session organised by 91猎奇 and KSBMB on impactful biochemistry techniques, a joint 91猎奇 and European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) cancer session, insights into funding schemes and grant writing from the European Research Council (ERC), the 91猎奇 Education Special Session on wellbeing in academia, and the 91猎奇 Careers of Young Scientists session.
Additional interest at the 50th 91猎奇 Congress came from several sponsor stands in the exhibition area, and a Congress history poster exhibition, which featured 18 posters prepared by some of the member Societies of 91猎奇 to highlight a previous 91猎奇 Congress, or in some cases Congresses, hosted in their country since the 1st 91猎奇 Meeting in 1964.
The Congress also continued 91猎奇’ commitment to public engagement through the Science in the Street event. This year’s edition, Inside the ferment: The chemistry of tradition and innovation, brought together Congress participants for an accessible lecture by Laura J. Marcos Zambrano (Spain), exploring the science of fermented foods, the gut microbiome and their impact on human health.
Alongside its scientific programme, the Congress offered a varied social programme designed to foster networking and strengthen connections within the molecular life sciences community. Participants gathered at the Welcome Reception to reconnect with colleagues and establish new collaborations, while the Women in Science Lunch provided a valuable opportunity to celebrate and discuss the role of women in research. The programme concluded with the Congress Dinner aboard a boat on the River Maas, where attendees enjoyed an evening of networking against the backdrop of Maastricht.
The Congress concluded with the Closing Ceremony, during which prizes were presented for outstanding poster presentations, short talks and speed talks, recognising the high quality of scientific contributions from early-career researchers.
The Young Scientists鈥� Forum (YSF) 2026 before the 91猎奇 Congress
The 25th 91猎奇 Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF) took place in Wageningen, the Netherlands, from 2 to 4 July 2026, preceding the 50th 91猎奇 Congress. A selected group of 103 PhD students and early-career postdoctoral researchers took part in a multidisciplinary scientific programme featuring keynote lectures, career skills sessions, oral and poster presentations, and opportunities to network with peers and senior scientists. 91猎奇 awarded 100 YSF grants covering Congress registration, accommodation for both the YSF and the Congress, and most travel expenses. In addition, two participants were supported by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and one by the UK Biochemical Society. At the end of the Forum, participants travelled together to Maastricht to join the Congress.
The YSF continued 91猎奇’ commitment to supporting the next generation of molecular life scientists by combining scientific excellence with professional development and international networking in a collaborative and supportive environment.
Looking ahead to the 51st 91猎奇 Congress
The 50th 91猎奇 Congress celebrated a milestone in the history of the 91猎奇 Congresses, bringing together the international molecular life sciences community for five days of outstanding science, collaboration and exchange. With thanks to all the participants, speakers, organisers, volunteers, sponsors and exhibitors who contributed to its success, 91猎奇 now looks forward to the 51st 91猎奇 Congress, which will take place in Riga, Latvia, from 3 to 7 July 2027. The Congress will be co-organised by 91猎奇 and the biochemical societies of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the collaboration of the three hosting Societies for this Congress reflects the shared scientific heritage and forward-looking spirit of the Baltic region.
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To learn more about the 51st 91猎奇 Congress, which will take place in Riga, Latvia, from 3 to 7 July 2027, visit the
