From atoms to ecosystems – a new era in life sciences

Times (Berlin/ Europe)	Speakers
08:00 – 09:30	Registration and coffee – EMBL conference shuttle bus schedule
09:30 – 09:45	Opening remarks – Prof. Edith Heard With a video message from Federal Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, German Federal Minister of Education and Research
09:45 – 11:15	Session 1: Genome biology Chairs: Eileen Furlong, Ewan Birney
09:45 – 10:15	Former EMBL group leader Male-specific lethality in flies: from phenomenon to mechanism Peter Becker – Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany at EMBL from 1991-1999
10:15 – 10:45	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc The unique RNA landscape of the nervous system: regulation and function Valerie Hilgers – Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Germany at EMBL from 2006-2010
10:45 – 11:15	Current EMBL group leader: Phenotypic variation: why your father’s microbes matter Jamie Hackett – EMBL Rome, Italy
11:15 – 11:45	Coffee Break kindly sponsored by Zeiss
11:45 – 13:15	Session 2: From cells to tissues Chairs: Jan Ellenberg
11:45 – 12:15	Former EMBL group leader: Phase separation and its implications in cell biology and disease  Anthony Hyman – Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany at EMBL from 1992-2000
12:15 – 12:45	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc Principles of tissue dynamics and function captured by imaging live mice: the power of multiple lenses Valentina Greco – Yale University, USA at EMBL from 1998-2002 Not available on demand
12:45 – 13:15	Current EMBL group leader: The stem cell zoo to uncover species-specific developmental time Miki Ebisuya – Physics of Life TU Dresden, Germany; EMBL Barcelona, Spain Not available on demand
13:15 – 14:45	Lunch
14:45 – 16:15	Session 3: Developmental biology Chairs: Alexander Aulehla, Anne Ephrussi
14:45 – 15:15	Former EMBL group leader: Cell conversions: a bit of history and late-career work Thomas Graf – Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Spain at EMBL from 1983-1998 Not available on demand
15:15 – 15:45	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc: Brain evolution: reconstructing the origins of the cerebral cortex Maria Tosches – Columbia University, USA (Virtual speaker) at EMBL from 2007-2012
15:45 – 16:15	Current EMBL group leader: Cross-species biomechanical determinants of shape diversity Aissam Ikmi – EMBL Heidelberg Not available on demand
16:15 – 16:45	Coffee Break kindly sponsored by Zeiss
16:45 – 18:15	Session 4: Protein structures and complexes Chairs: Kristina Djinovic Carugo, Matthias Wilmanns
16:45 – 17:15	Former EMBL group leader: Fifty years of protein structures (@ EMBL) Janet Thornton – EMBL-EBI, UK at EMBL from 2001-2023
17:15 – 17:45	Current EMBL group leader: Enabling discovery by in-cell structural biology Julia Mahamid – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Not available on demand
17:45 – 18:15	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc: Transcription of the genome Patrick Cramer – President of the Max Planck Society, Germany at EMBL from 1995-1998
18:15 – 19:15	Pre-Dinner Drinks and Networking in the ATC Foyer Option during this time to have photos by the EMBL 50th Photowall with our professional photographers
19:15 – 21:15	Dinner in Canteen
21:00 – 22:30	‘Celebrating EMBL’ Themed Pub Quiz in canteen (Parallel social option)
21:15 – 23:00	After dinner drinks in the ATC Foyer and Terrace (Parallel social option)
21:00	Conference shuttle bus – From EMBL to all stops downtown including Exzellenz and ISG
22:00	Conference shuttle bus – From EMBL to all stops downtown including Exzellenz and ISG
23:00	Conference shuttle bus – From EMBL to all stops downtown including Exzellenz and ISG

Times (Berlin/ Europe)	Speakers
8:30 – 9:00	Arrival and coffee – EMBL conference shuttle bus schedule
09:00 – 11:00	Session 5: Molecules to ecosystems Chairs: Peer Bork, Nassos Typas
09:00 – 09:30	Former EMBL group leader: From cell to planetary biology Eric Karsenti at EMBL from 1985-2013
09:30 – 10:00	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc: Genomics and AI for One Health Lara Urban – Helmholtz Munich, Germany at EMBL from 2015-2019
10:00 – 10:30	Current EMBL group leader: Exploring microbial predator-prey interactions in the soil Jordi van Gestel – EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Not available on demand
10:30 – 11:00	Coffee Break kindly sponsored by Zeiss
11:00 – 12:30	Session 6: Bioinformatics Chairs: Rolf Apweiler, Jan Korbel
11:00 – 11:30	Former EMBL group leader: Digital twins and synthetic data in biomedicine Alfonso Valencia – Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain at EMBL from 1988-1994
11:30 – 12:00	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc: Bioimage informatics – Fiji and beyond Pavel Tomancak – Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany at EMBL from 1995-1999
12:00 – 12:30	Current EMBL group leader: Computational cancer genome analysis at a national scale: insights into cancer onset and evolution Isidro Cortes – EMBL-EBI, UK Not available on demand
12:30 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 15:30	Session 7: EMBL’s technology highlights Chairs: Rainer Pepperkok, Anna Kreshuk
14:00 – 14:30	Former EMBL group leader: How human immunodeficiency virus enters the nucleus Martin Beck – Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany at EMBL from 2010-2020
14:30 – 15:00	Former EMBL pre- or postdoc: Light sheet microscopy: past and future of interdisciplinary technology development Jan Huisken – Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany at EMBL from 2000-2004
15:00 – 15:30	Current EMBL group leader: X-rays for Biology Thomas Schneider – EMBL Hamburg, Germany Not available on demand
15:30 – 16:00	Coffee Break kindly sponsored by Zeiss
16:00 – 18:30	Session 8: Alumni: Celebrating EMBL and its community Chair: Pavel Tomancak – Chair of the Alumni Association
16:00 – 16:30	Address to alumni community: Pavel Tomancak
16:30 – 17:00	The John Kendrew Award Ceremony Presentation of 2024 John Kendrew Award by Pavel Tomancak Talk by 2024 John Kendrew Award recipient Thibaut Brunet
17:00 – 17:30	The Lennart Philipson Award Ceremony Presentation of 2024 Lennart Philipson Award by Maria Leptin Talk by 2024 Lennart Philipson Award recipient Giulio Superti-Furga
17:30 – 18:30	Panel discussion EMBL and Molecular biology: The past, the present and the future Chairs: Edith Heard, EMBL Director General Flora Vincent, Group Leader EMBL Heidelberg Panelists: – Ana Boskovic, Group Leader EMBL Rome – Jan Kosinski, Group Leader EMBL Hamburg – Paul Nurse, Director of The Francis Crick institute – Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, Germany – Oliver Stegle, EMBL Heidelberg / DKFZ, Germany
18:30 – 18:45	Closing remarks – Edith Heard
19:00 – 21:00	Dinner Please take a seat in the canteen or on the terrace outside the canteen after the symposium from 18:45 and help yourself to a drink to start the celebrations.  To ensure a smooth process without long queues, at 19:00 our CCO colleagues will escort you to the buffet in groups.  Please note: In order to join the dinner and party, you will need to show your wristband or a conference badge.
20:45 – 21:00	Happy 50th Anniversary EMBL cake moment Please gather by the stage on the terrace
21:00 – 00:00	Party on the terrace with live band The Wright Thing and DJ Lucas Ustick
22:00	Conference shuttle bus – From EMBL to all stops downtown including Exzellenz and ISG
23:00	Conference shuttle bus – From EMBL to all stops downtown including Exzellenz and ISG
00:00	Conference shuttle bus – From EMBL to all stops downtown including Exzellenz and ISG

Virtual registration is open to all, free of charge and includes access to all of the talks (livestreamed and on demand) and facility to submit questions.

On-site registration is open to EMBL staff and alumni and is free of charge . All staff and alumni will receive an email from the Director General containing a link to register. Registration includes admission, conference materials, meals and coffee breaks. Participants are expected to book and pay their own accommodation and travel expenses.

Registration for the onsite symposium is on a first come, first served basis and capacity is limited. If you are added to our waiting list, please consider taking advantage of the option to participate virtually instead.

Accredited journalists may be eligible to register for press registration. Registrants may be required to provide accreditation or equivalent proof of press membership after registration. Please contact the Events Office for more information.

Abstract submission

There will be no abstract submissions or posters for this conference.

Accommodation is not included in the conference registration.

As changes to events are possible, you are advised to consider booking flights, trains and hotels with flexible options and favourable cancellation conditions.

The hotels below have rooms on hold for participants until 6 June 2024, in some cases at special rates. Please email the hotel directly, quoting the booking code LAB24-01 to confirm the exact price of the room.

Hotel Anlage

Hotel ibis Heidelberg

Hotel Bayrischer Hof

Travel information

For travel information, please see here.

If you are travelling to the conference within Germany then you are eligible for the Deutsche Bahn ‘Event Ticket’ (called the ‘Veranstaltungsticket’ in German). This will result in a lower ticket price if your travel distance to Heidelberg is more than 100 km. You need to provide proof of your event attendance when purchasing the ticket.

For more information in English see here or in German see here.

You can book your ticket here.

Conference shuttle buses

The conference shuttle bus timetable can be found here.

Conference shuttle buses are free of charge for participants, and depart from designated bus stops near the hotels to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings.

The bus stops for this conference are:

• Hotel Staycity (Speyerer Str. 7)
• Kurfürsten-Anlage (Opposite Main Train Station)
• Hotel Premier (Kurfürsten-Anlage 23)
• Leonardo Hotel Heidelberg City Center (Bergheimer Str. 63)
• Neckarmuenzplatz (Heidelberg Tourist Information)
• Peterskirche (Bus stop)
• Heidelberg Exzellenz hotel
• ISG Hotel

View Conference shuttle bus stops and hotels in a larger map. Please note that not every bus stop will be used for every event.

Further details

Address: EMBL, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.

For more information about accommodation and travel, please refer to the FAQ page.

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks are included in the registration. Our catering staff will prepare a wide variety of vegetarian meals, meat and fish dishes, soups, pasta, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of desserts.

Please wear your badge at all times when serving yourself.

No food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium.

Charging lockers

There are lockers available next to the stairs leading down into the Auditorium. You will find some of those equipped with sockets to charge your smartphone/tablet etc.

Electricity and charging station

In most places the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). An adaptor and a plug that fits the German socket may be needed for your appliances/laptop (i.e. American, Japanese, etc.). A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

EMBL merchandise

If you are interested in purchasing EMBL merchandise (products presented in the glass display in the registration area), please email the EMBL shop to place an order or get in contact with your Course Organiser.

Kindly note the EMBL shop is only open upon request and all purchases must be made in cash (Euros only).

Health and safety notes

Please read EMBL’s COVID-19 safety policy for on-site events.
Do not smoke in any EMBL building.
Eating and drinking is prohibited in the Auditorium and all laboratories.
Do not enter any restricted areas or the laboratories unless instructed to do so.

If first aid is required …

• The first aid room is located next to the ATC Registration Desk (room 10- 205).
• Dial the Emergency number 222 from any EMBL internal phone only.
• Where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
• Emergency number 06221-387 7821 from mobile phones.
• Please report all accidents to the conference officer at the registration desk.

In case of fire …

• Press the nearest fire alarm button or the Emergency number 222 from any internal phone.
• A loud fire alarm will go off if an evacuation is required. On hearing the alarm leave the building immediately following the escape route and fire wardens and head to one of the meeting points
• Do not use the lifts.

Beyond first aid…

Please remember to bring your own medication, if needed, to the conference. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4-minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you will be required to see a doctor to get a prescription.

Ensure in advance that your medical insurance will cover you during your visit in the event that you do need to see a doctor while in Heidelberg. In any case, the EMBL Course and Conference Office will assist you to get to the pharmacy and a doctor of your choice if necessary.

Internet

Wi-Fi is available on campus using the EMBL-Events network and the event specific password, which will be provided on site. The eduroam network (secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community) is also available.

Lost and found

‘’Lost and Found’’ items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.

Luggage

There are lockers available on-site to store your luggage, which require a 2 EURO coin to operate. There is another luggage room on level E0, which is free to use but remains unlocked during the conference.

Nursing room

There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.

Photography

During the conference, an EMBL Photographer may be taking photos. If you would not like to appear in these, please inform the photographer or a member of the Course and Conference Office.

Printing

We can help to print your boarding pass/train ticket. Please send it to events@embl.de and collect your print-outs at the registration desk.

Room for prayer, yoga and meditation

There is a room for prayer, meditation, and yoga located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.

Sightseeing

A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.

Travel to and from the venue

During the event, we provide conference shuttle buses to and from EMBL. In addition, there is the public bus 39A that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. Information on the conference shuttle buses can be found on the individual event website and more detailed information on travelling to EMBL can be found on our Travel Information page.

Useful German expressions

Hello	Hallo
Goodbye	Auf Wiedersehen (formal) Tschüss (informal)
Good morning	Guten Morgen
Good afternoon	Guten Tag
Good evening	Guten Abend
Good night	Gute Nacht
I’m sorry	Es tut mir leid
Excuse me…	Entschuldigen Sie…
How are you?	Wie gehts?
I’m fine thanks. And you?	Mir geht es gut, danke. Und dir/Ihnen?
What is your name	Wie heißen Sie? (formal) Wie heißt du? (informal)
My name is…	Ich heiße…
Do you speak English?	Sprechen Sie Englisch?
I don’t understand	Ich verstehe nicht
Please speak more slowly	Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen
Thank you	Dankeschön
Where is the toilet?	Wo ist die Toilette?
Please call me a taxi	Bitte rufen Sie mir ein Taxi
How do I get to…?	Wie komme ich zum/zur…?
A beer/two beers please	Ein Bier/zwei Bier bitte
A glass of red/white wine please	Ein Glas Rot/Weißwein bitte
The menu, please	Die Speisekarte, bitte
Is there a local speciality?	Gibt es eine Spezialität aus dieser Gegend?
I’m vegetarian	Ich bin Vegetarier
It was delicious	Es war hervorragend
The bill, please	Die Rechnung, bitte
I have a headache	Ich habe Kopfschmerzen
I have a sore throat	Ich habe Halsschmerzen
My stomach hurts	Ich habe Magenschmerzen
I’m allergic to	Ich bin allergisch gegen
I need a doctor who speaks English.	Ich brauche einen Arzt, der Englisch spricht.

What’s included?

• Access to all the livestreamed talks
• Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for two weeks afterwards. Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded.
• Facility to submit questions

Event platform

We are using an event platform for this conference. More information about the platform will be sent to you by email just ahead of the conference.

Guidelines

• Do not broadcast the conference to unregistered participants.
• You are encouraged to tweet and post about the event. Tweet unless the speaker specifically says otherwise, but be mindful of unpublished data. 
• Please do not capture, transmit or redistribute data presented at the meeting.

Additional information can be found in our Code of Conduct.

Health and well-being

It is important to stay healthy and move around, especially when you are attending an event virtually. We have put together a few coffee break stretches and yoga videos in the conference platform for you to enjoy during the event.

How to ask questions

Please use the Q&A function in the event platform.

If you have any other questions, you can go to the Help Desk in the event platform. Click on ‘more’ on the top menu and click Help Desk. 

Time zone

The programme is planned based on the Europe/Berlin time zone, unless otherwise stated. Please take your time zone into consideration when planning your attendance.

Please find additional information including FAQs, terms and conditions, COVID-19 safety policy and travelling to EMBL on our Information for participants page.