Expand your network. Shape new collaborations

Scientists often need partners with complementary expertise to solve complex problems. At the FEMS Regional COLLAB, you will meet exactly those people – and many of them are closer than you think.

Join us on 14–15 September 2026 at the FEMS Regional COLLAB, taking place within the 18th ÖGMBT Annual Meeting in Vienna, Austria. This unique event, co-hosted by FEMS Member Societies from Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, brings together scientists, industry partners, and funding stakeholders through one integrated programme, designed to help microbiologists build meaningful, long-lasting collaborations across Central Europe.

Through interactive sessions, structured matchmaking, and informal discussions, participants will meet regional peers working in complementary areas and will have the opportunity to explore how their expertise can fit into collaborative, cross-border projects. 

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.

What you can expect

• Meet peers and like-minded colleagues from neighboring countries experiencing 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 using in your own projects.
• Experience how dedicated time for networking and discussion helps you grow as a professional and sparks new ideas.
• Identify opportunities for future joint and cross-border research projects.
• Explore what makes collaboration with industry successful in practice.

Meeting format

This year’s ÖGMBT Annual Meeting features a unique international split format combining two interconnected scientific events:

• FEMS Regional COLLAB : 14–15 September 2026
  Organized together with the Slovenian Microbiological Society and the Croatian Microbiological Society
• FEBS3+ Meeting : 15–17 September 2026
  Organized together with the Czech Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Slovenian Biochemical Society
• Joint Programme Day: 15 September 2026

Participants may register for: the FEMS Regional COLLAB meeting, the FEBS3+ Meeting, or the complete combined programme.

View the FEMS Regional COLLAB programme overview

How to participate – Call for Abstracts

Who should attend?

• 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 that are interested in presenting programmes and learning directly from researchers and industry, where support is most needed.

Important dates and deadlines