Explore our upcoming workshops and conferences and learn about the impact of our past events.

Check these websites for more events and updates

The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland x Life Sciences Partnership is honoured to announce an upcoming workshop titled “Unraveling ALS: Molecular Mechanisms and Pathophysiology”, taking place on November 3 at the Helmholtz-Institute Mainz (located on the JGU campus). This event will bring together academics in the respective fields from across both regions to explore key topics at the forefront of life sciences research and innovation.

We encourage all interested participants to save the date in their calendars. Further information about this workshop, including introductions to the main topics of interest and more details will be announced in the near future. 

In order to register as a participant, please fill out this registration form.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event and fostering new opportunities for collaboration between Rheinland-Pfalz and Scotland.

Tuesday, 3 November 2026

Event Venue: Helmholtz-Institute Mainz

The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland x Life Sciences Partnership in cooperation with ReALity and the IQCB, is pleased to announce “AI in Bioscience: Converging Interests and Joint Solutions”, a workshop by and for young researchers, taking place on 27 and 28 October 2026 in FAVORITE Parkhotel Mainz, Germany.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming research in bioscience, yet meaningful collaboration between computational and experimental scientists often remains hindered by disciplinary boundaries, differing research cultures, and unresolved methodological challenges. Rather than showcasing completed projects, this workshop will provide a dedicated forum for PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and selected keynote speakers from bioscience and AI to openly discuss current bottlenecks, unmet needs, and emerging opportunities at the interface of both fields.

Through interactive discussions and participant-driven problem-sharing sessions, the workshop aims to identify common challenges, such as limitations in biological data analysis, issues of model validation and interpretability, the entire scientific research workflow, and barriers to translating computational advances into experimental practice. By focusing on problems rather than achievements, the event seeks to foster mutual understanding and establish a shared foundation for future interdisciplinary collaboration.

As part of registration, attendees are invited to submit a “Blind Spot”: a dataset they don’t know how to model, or an algorithm in search of a bioscience use case. Submitted Blind Spots form the basis for selection, as places are limited to around 50 participants. The results of these two days – the clustered gaps, breakout-group findings, and literature search – will be carried forward into a separate follow-up retreat. There they are the basis for a community-driven white paper on future teaching of biosciences.

What We Aim to Achieve

• Deepen dialogue and mutual understanding between researchers in bioscience and artificial intelligence.
• Identify and cluster shared methodological and conceptual challenges (” Blind Spots”) presented by speakers and attendees, as a basis for interdisciplinary approaches.
• Bring academic and industry representatives together for direct exchange.
• Produce a structured summary of gaps and breakout-group results to carry forward into a separate, subsequent retreat.
• Lay the groundwork for a concrete teaching curriculum (developed during the subsequent retreat that is not part of this workshop), that prepares the next generation of quantitative bioscientists to bridge exactly these gaps.

Who Should Attend

The workshop is aimed at PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers with hands-on experience in bioscience or computational research, alongside selected keynote speakers from bioscience and AI, and industry representatives. Participation is open to researchers from outside JGU Mainz and from abroad.

The workshop is funded by the Ministry of Science, Further Education and Health of Rhineland-Pfalz, the Scottish Government and ReAlity and organised by the Scotland HUB Mainz and SULSA as part of the Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland Life Sciences Partnership in cooperation with ReALity Mainz (a joint initiative for resilience, adaption and longevity research at JGU Mainz) and IQCB (The Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences) Mainz.

Dr Hajk Drost – University of Dundee
Dr Georges Hattab – Robert Koch-Institute, Wildau
Dr Konrad Rawlik – University of Edinburgh
Dr Beck Strohmer – University of St Andrews, University of Copenhagen
Alexander Treber – Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
Dr Paula Wagner Egea – BioMed X, Paris

In order to register as a participant, please fill out this registration form until Monday, 28 September 2026.

Tuesday, 27 October 2026 &
Wednesday, 28 October 2026

Academic Leads:

Dr Maximilian Sprang
masprang@uni-mainz.de

Nicole Johnstone
nj35@st-andrews.ac.uk

Collaboration Partners:
The Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (IQCB) 

ReALity Mainz -a joint initiative for resilience, adaption and longevity research at JGU Mainz

Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA)

Contact:
Alison.Hughes@glasgow.ac.uk

Event Manager:
Marina Getto
rlp-sco-lifesciences@uni-mainz.de

The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland Life Sciences Partnership is pleased to announce the inaugural Health Data Intelligence Workshop, which will take place on 22–23 October 2026 at the University of Koblenz in cooperation with the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh.

Bringing together researchers from Rheinland-Pfalz and Scotland, this two-day event is designed to strengthen scientific exchange and foster new interdisciplinary collaborations at the interface of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, computational biology and healthcare. The workshop will provide a platform for participants to present their research, exchange ideas, discuss current challenges and identify complementary expertise across disciplines.

Particular emphasis will be placed on the application of AI in medicine, health and biomedical data science, clinical decision support, precision medicine and prevention, while exploring how computational approaches can contribute to addressing current challenges in healthcare. By encouraging dialogue between researchers with diverse methodological and scientific backgrounds, the workshop aims to stimulate innovative approaches to the analysis and application of health data.

The workshop will also provide opportunities to initiate collaborative research projects, develop joint funding proposals and establish sustainable international partnerships between institutions. Ultimately, it seeks to build a strong international network in Health Data Intelligence, laying the foundations for long-term scientific cooperation and future collaborative projects between Rheinland-Pfalz, Scotland and beyond.

The workshop is funded by the Ministry of Science, Further Education and Health of Rhineland-Pfalz and the Scottish Government, and organised by the Scotland HUB Mainz and SULSA as part of the Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland Life Sciences Partnership.

Prof Rüdiger Eming – Hospital of the Armed Forces, Koblenz
Prof Anselm von Gladiß – University of Koblenz
Prof Dr Frank Hopfgartner – University of Koblenz
Prof Julie Jacko – University of Edinburgh
Prof Maik Kschischo – University of Koblenz
Prof Ralf Lämmel – University of Koblenz
Dr Tsz-Yan (Milly) Lo – University of Edinburgh
Prof Andreas Mauthe – University of Koblenz
Dr Phyllis Quinn – University of Edinburgh
Dr Shama Rahman – University of Edinburgh
Prof Ahmar Shah – University of Edinburgh
Augustas J. Sidaras – Gemeinschaftsklinikum Mittelrhein, Koblenz
Peyton Buettner – University of Edinburgh

Attendance and Registration

The workshop begins at 9 am on October 22 and will remain in effect until 5 pm. On the evening of the first day, we invite all participants to a social activity, including a visit to a local winery and a joint dinner. The workshop will continue the following day from 9 am and is expected to conclude at 2 pm.

In order to register as a participant, please fill out this short registration form until Thursday, 24 September.

Thursday, 22 October 2026 (9am – 5pm)
Friday, 23 October 2026 (9am – 2pm)

Place: University of Koblenz

Academic Leads:

Prof Julie Jacko, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh

Prof Maik Kschischo, University of Koblenz

Collaboration partner:
Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA)
Contact:
Alison.Hughes@glasgow.ac.uk

Eventmanager:
Marina Getto
rlp-sco-lifesciences@uni-mainz.de

The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland x Life Sciences Partnership is pleased to announce the first Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland Bioeconomy and Green Chemistry Workshop, taking place on 28–29 September 2026 at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau. This two-day workshop brings together researchers from Scotland and Rheinland-Pfalz to explore synergies between bioeconomy and green chemistry and to lay the groundwork for lasting scientific collaboration between the two regions.

About the Workshop

This conference marks the scientific partnership between Rheinland-Pfalz and Scotland in the fields of bioeconomy and green chemistry. Over two days, participants will engage in interdisciplinary discussions aimed at identifying common research interests, addressing shared methodological and conceptual challenges, and exploring how bioeconomy and green chemistry approaches can be combined to tackle pressing objectives in the respective fields. The workshop will facilitate the development of new collaborations, joint research initiatives, and future funding applications. Furthermore, it will aim to create a collaborative framework that supports sustained exchange beyond the workshop itself.

What We Aim to Achieve

• Identification of shared research priorities in the fields of bioeconomy and green chemistry.
• Establishment of new interdisciplinary and international research collaborations between institutions in Scotland and Rheinland-Pfalz.
• Identification of suitable national and international funding opportunities (e.g. Horizon Europe, Innovate UK, DFG, BMBF, UKRI, Interreg) and development of concepts for joint research proposals and future collaborative projects.
• Increased visibility of the Scotland–Rheinland-Pfalz partnership in the field of bioeconomy and green chemistry.

Who Should Attend

The target audience of the conference are early career researchers, senior academics, and industry representatives working in or connected to the fields of bioeconomy and/or green chemistry.

Dr Barbara Güttler – Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials (IVW)
Dr Michael Lakatos – Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences
Prof Georg Manolikakes – RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau
Katharina Oehlenschläger – RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau
Prof Dr Till Opatz – Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Prof Dominic Campopiano – University of Edinburgh
Prof Nik Willoughby – Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
Victoria Outram – University of Strathclyde
Dr Bernhard Schmidt – University of Glasgow

In order to register as a participant, please fill out this short registration form by Monday, 7 September 2026.

Monday, 28 September 2026
Tuesday, 29 September 2026

Venue: RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, Campus Kaiserslautern

Academic Leads:
Prof. Georg Manolikakes,Prof. Roland Ulber & Dr. Craig Johnston
Contact: Georg.Manolikakes@chem.rptu.de
cpj3@st-andrews.ac.uk (Dr. Johnston)

Collaboration partner:
Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA)
Contact:
Alison.Hughes@glasgow.ac.uk

Eventmanager:
Marina Getto
rlp-sco-lifesciences@uni-mainz.de

The Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) are delivering two SCALE Horizon Europe consortia building workshops with partners from Ireland, Germany and Italy, funded through Scottish Enterprise and facilitated by FundtoInnovate Ltd. These two-day workshops provide training, expert call analyses and support in forming competitive consortia geared towards 2027 Horizon Europe Pillar II calls.

If you are interested in being a coordinator or partner for Horizon Europe calls, please complete the survey(s) below and feel free to share with colleagues across any Horizon Europe eligible countries. Questions can be directed to A.Hughes@SULSA.ac.uk

Workshop 1: 24-25 September 2026, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Cluster 1 (Health) and Mission Cancer calls. Link to the Survey

Workshop 2: 19-20 November 2026, Enterprise Ireland offices, Dublin. Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment). Link to the Survey

Workshop 1: 24-25 September 2026, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

Workshop 2: 19-20 November 2026, Enterprise Ireland offices, Dublin.

The Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland x Life Sciences Partnership is pleased to announce a series of upcoming workshops taking place in Autumn 2026. These events will bring together academics from across both regions to explore key topics at the forefront of life sciences research and innovation.

1st Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland Bioeconomy and Green Chemistry Workshop
Monday 28 – Tuesday 29 September 2026

Health Data Intelligence
Thursday 22 – Friday 23 October 2026

AI in Bioscience: Converging Interests and Joint Solutions
Tuesday 27 – Wednesday 28 October 2026

We encourage all interested participants to save these dates in their calendars. Further information about each workshop, including introductions to the topics, guidance on how to participate and other details will be announced in the near future. 

We look forward to welcoming you to these exciting events and fostering new opportunities for collaboration between Rheinland-Pfalz and Scotland.

SULSA are delighted to present our second workshop in the SCALE Horizon Europe Project in Dublin, Ireland, 4th-5th Feb 2026, on Cancer Mission and Cluster 1 topics for Non-Communicable Disease. This workshop will bring together academics from Scotland, Ireland, Italy and Germany to form Horizon Europe consortia and build a proposal project charter.

Please see the attached invitation for more information on the project as a whole and this particular workshop.

If you are interested in taking part, please complete this short questionnaire by January 14th. An information session will take place on January 21st. 

Researchers based in Scotland will have their travel and accommodation covered. 

This workshop is designed for academic researchers to build consortia which will be further supplemented with missing expertise and private sector partners after the workshop. This workshop is not suitable for research support/professional services staff unless they are representing the interests of specific researchers and can partake in scientific discussions when developing the project charter.

Wednesday, 04 February 2026 Thursday, 05 February 2026

9.30 – 19pm (UK time)

Sandymount Hotel, Herbert Road, Dublin, D04 VN88

Please send any questions to SCALE Project Officer, Holly Van Dessel h.vandessel@sulsa.ac.uk

If you are interested in taking part, please complete this short questionnaire by January 14th.

An information session will take place on January 21st.

Under the motto “NEW CHALLENGES, NEW SOLUTIONS”, we will discuss how we can navigate an unsafe world – what keeps us sane – and how we can heal trauma and support the most exposed. As always, we will cover basic-mechanistic and applied research, animal and human research, and provide an opportunity to discuss latest developments in the field with the leading experts.

Find detailed information about the programme, our speakers, opportunities for early-career researchers, and registration at: https://lir-mainz.de/resilience-symposium 

The symposium is jointly organised by intresa (International Resilience Alliance), ECNP Resilience Network, Stress-NL, Red Española de Investigación en Estrés (REIS), Global Stress and Resilience Network (GSRNet), Italian Stress Network (ISN), ERA-NET Neuron Project PHASR-PP and Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR).

Find detailed information about the programme, our speakers, opportunities for early-career researchers, and registration at:

https://lir-mainz.de/resilience-symposium

learn more about ReALity

SULSA is delighted to be working with Exscientia to deliver this online event on 9th November via Zoom from 12:00 – 13:30.

Xcellomics is aiming to enhance translation of novel biology and expedite early-stage drug discovery research in academia, with an aspiration to accelerate the creation of new medicines. For more information visit www.xcellomics.com.

Event Agenda:

• Event welcome: Professor Michael Barrett (SULSA)
• Phenotypic screening and Xcellomics collaboration: Professor Daniel Ebner and Dr Denise Barrault (University of Oxford / Exscientia)
• Participant journey and collaboration benefits: Dr Cayetana Vázquez (Exscientia)
• Taming Hippos: Dr Carsten Hansen (University of Edinburgh)
• Discussion on industrial-academic collaborations and Xcellomics (open to meeting partcipants to ask your questions): Dr Denise Barrault and Dr Cayetana Vázquez (Exscientia)

Click here to register for this free webinar

About Xcellomics:

Xcellomics is a partnership between Exscientia, the University of Oxford Target Discovery Institute (TDI) and the global academic community aiming to enhance translation of novel biology. Our mission is to create a collaborative environment of research excellence and industrial expertise to expedite early-stage drug discovery research in academia, with an aspiration to accelerate the creation of new medicines.