AI and biology

Overview

This conference will take place at EMBL Heidelberg, with the option to attend virtually.

Registration is not yet open for this event. If you are interested in receiving more information please register your interest.

Symposium overview

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming virtually all areas of science, and the life sciences are no exception. Stepping up the pace following the 2024 and 2026 meetings, this symposium already returns for the third time in 2027, maintaining the momentum amongst this engaged community of researchers to discuss the latest developments in the field both in person and online.

AI-based methods are pushing the limits of what is possible in experimental design, data analysis, simulation, and modelling. The aim of this symposium is to catalyse synergistic interactions between AI researchers in different subfields of biology and biomedicine by exploring shared theoretical approaches, cross-domain experiments, foundation models, and data integration, as well as shared topics in dissemination of tools, agent-based workflows and collaboration with experimental labs. Furthermore, we will look into the future and discuss how the concerted actions of AI and life science communities can enable both fields to exploit the full potential of the ongoing data deluge and find new application areas ripe for disruption by AI.

AI-based analytics is subject to active research in at least three major application areas: sequencing, imaging and structural biology. While all three domains are experiencing very fast growth, the developments are largely happening independently. The aim of our symposium is to convene these communities to discuss topics of mutual interest to make progress, including on the theoretical/methodological side and on the more strategic issues of identifying the next areas of high potential.

The onsite meeting will take a new, multi-track direction for the first day with selected workshops and tutorials. Days 2, 3 and 4 follow the hybrid symposium format, packed as before with invited and selected speakers and poster sessions.

Key themes

• Foundation models for biology
• Cross-domain, cross-modality learning
• Explainable AI, causality and mechanistic interpretability
• Bridging AI and experiments
• Generative modeling
• Agentic systems in biology

Workshops and tutorials

This edition of the EMBO | EMBL Symposium ‘AI and biology’ will for the first time feature on-site workshops and tutorials as part of the programme. You can become a facilitator for our workshops and tutorials or attend as a participant.

As a participant, the workshops and tutorials will give you the opportunity to learn new skills, explore specific topics in more depth, and gain practical knowledge you can apply in your work.

As a facilitator, you bring your expertise to the event by leading a workshop or tutorial. Share practical skills, introduce new methods, or explore a topic with participants in an interactive and collaborative setting.

What past participants say about the Symposium

“The conference was exceptionally well organized, with a rich program covering many relevant topics across diverse sub-domains. The opportunity to interact with speakers, poster presenters, and other attendees was very insightful and greatly enriched my experience.” – Pahulmeet Singh, M.Sc. University of Bonn, Germany

“An excellent and inspiring conference that highlighted both the power of AI in biology and theimportance of maintaining interpretability and scientific understanding.” – Emma Engel, German Cancer Research Center, Germany

Workshops and tutorials

This event will feature a workshops and tutorials programme on the first day of the symposium, 11 May 2027, for onsite participants with no option for virtual attendance.

You can become a facilitator for our workshops and tutorials or attend as a participant. Both formats will be selected through an open call. We welcome submissions from academia and industry alike. 

The workshops will promote collaborative problem-solving, interdisciplinary exchange, and innovation and the tutorials will provide expert-led introductions and hands-on training to key AI methods, tools, or cross-cutting skills. 

The workshops and tutorials can be attended without being registered for the main symposium but application is still required. Once the workshops and tutorials topics are selected and announced, applications will be open for all on this website. 

Sponsors

Media partners

BME Horizon, a Science Exploration Press journal

Cancer Drug Resistance, an OAE Publishing Inc. journal

Computational Biomedicine (CBM), a Science Exploration journal

EXO- Beyond the Cell, a Science Exploration Press journal

Geromedicine, a Science Exploration Press journal

Medinformatics, a Bon View Publishing journal

Molecular Systems Biology, an EMBO Press journal

Myeloid Cells, a Science Exploration Press journal

Sponsorship opportunities

We offer a variety of event sponsoring possibilities, with the flexibility to select a set sponsorship package or combine individual sponsorship options to suit your event budget. Discounts are available for companies sponsoring multiple events at EMBL Heidelberg. View other conferences, or contact sponsorship@embl.de for further information.

If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.

About

EMBO | EMBL Symposia promote scientific communication and collaboration in the European research area. They provide scientists with a platform to discuss and exchange ideas on forward-looking topics and new developments in the life sciences.

Topics emphasise upcoming developments and the interdisciplinary nature of related fields. Jointly funded and organised by EMBO and EMBL – and complementary to their respective courses, workshops, and conference programmes – the symposia promote scientific communication and collaboration.

All symposia are held in the EMBL Advanced Training Centre (ATC) in Heidelberg, Germany, or virtually.

Media kit

Want to let others know you’re attending this event? Take a look at our shareable media and feel free to use them in your social media channels or presentations.