Edit
Transcription and chromatin – Course and Conference Office

EMBL Conference

Transcription and chromatin

Overview

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

Conference overview

The EMBL ‘Transcription and chromatin’ conference has a long-standing tradition in shaping the field of transcriptional regulation. The meeting brings together leading experts covering all aspects of transcription including cis-regulatory function, long range regulation, 3-dimensional looping, the basal transcriptional machinery, RNA polymerase regulation and function, nucleosome positioning, chromatin modifications, chromatin remodelling, and epigenetic inheritance of transcriptional silencing. The meeting contains many talks selected from the abstracts that are interspersed with invited speakers, discussing the latest breakthroughs in transcriptional regulation.

The conference is designed to promote interactive discussions at both the talks and poster sessions. Given the excellent lineup of speakers and the meeting’s outstanding reputation, this is a must-attend for anyone interested in cutting-edge research in transcription.

What past participants say about the conference

An ‘absolutely must attend’ conference for scientists in gene expression regulation. The conference covers many topics besides transcription, epigenetics, and 3D genome and is a hub to network with other scientists developing cutting-edge techniques to study chromatin.” – Chaitali Chakraborty, Umeå University, Sweden

Fantastic dynamic meeting in an amazing setting of EMBL conference center. Plenty of discussion opportunities during poster sessions and unpublished findings presented at talks.Great balance of junior and senior faculty.” – Ganna Panasyuk, Inserm-Institute Necker Enfants Malades, France

Incredible lineup and fruitful scientific discussions. It was a genuine pleasure to be part of this great event and to share our recent work with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic community. The diverse range of topics and the depth of the presentations made for an engaging experience, and the opportunity to network with other experts was invaluable. I look forward to applying the insights gained here to our ongoing research and future collaborations.” – Mathias Boulanger, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

Speakers

Asifa Akhtar

Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics

Germany

Wendy Bickmore

The University of Edinburgh

UK

Giacomo Cavalli

Université de Montpellier

France

Cess Dekker

Delft University of Technology / Kavli Institute of NanoScience

The Netherlands

Emma Farley

University of California San Diego

USA

François Fuks

Université libre de Bruxelles

Belgium

James Hackett

EMBL Rome

Italy

Diana Hargreaves

Salk Institute

USA

Kristian Helin

The Institute of Cancer Research

UK

Rob Klose

Oxford University

UK

Mike Levine

Princeton University

USA

Stavros Lomvardas

Jerome L. Greene Science Center

USA

Jürg Müller

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry

Germany

Christoph Müller

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Marieke Oudelaar

Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences

Germany

Anjana Rao

La Jolla Institute for Immunology

USA

Danny Reinberg

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

USA

Bing Ren

University of California San Diego

USA

Dirk Schübeler

Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

Switzerland

Edda Schulz

Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics

Germany

Efrat Shema

Weizmann Institute of Science

Israel

Jussi Taipale

Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK / Karolinska Institutet, Sweden / University of Helsinki, Finland

Chris Vakoc

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

USA

Liling Wan

University of Pennsylvania

USA

Cynthia Wolberger

Johns Hopkins University

USA

Wei Xie

Tsinghua University

China

Scientific organisers

Shelley Berger

University of Pennsylvania

USA

Eileen Furlong

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Luca Giorgetti

Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

Switzerland

Yang Shi

University of Oxford

UK

Conference organiser

Nathalie Sneider

EMBL Heidelberg

Germany

Preliminary programme

Are you on social media? Post using #EMBLTranscript and don’t forget to tag @EMBLEvents.

  • Please note that the programme is subject to change. Some speakers may need to join virtually to give their talk.
  • For registered participants, recorded talks will be accessible on demand for 4 weeks after the end of the event, unless indicated otherwise.

The full programme will be announced ahead of the conference. Please find the planned timings for the programme below. The list of invited speakers is available on the speaker tab.

Day 1 – Tuesday 25 August 2026
Time (Europe/Berlin)Speaker
14:00-16:00Arrival and registration
16:00-16:10Opening remarks from scientific organisers
16:10-18:10Session 1
Chair: To be confirmed
16:10-16:30Invited speaker #1
16:30-16:50Invited speaker #2
16:50-17:05Selected talk #1
17:05-17:20Selected talk #2
17:20-17:40Invited speaker #3
17:40-18:00Invited speaker #4
18:00-19:30Dinner in the EMBL Canteen
19:30-21:30Pub Quiz
and
After dinner drinks
Day 2 – Wednesday 26 August 2026
Time (Europe/Berlin)Speaker
09:00 – 12:25Session 2
Chair: To be confirmed
09:00-09:20Invited speaker #5
09:20-09:35Selected talk #3
09:35-09:55Invited speaker #6
09:55-10:10Selected talk #4
10:10-10:30Invited speaker #7
10:30-11:00Coffee Break
11:00-11:20Invited speaker #8
11:20-11:35Selected talk #5
11:35-11:50Selected talk #6
11:50-12:05Selected talk #7
12:05-12:25Invited speaker #9
12:25-14:00Lunch
14:00-16:30Poster Session 1 (odd) with beer and snacks
16:30-18:45Session 3
Chair: To be confirmed
16:30-16:50Invited speaker #10
16:50-17:05Selected talk #8
17:05-17:20Selected talk #9
17:20-17:35Selected talk #10
17:35-17:55Invited speaker #11
18:00-20:00Dinner in the EMBL Canteen
20:00-22:00After dinner drinks
Day 3 – Thursday 27 August 2026
09:00-12:25Session 4
Chair: To be confirmed
09:00-09:20Invited speaker #12
09:20-09:35Selected talk #11
09:35-09:55Invited speaker #13
09:55-10:10Selected talk #12
10:10-10:30Invited speaker #14
10:30-11:00Coffee Break
11:00-11:20Invited speaker #15
11:20-11:35Selected talk #13
11:35-11:50Selected talk #14
11:50-12:05Selected talk #15
12:05-12:25Invited speaker #16
12:25-14:00Lunch and Meet the Editors (from 13:00 – 14:00)
14:00-16:30Poster Session 2 (even) with beer and snacks
16:30-18:00Session 5
Chair: To be confirmed
16:30-16:50Invited speaker #17
16:50-17:05Selected talk #16
17:05-17:20Selected talk #17
17:20-17:35Selected talk #18
17:35-17:55Invited speaker #18
18:00-20:00Dinner in the EMBL Canteen
20:00-22:00After dinner drinks
Day 4 – Friday 28 August 2026
Time (Europe/Berlin)Speaker
09:00 – 12:25Session 6
Chair: To be confirmed
09:00-09:20Invited speaker #19
09:20-09:35Selected talk #19
09:35-09:55Invited speaker #20
09:55-10:10Selected talk #20
10:10-10:30Invited speaker #21
10:30-11:00Coffee Break
11:00-11:20Invited speaker #22
11:20-11:35Selected talk #21
11:35-11:50Selected talk #22
11:50-12:05Selected talk #23
12:05-12:25Invited speaker #23
12:25-14:00Lunch
14:00-16:30Poster Session 3 (odd and even) with beer and snacks
16:30-19:00Session 7
Chair: To be confirmed
16:30-16:50Invited speaker #24
16:50-17:10Invited speaker #25
17:10-17:25Selected talk #24
17:25-17:45Invited speaker #26
17:45-18:00Closing remarks and poster prizes
18:00-20:00Conference Dinner in the Canteen
20:00-23:00Conference party

Practical information

Registration fees

On-site registration fees include:

  • Admission to the event
  • Possibility to submit an abstract
  • Meals and coffee breaks as indicated in the programme
  • Conference materials
  • Access to the online event platform
  • Access to all the livestreamed talks
  • Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards. Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded
  • A letter to support your visa application (for more information, check the ‘Travel and accommodation’ tab)

Accommodation and travel are not included in the fees — participants are expected to book and pay their own expenses.

On-site Academia€825
On-site PhD Student€725
On-site Industry€1025
On-site Journal Editors*€300

*Editors from scientific journals are allowed to attend onsite at a reduced rate, but asked to contribute to the conference in return by taking part in ‘Meet the editors’ sessions or other planned activities within the programme. Please contact Name of CO to ask for the special registration link for editors.


Virtual registration fees include:

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

Virtual Academia€240
Virtual PhD Student€190
Virtual Industry€290

Note: accredited journalists may be eligible to register for complimentary on-site or virtual press registration. Registrants may be required to provide accreditation or equivalent proof of press membership after registration. Please contact Name of CO for more information.

Confirmation and payment

Registration will be on a first come, first served basis. You can register and submit your abstract without paying the conference fee in advance but your place can only be confirmed after payment of the registration fee.

If you are added to our waiting list, please consider taking advantage of our offerings to participate virtually.

On-site participants: types of payments accepted are international bank transfers and credit card payments. 

Virtual participants: we are only able to accept card payments. In exceptional cases we can accept bank transfers. Please contact events@embl.de for details.

Cancellation policy

If you are no longer able to take part in the conference, please inform your conference contact responsible for this event. Your registration and the submitted abstract will be deleted.

Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy.

Abstract submission

Only participants registering to attend the on-site event are eligible to submit an abstract and participate in the poster sessions. Unfortunately, abstracts will not be accepted from virtual participants.

After registration you can submit your abstract via a separate link that will be provided in the email confirmation. Alternatively, you can access the link on the confirmation page directly after registering. The same login credentials are used for both processes.

Things to keep in mind when preparing the abstract

Abstract body: the limit of 2,000 characters refers to manually typed text and excludes spaces. If an error occurs try using a different web browser (preferably Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox).

If you copy-paste the text into the form, hidden formatting might still be included which may cause the text to exceed the 2,000 character limit resulting in an error message. We recommend you clear all formatting before pasting in the text.

If you have special symbols in your text, make sure you are using Unicode characters, otherwise these will not be recognised.

Title: the title should not exceed 20 words. Only the first word of the title should start with a capital letter and the rest should be lowercase.

Authors and affiliations: fill in the author’s details as requested in the online form. The compulsory fields are: First Name, Last Name, Organisation Name (Affiliation or Company), Country, and Email.

Kindly mark only one author in the role of First Author and please don’t forget to indicate who will be the Presenter.

Please enter your co-authors correctly via the system by adding accounts together with their organisation/institute. Do not copy-paste them into the body of the abstract text, as they will not be indexed in the abstract book.

Presentation types: when submitting your abstract, you can apply for an oral or poster presentation. A selection process will take place with the results announced 3 weeks after the abstract submission deadline (delays might occur).

For detailed instructions on how to submit a conference abstract, follow the instructions provided in this video.

Please check our FAQs pages for further information on how to submit an abstract.

Financial assistance

Financial assistance

Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme in the form of registration fee waivers, travel grants, and childcare grants.

Your place in the meeting is only confirmed by paying the registration fee, which is mandatory even when receiving a fee waiver.

Registration fee waiver

The fee waiver will cover the registration sum that you have paid to attend the conference.

Travel grant

The travel grant will cover the cost of travel to an on-site event (airfare, train, bus, taxi, accommodation, and visa) and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:

  • Up to €400 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference from within Europe.
  • Up to €1000 for participants travelling to an EMBL Conference from outside Europe.

The organisers may reduce the grant cap to accommodate more participants. Recipients will be notified of their travel cap amount when they are informed of the outcome of their application.

Receipts (and boarding passes for air travel) must be provided via email with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel.

Childcare grant

There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, and organisers when attending a conference.

Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a babysitter or childcare facility, and travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early stage researchers. You may apply for a childcare grant at the same time when submitting your abstract. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.

Application

On-site participants

You may apply for financial assistance when submitting your abstract. In your application you will be asked to answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Virtual participants

If you are attending virtually, you can apply for financial assistance in the submission portal by the abstract deadline. Read the instructions on how to apply for financial assistance. Only submissions for financial assistance will be accepted. Presentation abstracts cannot be submitted here and will be declined. 

In your application you will be asked to summarise your current work,  answer questions regarding why your lab cannot fund your attendance, and how your attendance will make a difference to your career. Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your registration application.

Selection

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of registration fee waivers and travel grants during the motivation letter or abstract selection process. Results will be announced approximately 6 – 8 weeks before the event start date, however for some events this may be delayed. Selection results do not impact your admission to the meeting. Selection for registration fee waivers and travel grants is based on scientific merit, your current work or study location, the reasons for needing financial support, and the impact this event will have on your career.

Childcare grants will be allocated in the same timeframe (6-8 weeks before the event start date). Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers.

Reimbursement

Costs will be reimbursed after the meeting only once a reimbursement form and original receipts (from travel costs) have been received.

Further details

View our list of external funding opportunities or refer to the FAQ page.

Become an event reporter

At our conferences we also offer the option to become an event reporter. By attending the meeting, sharing your insights on social media, and writing a summary report, you can offset the conference fees. Please read the instructions on how to apply.

Travel and accommodation

Visa

We can send you a registration confirmation to support your visa procedure (not an official invitation letter) after you have paid the registration fee. Please contact the Conference Officer responsible for your event. For more information, please see here.

Travel

If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane, train, car, or long-distance bus, you can find useful information here.

Accommodation

A list of our partner hotels with rooms blocked for this event will be published on the page soon.

Accommodation is not included in the conference registration fee.

As changes in our events are possible, it is recommended that you book flights, trains, and hotels with flexible options and favourable cancellation conditions.

Invited speakers please be wary of fraudulent ‘hotel services’ contacting you to ask for payments, see our Accommodation Scam Alert for more information.

Please note that as of 1 October 2025, Heidelberg City Council is introducing an overnight stay tax for tourists visiting Heidelberg (including work related trips). The cost will be 3.50 EUR per night for the first five nights of a consecutive stay and will be added to the hotel’s nightly rate. Please contact the individual hotel directly if you have any questions.

Local transportation

Conference shuttle buses

These 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:

  • Staycity Aparthotel (Speyerer Str. 7)
  • Kurfürsten-Anlage (opposite main train station)
  • Premier Inn City Zentrum (Kurfürsten-Anlage 23)
  • Leonardo Hotel Heidelberg City Center (Bergheimer Str. 63)
  • Neckarmünzplatz (Heidelberg Tourist Information)
  • Peterskirche (bus stop)
  • Hilton Hotel (Kurfürsten-Anlage 1)
  • ISG Hotel (Im Eichwald 19)

View Conference shuttle bus stops and hotels in a larger map. Please note that some bus stops may not be used for this event.

Other local transportation

In addition to the shuttle busses, there is also the public bus 28 that serves the EMBL campus and taxis can be easily booked at any time. For more information, see here.

Further details

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

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

On-site information

Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event.

Catering

All meals and coffee breaks as indicated in the programme are included in the registration fee. Our catering staff will prepare a 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.

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.

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 at someone the registration desk.

Charging stations

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 electronic devices.

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. A USB charging station for electronic devices is available at the registration desk.

Printing

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

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.

Lost and found

Lost and found items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.

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.

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

Nursing room

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

Room for prayers, meditation, and yoga

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

EMBL campus map

Health and safety notes

Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy.

  • 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
  • Be prepared to answer the following questions: where is the accident? What happened? How many injured?
  • Emergency number 06221 387 7821 from mobile phones
  • Please report all accidents 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

The Heidelberg University Hospital or ‘Universitätsklinikum‘ has a 24 hour accident and emergency facility and is at ‘Im Neuenheimer Feld 672’. It is a 8 km or a 20 minute taxi ride away from EMBL. In a medical emergency, the ambulance service generally transports patients to this hospital.

Please remember to bring your own medication. Note that the next pharmacy is a 4 minute drive from the EMBL, but for many medications you need 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.

The EMBL course and conference office team are able to advise you on where to turn for emergency or non-emergency medical treatment in Heidelberg and can assist you in making appointments and/or arranging transport to get to the pharmacy or a doctor of your choice if necessary. Please note, we are not however permitted to personally accompany you off-campus.

Sightseeing

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

Event platform

Access

Access to the event platform is given to all on-site and virtual participants.

You can use the event platform to:

  • Access to all the livestreamed talks
  • Opportunity to submit questions (for virtual participants)
  • Video library of the recorded talks during the event and for four weeks afterwards. Please note: at the request of individual speakers, some talks are not recorded
  • Access to the abstract book
  • Opportunity to engage with speakers and other participants via the discussion area and chat functionality
  • Other useful information (how to give a good scientific talk, or to make a good scientific poster, and more)

More information about the platform will be shared ahead of the conference.

Guidelines

  • Please do not share the link to the conference platform with anyone
  • Do not broadcast the conference to unregistered participants
  • You are encouraged to post about the event, unless the speaker specifically says otherwise. 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.

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.

Additional information

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

Sponsors

Media partners

Genes and Development, a Cold Spring Harbor Journal

Genome Research, a Cold Spring Harbor Journal

International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Open Biology, a Royal Society journal

PLOS Biology, a PLOS journal

The EMBO Journal, an EMBO 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.org for further information on sponsoring possibilities.

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

Warning

EMBL wishes to warn sponsors of EMBL conferences and courses of fraudulent schemes purporting to offer sponsorship opportunities on behalf of EMBL or affiliated with EMBL officials. One current scam campaign of which we are aware is conducted using the name ‘Judy Eastman’ (judy@gopcontact.a2hosted.com) and entails approaches to sponsors offering sponsorship opportunities on EMBL’s behalf. Please be kindly advised that all relevant communication regarding sponsorship of EMBL conferences, symposia and courses is handled by EMBL directly and is sent from an official EMBL account. EMBL does not work with any external providers on sponsorship acquisition.

Please also note that:

  • EMBL never provides attendee lists for purchase. Any offers of such are fraudulent.
  • EMBL will never call or email you to ask for your credit card details or to request a payment.
  • All payments are on invoice.

Suspicious communications purportedly from, for or on behalf of EMBL should be reported to EMBL at the following email address sponsorship@embl.de.

Date: 25 - 28 Aug 2026

Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual

Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre


Deadline(s):

Abstract submission: 25 May 2026

Registration (On-site): 14 Jul 2026

Registration (Virtual): 18 Aug 2026


EMBL staff registration


Organisers:

  • Shelley Berger
    University of Pennsylvania, USA

What's new on our blog

Edit