
Sabrina Absalon
Indiana University School of Medicine
USA
EMBO Practical Course
Expansion microscopy (ExM) physically magnifies specimens, allowing to obtain super-resolution images using a conventional diffraction-limited microscope such as confocal microscopy. This powerful technique is easy to implement but it requires some hands-on training. The gain in resolution can be further enhanced with the use of super-resolution microscopes such as STED. This course centered on the Ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy (U-ExM) based techniques applied to mammalian cells aims at disseminating and discussing expansion microscopy protocols and is intended for cell biologists, parasitologists, etc, with applications ranging from tissue to cells.
This course is intended for researchers ranging from PhD students to post-docs and senior scientists as well as staff from bioimaging platforms who wish to establish expansion microscopy in their respective institutes.
After this course you should be able to:
“I attended the EMBO Practical Course on Ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy in 2024, and it was fantastic. The course was extremely well-organized, striking a perfect balance between theoretical and practical sessions. The scientific organizers and trainers were top-notch scientists capable of addressing any scientific questions. Additionally, the course organizers were fantastic in supporting participants in all aspects. I highly recommend it!” – Francesco Consolato, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy
“Attending this course was an incredible experience. It allowed me to acquire practical skills in the use of U-ExM and provided me with valuable insights for applying this technique in my institute.” – Celina Terán Ramírez, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico
Indiana University School of Medicine
USA
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
University of Geneva
Switzerland
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
University of Geneva
Switzerland
University of Geneva
Switzerland
Utrecht University
Netherlands
University of Lyon
France
University of Geneva
Switzerland
University of Geneva
Switzerland
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Utrecht University
Netherlands
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
University of Geneva
Switzerland
Course and Conference Officer
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Scientific Training Officer
EMBL Heidelberg
Germany
Are you on social media? Post using #EMBOExM and don’t forget to tag @EMBLEvents.
The course is limited to 16 participants. For selection purposes, please note that your application will not be considered without a letter of motivation.
Your registration for the event includes:
For this EMBO course, the fees include accommodation and transportation to and from the ISG Hotel to the venue
Academia | €500 |
PhD Student | €500 |
Industry | €1100 |
The registration fee should be paid only after acceptance to the course. The results will be announced approximately 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.
If you are no longer able to take part in the course, please inform your course contact responsible for this event. Your registration and the submitted motivation letter will be deleted.
Please also check our Terms and Conditions for the cancellation policy.
After you have logged in and successfully registered, you will receive an email asking you to submit your motivation letter. Click on the link provided and enter your motivation letter in the text box provided. Alternatively you can submit your motivation letter by clicking on the link on the confirmation page directly after registering.
Instructions
Please note:
For detailed instructions, please watch our video on how to submit a course motivation letter.
For further information about registration and motivation letter submission please refer to the FAQ page.
Limited financial assistance is provided by the EMBL Advanced Training Centre Corporate Partnership Programme and EMBO in the form of 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.
The travel grant will cover the cost of travel (airfare, train, bus, taxi, and visa) and/or registration fees and is provided up to specified caps which are normally as follows:
– up to €500 for any participant travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.
– up to €1000 for any participant working in Chile, India, Singapore or Taiwan travelling to an EMBO Practical Course.
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. Original receipts must be provided with your signature for all costs incurred within two months of completion of travel. Scanned copies cannot be accepted.
There is the possibility to apply for a childcare grant to offset child care costs incurred by participants, speakers, trainers and organisers when attending a course. Eligible costs include (but are not limited to) fees for a babysitter or child-care facility and travel costs for a caregiver. Please note that priority will be given to early-stage researchers. There is a limited amount of funding available for the childcare grants and funds will be distributed amongst eligible applicants.
Applies to selected courses only. Availability will be indicated during the abstract or motivation letter submission process.
This grant covers costs related to your attendance to the course (registration, travel and accommodation costs). The grant is restricted to PhD students and postdocs who conduct basic biomedical research.
Whether you are eligible to apply for a travel grant, depends on when you received your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur, A-Levels, High School Diploma, Final State Examination):
– for PhD and MD students, as well as graduates, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 11 years ago at the time of the envisaged course
– for postdocs, the university entrance qualification must not have been obtained more than 13 years ago at the time of the envisaged course
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.
*For some events, applications for Childcare Grants will still be done by email. Information about the grant will be sent out shortly after the abstract/motivation letter deadline. Please contact the event Conference Officer if you have any questions.
A selection process will take place with the results announced by email to all applicants / submitters. We aim to announce 3 weeks (21 days) after the abstract submission deadline but delays may occur.”
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.
Check out this list of external funding opportunities.
For further information about financial assistance please refer to the FAQ page.
We can send you a registration confirmation to support your visa procedure (not an official invitation letter). Please contact the Conference Officer responsible for your event. For more information, please see here.
If you are travelling to Heidelberg via aeroplane, train, car or long-distance bus, you can find useful information here.
Accommodation in twin rooms, including breakfast is included in the registration fee. Accommodation will be booked for the selected participants at the ISG Hotel for the default dates of 19 April to 24 April (5 nights).
In case you would like to have a single room, please let the hotel know and please note that you will be required to pay an additional cost of 32€ per night (availability of single rooms may be limited). This should be paid by you directly to the ISG Hotel during your stay.
We recommend that all course participants stay at the IDG Hotel for the course.
Shuttle buses will go from the ISG Hotel to EMBL and back, mornings and evenings. A bus schedule and location of the bus stops will be made available prior to the meeting.
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.
You may also walk from the ISG Hotel to EMBL (the walk are roughly 30 minutes through the woods).
Map to walk from ISG Hotel to EMBL
Address: EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
For more information about accommodation and travel, please refer to the FAQ page.
Here you will find useful information for when you are onsite at the event.
All meals and coffee breaks 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’’ items are kept at the registration desk until the end of the conference.
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).
There is a nursing room available in the ATC Rooftop Lounge on level A29.
There is a room for prayer, yoga, and meditation, located on level E0 behind the Auditorium. Please be respectful of others using the room.
Please take a moment to read our health and safety policy.
If first aid is required
In case of fire
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 8km 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, 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.
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.
A variety of activities in Heidelberg can be found on the website of Heidelberg Marketing.
Please find additional information including FAQs and terms and conditions on our Information for Participants page.
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.
If you are interested in becoming a media partner of this event, please visit our media partnerships webpage.
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:
Suspicious communications purportedly from, for or on behalf of EMBL should be reported to EMBL at the following email address sponsoring@embl.de.
Date: 20 - 24 Apr 2026
Location: EMBL Heidelberg and Virtual
Venue: EMBL Advanced Training Centre
Deadline(s):
Application: 12 Jan 2026
Organisers:
Contact: Karo Wolkersdorfer