The FEBS-IUBMB-ENABLE Conference series is an international, interdisciplinary 3-day event entirely organized for and by young researchers – PhD students and postdocs – from the molecular life sciences disciplines. The 2023 conference “The emerging challenge: environmental impacts on human health” will be held from 23 to 25 November at the University of Cologne, in Germany. The event features a two-day scientific symposium, with keynote speakers from different fields including complex diseases, novel model systems, epigenetics and exposome and computational modelling, as well as a career day.  For participants who arrive already the day before the conference, we have planned a brewery tour at Cologne’s oldest Kölsch brewery and a quiz night about research and lab waste. This year, we are implementing several measures to organize a sustainable event and together with our partner Tree-Nation, we will plant one tree for every participant in the ENABLE conference forest.

You can find out more about the event via a video summary hosted on YouTube here.

Become a part of the Conference

This year, we want to give even more people the chance to present their research in front of a huge audience with flash talks. The selected participants have the opportunity to give a brief (maximum 3 minutes) talk presenting their posters, attracting more participants to their poster presentation.

Similar to the previous editions, we will not only focus on science and results, but also have a career day with several career chats, professional development workshops and a job fair.

We are very happy that FEBS Open Bio has again offered to publish all accepted abstracts of participants in a supplement after the conference.

Submit your registration before the 15th of September to apply for giving a short or flash talk, apply for a travel grant and benefit from the early bird discount which is 150€ and includes the gala dinner and career day. The late bird price will be 200€.

How to get to Cologne?

We, as organizers, can of course take measures to plan a more sustainable event, and you, as a participant, can choose to come to Cologne as environmentally friendly as possible. We already have a guide with how to reach us on our website. Participants from Europe are encouraged to come to Cologne by train. If you have to fly, please consider booking a flight with low CO2 emission, and keep in mind that there are several airports close by that might offer direct flights and take a train to reach Cologne afterwards.

This year we are again offering several travel grants to support young scientists to present their research in an international environment: applicants from Europe will be supported with 400€ and from outside Europe with 900€. Applicants from Africa can also consider applying to IUBMB MilliporeSigma ENABLE-Africa Fellowships, which support five awardees with up to 1500$.

Cologne in November

One thing that everyone should see in Cologne – and is also hard to miss – is the Cologne cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

If you want to extend your stay in Cologne, be sure to visit one of the Christmas markets, you can find more information here. They are a great opportunity for shopping small Christmas gifts or also to eat and drink something with friends or colleagues. In November, it can already be quite cold in Cologne, so be sure to pack something to keep you warm. The Local Organising Committee will compile a list of their favorite spots around Cologne, which we will post on our website. It is also possible to book guided city tours to see more of the city, you can find more information here.