It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 20th edition of the European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB2026), which will be held in the vibrant city of Antwerp. The over-arching theme for this edition of the Congress is “Shaping tomorrow: Biotechnology for Health, Food, Energy, Environment” — issues of global importance that demand collaboration across Industry, Academia, Research Institutes, and national governments.

The scientific programme will be designed to highlight how cutting-edge research can be translated into commercially viable applications. In addition to daily plenary lectures and four parallel streams of symposia each morning and afternoon, the Congress will feature a trade exhibition and dedicated presentations by our sponsors.

In 2026, we are honoured to partner with the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and with the Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB), building on a long-standing and fruitful collaboration.

Staying true to the ECB tradition, we are committed to supporting the next generation of scientists. We strongly encourage early career researchers to submit their original work for consideration as oral presentations, flash short talks or posters. We will actively promote opportunities for these researchers to engage with biotechnology companies—particularly EFB Institutional Members—who are instrumental in supporting EFB activities.

Congress participants will also be invited to submit their work to be considered for publication in a special issue of the EFB journal, New Biotechnology.

We invite you to submit original research aligned with one of the following scientific streams:

Innovations for healthy living
Solutions for a sustainable planet
Manufacturing with microbes
Feeding the planet
Whether you’re presenting cutting-edge developments or sharing emerging findings, this is your opportunity to contribute to the scientific dialogue at one of Europe’s leading biotechnology congresses.