IMBB

10/10/2026

𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐁-𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇! 🧬

Yesterday, October 9th, the new Auditorium of the Innovation and Advanced Education Hub at Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) hosted the 2026 Kafatos Lecture, organized by EMBL in honor of Fotis Kafatos, distinguished Greek biologist and founding Director of IMBB. The day brought together world-leading researchers to explore how ancient DNA and proteins are transforming our understanding of human origins, population history, and health.

It began with the International Symposium on Ancient Biomolecules, “𝑼𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑯𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑨𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑩𝒊𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔,” organized by Dr. Eirini Skourtanioti (IMBB-FORTH) and moderated by Prof. Nena Galanidou (University of Crete):
🔬 Eirini Skourtanioti showed how combining genomic and archaeological evidence can reconstruct Mediterranean population history, shedding light on past health, host genetics, and social organization.
🔬 Mehmet Somel (Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi / Middle East Technical University, Ankara) explored Anatolian population history and the social dynamics of prehistoric societies.
🔬 Pontus Skoglund (The Francis Crick Institute) discussed the evolution of humans and pathogens during major population movements, and the genomic processes behind dog domestication.
🔬 Katerina Douka (University of Vienna) described paleoproteomic methods, from radiocarbon dating to ZooMS, and how collagen fingerprinting has helped identify hominin fossils in northern Eurasia. She also presented her ERC project Rift-to-Rim, which extends this research across Africa and Oceania.

The day culminated in the Kafatos Lecture by Nobel Laureate Svante Pääbo, “A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins and Health.” He reflected on sequencing the first Neanderthal genome, the discovery that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred, and the identification of the Denisovans from a small bone fragment found in Siberia. He also described how a small proportion of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA in modern humans continues to shape modern human biology and health.

✨ A memorable celebration of science, collaboration, and discovery, reminding us that understanding where we come from offers insight into who we are today.

Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας

10/10/2026

🎓𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐁 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐫. 𝐈𝐧𝐨 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐑𝐂 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠!

On 8–9 October, IMBB had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Ino Agrafioti, LS1 ERC Panel Coordinator at the European Research Council (ERC) Executive Agency, for an engaging and highly informative session on ERC grants.

The talk provided an overview of the different ERC funding schemes — Starting (StG), Consolidator (CoG), Advanced (AdG), and Synergy (SyG) Grants, as well as PLUS — followed by valuable insights into the evolving evaluation methodology and guidance on the new proposal structure.

💡 The session also featured a testimonial by Panagiotis Moschou, a recent ERC grant recipient, who shared his experience with the ERC application process.

🤝 To further support prospective applicants, Dr. Agrafioti held individual, in-person meetings, offering personalised advice and guidance tailored to their ERC proposals.

🙏 A big thank you to Ino Agrafioti for sharing her expertise and valuable insights, and to Panagiotis Moschou for sharing his experience and inspiring future ERC applicants!



Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας
European Research Council

10/10/2026

🔬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

It was a pleasure to host Dr. Maria Kamper, Strategic Director of the Biological Services Facility at the University of Manchester, at IMBB-FORTH in Heraklion for two days of strategic discussion facility review and knowledge exchange (7-8 October).

The visit provided a valuable opportunity to exchange expertise and explore how we can further strengthen:
🔹 Research infrastructure and facility operations
🔹 Governance, welfare and regulatory frameworks
🔹 Core facilities and technology platforms
🔹 Staff development and international training
🔹 Sustainability, innovation and commercialization
🔹 Future research and funding collaborations

We were also delighted to welcome Fiona Foster, Research Development Manager for Technology Platforms and Discovery Science at Manchester, who joined virtually to share valuable insights on technology platform integration.

Beyond the discussions and facility review, the visit was an important step towards building stronger and longer-term collaboration between IMBB-FORTH and the University of Manchester.

🤝 International collaboration is not simply about sharing knowledge — it is about learning from each other, building capacity and creating new opportunities to do better science together.

A sincere thank you to Maria, Fiona and all colleagues who contributed to two highly productive days of discussion and exchange.
The visit may be over, but the collaboration is just beginning.

08/10/2026

Ο Καθηγητής Μοριακής Βιολογίας και Διευθυντής Ερευνών του ΙΜΒΒ-ΙΤΕ μίλησε για το brain drain, τα όρια της επιστήμης απέναντι στη γήρανση, την επικινδυνότητα

07/10/2026

ONE DAY TO GO!

Tomorrow, 9 October 2026, Heraklion, Crete, will become a meeting point for researchers exploring how ancient biomolecules can transform our understanding of human history, evolution, biology, and health.

✨ Join us for two exciting scientific events at the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH):

🔬 IMBB International Symposium on Ancient DNA and Proteins
🕒 15:00–18:00 EEST
📍 FORTH, Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion
🎯 “Unfolding our history through ancient biomolecules”

🌍 Kafatos Lecture 2026
🕒 19:00–20:10 EEST
📍 Same venue
🎙️ Svante Pääbo
“A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins and Health: How Ancient DNA is Revealing New Insights into Disease and Biology.”

The Kafatos Lecture which ir organised by EMBL is open to the public—an excellent opportunity to hear from one of the pioneers of ancient DNA research and explore how the molecular past can illuminate questions about our present and future.

📅 Tomorrow — Friday, 9 October 2026
📍 Heraklion, Crete

We look forward to an inspiring day of science, discovery, and discussion! 🧬🔬

Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας

07/10/2026

📢 Δύο επιτυχημένα εκπαιδευτικά σεμινάρια στο ΙΜΒΒ

Στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος Mentoring & Career Track Scheme (MCTS) του IMBB, ερευνητές και ερευνήτριες, σε διαφορετικά στάδια της σταδιοδρομίας τους, συμμετείχαν στις 23–24 Σεπτεμβρίου σε δύο ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέροντα εκπαιδευτικά σεμινάρια τα οποία συντόνισαν οι David del Álamo και Thiago Carvalho από την εταιρεία Fellowsherpa (https://fellowsherpa.com/).

🟢Το πρώτο εργαστήριο, με τίτλο «Uses and Misuses of AI in Scientific Writing» (Χρήσεις και Καταχρήσεις της Τεχνητής Νοημοσύνης στην Επιστημονική Συγγραφή εξερεύνησε την υπεύθυνη χρήση της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης στην επιστημονική συγγραφή, την έρευνα, τις αιτήσεις χρηματοδότησης, τις βιβλιογραφικές ανασκοπήσεις και την αξιολόγηση επιστημονικών εργασιών (peer review), με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στην κριτική σκέψη και στις νέες προκλήσεις που αναδύονται.

🟡Το δεύτερο εργαστήριο, με τίτλο «Everything That Is Not Research: Customizing Your Grant Applications» (Ό,τι δεν είναι Έρευνα: Προσαρμόζοντας τις Ερευνητικές σας Προτάσεις), εστίασε σε στοιχεία των ανταγωνιστικών προτάσεων που συχνά παραβλέπονται, όπως ο αντίκτυπος, οι προτεραιότητες των φορέων χρηματοδότησης, η επικοινωνία, η ανοικτή επιστήμη, τα βιογραφικά σημειώματα (CVs) και τα αφηγηματικά βιογραφικά (narrative CVs).

Ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στη Fellowsherpa και σε όλους τους συμμετέχοντες και τις συμμετέχουσες για την ενεργό συμμετοχή τους. Το MCTS συνεχίζει να υποστηρίζει την επαγγελματική ανάπτυξη και την εξέλιξη της σταδιοδρομίας της ερευνητικής κοινότητας του ΙΜΒΒ μέσα από μια σειρά εκπαιδευτικών δράσεων.

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📢 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐁

As part of the 𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐁 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 (𝐌𝐂𝐓𝐒), researchers at different career stages came together on 23–24 September for two engaging workshops led by David del Álamo and Thiago Carvalho from Fellowsherpa.

🔷 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 explored the responsible use of AI in scientific writing, research, grant applications, literature reviews and peer review, with a strong focus on critical thinking and emerging challenges.

🔶 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡: 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 focused on the often-overlooked elements of competitive proposals, including impact, funder priorities, communication, open science, CVs and narrative CVs.

A big thank you to Fellowsherpa and to all participants for their active engagement. The MCTS continues to support the professional and career development of the IMBB research community through a series of training activities.

06/10/2026

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟗 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

✨ 𝐊𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
🕖19:00–20:10 EEST
Delivered by Nobel Laureate Svante Pääbo.
Title :“A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins and Health: How Ancient DNA is Revealing New Insights into Disease and Biology.”
Open to the public!!

Earlier that day:
✨IMBB 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀,
🕒 15:00 to 18:00.
Theme: “Unfolding our history through ancient biomolecules” will take place earlier on the same day

Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας

𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟗 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

✨ 𝐊𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
🕖19:00–20:10 EEST

The lecture by Nobel Laureate Svante Pääbo is open to the public and is entitled “A Neanderthal Perspective on Human Origins and Health: How Ancient DNA is Revealing New Insights into Disease and Biology.”
The Lecture will also be combined with the:

✨IMBB 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀, The Symposium entitled “Unfolding our history through ancient biomolecules” will take place earlier on the same day
🕒 15:00 to 18:00.

📍Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH), Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion, Crete (Auditorium of the Innovation and Advanced Education Hub)

👉 https://www.forth.gr/en/news/show/&tid=3260

06/10/2026

Svante Pääbo, Nobel laureate and 2026 EMBL Kafatos Lecturer, discusses what his research reveals about the origins of Homo sapiens

01/10/2026

🧬 The Bioinformatics Unit at IMBB-FORTH has launched its new website.

Established in 2024, the Bioinformatics Unit supports research groups at IMBB-FORTH and the University of Crete by providing bioinformatics expertise, computational analyses, support for research projects and access to high-performance computing through the HIBU cluster.

The Unit also contributes to capacity building through workshops and training activities, supporting biologists in developing skills in R programming, command-line tools, and computational data analysis. In parallel, it develops bioinformatics resources and tools for the wider research community, including the dsRNA Analyzer.

The new website brings these activities together in a single platform, providing access to:

🔹 Bioinformatics services and research support
🔹 A toolbox of 30+ tools for functional enrichment and genome analysis
🔹 Documentation and resources for the HIBU HPC cluster
🔹 Training and educational materials
🔹 Information on the Unit’s activities and resources

The website aims to provide a central point of access to the Unit’s services and resources, while strengthening its role as a bioinformatics hub supporting research, training, and computational biology at IMBB-FORTH.

🌐 Explore the new website: bioinformatics.imbb.forth.gr

30/09/2026

- Προκήρυξη μίας (1) Θέσης Ερευνητή/τριας Β’ ή Γ’ βαθμίδας με γνωστικό αντικείμενο: «Μοριακή Βιολογία και Βιοτεχνολογία».

https://www.imbb.forth.gr/files/repository/20260929130312_10-PDF-PRINTED_GR-%CE%A88%CE%A9%CE%A1469%CE%97%CE%9A%CE%A5-6%CE%9E%CE%A6_09_1-IMBB-%CE%95%CE%A1%CE%95%CE%A5%CE%9D%CE%97%CE%A4%CE%97_%CE%92%CE%93-%CE%A0%CE%A1%CE%9F%CE%9A%CE%97%CE%A1%CE%A5%CE%9E%CE%97%CE%9C%CE%9F%CE%A1%CE%92%CE%99.P58735.pdf

- One (1) Researcher B Grade or Researcher C Grade Position in the field of "Molecular Biology and Biotechnology".

https://www.imbb.forth.gr/files/repository/20260929130312_10-PDF-PRINTED_EN-%CE%A88%CE%A9%CE%A1469%CE%97%CE%9A%CE%A5-6%CE%9E%CE%A6_09_1-IMBB-%CE%95%CE%A1%CE%95%CE%A5%CE%9D%CE%97%CE%A4%CE%97_%CE%92%CE%93-%CE%A0%CE%A1%CE%9F%CE%9A%CE%97%CE%A1%CE%A5%CE%9E%CE%97%CE%9C%CE%9F%CE%A1%CE%92%CE%99.58735.pdf