When, where
The meeting was held 24–26 September 2025 in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, a lively city at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The Hotel M venue provided excellent facilities and a welcoming atmosphere for scientific exchange, networking and collaboration.

Why FEBS3+?
The conference was jointly organized by the Serbian Biochemical Society (SBS) together with the Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (HDBMB), the Hungarian Biochemical Society (HBS), the Slovenian Biochemical Society (SBD), and the Association of Biochemists and Molecular Biologists in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ABMBBIH). This regional format provided an excellent opportunity to bring together molecular life scientists from neighboring countries to present their latest findings, establish collaborations, and strengthen the scientific community in South-Eastern Europe.

The travel grants provided through FEBS3+ funding strongly encouraged the participation of young researchers from the collaborating countries, leading to a remarkable increase in the number of PhD students and early-career scientists at the meeting. Their active contributions, both in oral and poster sessions, fostered a dynamic exchange of ideas and built new bridges for future collaborations.

The meeting in numbers
Around 150 participants from 11 countries, 1 FEBS education lecture, 5 plenary lectures, 23 invited lectures, 2 industry lectures, 31 short talk presentations, 53 posters, 3 exhibitors, and 4 awards for the best posters. And to keep everyone energized – about 600 meals and 2000 cups of coffee and soft drinks!

Speaker programme highlights?
Ferhan Sağın (Türkiye) opened the meeting with a FEBS education lecture on the role of educators in a world of high publishing standards, emphasizing the need to rethink the future of research and education. Highlights of the scientific programme also included plenary lectures by Balázs Papp (Hungary), Jernej Ule (Slovenia), Ana Cvejić (Denmark), Ivan Mijaković (Sweden), and Lada Lukić Bilela (Bosnia and Herzegovina), covering topics such as antibiotic resistance, single-cell multi-omics analysis, and the interplay between molecular biology and nanotechnology.

Hot topics?
The conference program highlighted the latest trends across diverse fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. The sessions on Design and structure of proteins and Molecular basis of disease attracted particular attention, with presentations linking fundamental structural insights to translational research. Strong interest was also observed in Bioactive compounds and metabolism and Biomarkers and therapeutics development, reflecting the growing importance of biomedical applications. Emerging approaches in Systems biology and bioinformatics showcased integrative analyses of complex datasets, while Molecular evolution and Regulation of gene expression remained central themes, bridging molecular mechanisms with broader biological processes.

Especially for the next generation
Young researchers and PhD students had a very strong presence at the conference, contributing with 31 short talk presentations and several dozen posters. Their work was recognized through four poster awards, as well as the special FEBS Open Bio Poster Prize. This strong representation highlighted the commitment of the event to promoting the next generation of scientists.

Beyond the science?
In addition to the scientific programme, participants enjoyed the cultural and social aspects of Belgrade. A welcome cocktail was held on the hotel’s terrace, with music occasionally interrupted by the sounds of crickets from the nearby Banjica Forest. The gala dinner, another highlight of the social programme, offered an opportunity for relaxed networking. To the surprise of many, daily encounters with members of the Serbian national volleyball team, who were staying at the hotel during the meeting, added a special flavour to the event.

What I learned as an event organizer
It was a great pleasure to be part of the organizing team of this event. The experience showed how dynamic conference organization can be, with unexpected challenges always around the corner. However, building strong friendships and truly getting to know the participants made overcoming those challenges much easier. Although the main focus was on scientific research, we were reminded that behind every presentation stand people with whom we can deepen communication and collaboration, and together achieve even more in the future.

Thanks
Our gratitude goes to FEBS, the biochemical and molecular biology societies of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to the event sponsors: LKB (Vienna, Austria), Analysis (Belgrade, Serbia), and Mikro+Polo (Maribor, Slovenia). Special thanks to FEBS Open Bio for donating the monetary prize for the best poster of the conference. We also warmly thank all our colleagues from the region for sharing their important research and for the wonderful fellowship during the three inspiring days of the event.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee
Natalija Polović
President of the Organizing Committee, FEBS3+ Meeting Belgrade 2025