Invitation to Young Scientist Symposium (YSS) 2025
Attending the symposium provides an excellent opportunity to meet the keynote speakers (learn more on our website) and connect with fellow researchers, founders and industry representatives. Coffee breaks, free lunch and the Social Hour with catering will offer a great space for networking. Participants are also invited to join a Round Table discussion, where they can share insights and engage in dialogue with others.
This year, attendees can explore how to turn science into a startup at the Innovation Lounge, organized by XISTA, an initiative dedicated to transforming cutting-edge technologies into industrial applications.
We are pleased to announce the Best Short Talk Award and the Best Poster Award, with each winner receiving a prize. We also issue certificates of attendance to all participants upon request.
First and foremost, we are delighted to introduce five keynote speakers, international leaders in nature-inspired research, who will join us this November at Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA):
Registration for poster presentations and short talks is open until September 30. Please note that submissions are welcome from all research areas, and abstracts do not need to strictly align with the symposium theme. General attendance registration remains open until October 23.
We are delighted to introduce five keynote speakers, international leaders in nature-inspired research, who will join us this November at Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA):
- Federica Bertocchini | Degradable Bioplastic | Plasticentropy France
- Damien Woods | DNA Computing Engines | Maynooth University - Hamilton Institute
- Viola Vogler-Neuling | Bio-Inspired Photonics | Adolphe Merkle Institute - University of Fribourg
- Edna Nyangale | Food Scientist | Win - Win
- Hugo Parlier | Geometric insights into natural processes | University of Fribourg
Key details:
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Theme |
Unlocking Nature’s Genius: Advancing Science and Society |
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Who can submit? |
PhD students and postdocs |
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Abstract deadline |
30 September 2025 (poster or short talk) |
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Registration deadline |
23 October 2025 (attendance only, free) |
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Event date & venue |
18 November 2025 — Moonstone Seminar Center, ISTA |
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Website & submission |
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Contact |
The symposium will take place on the ISTA campus in the historic town of Klosterneuburg, just 18 km from Vienna’s city center. The campus can be reached from Wien Heiligenstadt (the last stop of the U4 subway) by the free ISTA Shuttle Bus 142 or by the public Bus 400, which stops at Maria Gugging ISTA. For the convenience of attendees, an additional shuttle bus service (Blaguss) will complement the regular connections, departing at 7:50 from Wien Heiligenstadt (in front of the subway station). For more information on routes and other transportation options, please visit How to Get Here.
The symposium’s preliminary agenda is available on our website.
We would greatly appreciate your support in encouraging students to seize this opportunity by sharing this information with interested students via your newsletter or mailing list.