PALS Conference in Gothenburg 2–4 June, 2025

WCMTM at the University of Gothenburg, together with the scientific program committee, welcomes you for the annual PALS conference in June 2025.

We look forward to an exciting event filled with scientific talks and networking opportunities within our community. We hope the Swedish west coast will offer its finest sunshine as we gather at Lindholmen, where historic shipyards and factories blend with modern glass facades, overlooking the city across the river.

Registration is still open

It is still possible for late registrations. In case the meeting is full, you will be placed on waiting list. Please use the registration form that best meets your role. If you have any questions, your are welcome to get in touch with: charbel.sader@gu.se.

Registration for Fellows Registration for Infrastructure staff Management, Guests speakers, Administration

PALS Conference 2025 | All you need to know

Bring your curiosity and scientific expertise to make these days rich with interactions, valuable networking, and the inspiration you need to energize your research.

The conference program contains topics that cover the broad interest areas of fellows within the PALS network. With a mix of basic, clinical, and data-driven topics, the aim is to offer opportunities to discuss and establish multi-disciplinary and translational research collaborations. If you are new fellow, you will also have excellent chance for an introduction to the Swedish research infrastructure landscape.

Here, we have selected highlights from the days, and you can find the full three-day program further down on this page.

Day 1 (Monday June 2) starts 14:00, and among the highlights are:

Keynote by Henrik Zetterberg
Interactive session for fellows
Dinner and roof top bar

Day 2 (Tuesday June 3) starts at 08:45, and among the highlights are

Keynote by Stephen Quake
Thematic sessions with Ruth Palmer, Giovanni Volpe, Joakim Lundeberg
Flash talks by fellows
Dinner and live music at Kooperativet

Day 3 (Wednesday June 4) starts at 8.30, and among the highlights are

AstraZenca – an industry collaborations perspective

The Pier Hotel and Conference

The conference will be held at Clarion Hotel The Pier at Lindholmen, right across the river from central Gothenburg. The Pier offers modern, accessible and newly built conference facilities, all gathered on one floor. All hotel rooms can be conveniently reached via the elevators from the conference area, and there are several lounge areas to meet and connect. On the 11th floor, the roof top bar offers wide views of the city and the river.

Contact to the hotel

Address
Pumpgatan 541755 Göteborg

Phone
+46 31 30 50 130

The Pier official website

Lindholmen

Lindholmen, located on the northern bank of the Göta River in Gothenburg, is a thriving hub of innovation and modern development. Once an industrial shipbuilding area, it has transformed into a dynamic district known for its focus on technology, research, and education. The area attracts cutting-edge companies, startups, and academic institutions, and its waterfront setting offers stunning views of the city, Cultural events makes it a vibrant place to work, live, and visit.

Upptäck Lindholmen till fots

During the conference, the SciLifeLab research infrastructures will have an exhibition and you have the chance to talk to experts and representatives from the capabilities. Closer to the event, we will provide a list on the event web page with the capabilities that will be present.

Travel to Gothenburg

The conference hours have been adapted to fit morning and midday flights from Umeå to Gothenburg and back to Umeå. Regarding your travel bookings to and from the conference, please contact your program coordinator for guidelines.

Organized bus transfer

When you register to the event, you can choose to join our transfer bus from Landvetter airport or from Gothenburg Central Station. See more details in the registration form.

Public transport

Option 1 | Tram and ferry, or walk (20-25 min)

From Gothenburg central station, take a tram to Stenpiren, for example tram 1. You can also walk to Stenpiren through the city by following the canal. From Stenpiren take ferry 287 to > LUNDBYSTRAND. When you get off, you have the hotel straight ahead.

Option 2 | Bus (10-15 min)

From Gothenburg central station or Nordstan, take bus 16, 21 or X1 to > PUMPGATAN.

Please check all details about public transport at västtrafik.se

Confirmed guest speakers

Stanford University

Stephen
Quake

Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation

Sara
Mazur

University of Gothenburg

Ruth
Palmer

University of Gothenburg

Giovanni
Volpe

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Joakim
Lundeberg

Monday 2 June 2025

Details in the schedule may change.

14:00 | Welcome and opening of the conference
Johan Zelano, Director WCMTM | Margit Mahlapuu, Co-Director WCMTM

14:15 | Keynote speech
Stephen Quake, Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford university

15:20 | PALS Interaction
In this session, participants are divided into four mixed groups and interact over a fika. The purpose is to get to know more people within the network – both fellows and infrastructure experts – and to share research ideas that perhaps will initiate an application for the upcoming PALS call.

16:30 | Research Infrastructure: Expertise and partnership in life science research
Jan Ellenberg, Director SciLifeLab | Elisabet Carlsohn, Site-Director SciLifeLab Gothenburg and Head of Core Facilities at Sahlgrenska Academy

16:50 | Information about dinner and coming conference days

17:00 | Check-in

18:30 | Dinner at the hotel restaurant (ground floor)

20:30 | Mingle and hangout at the roof top bar

Tuesday 3 June 2025

Details in the schedule may change.

8:45 | Introduction to thematic sessions
During these three thematic sessions, our invited guest lecturers will hold a longer presentation (25 min) within each theme, followed by fellows and infrastructure flash talks (1-3 slides, maximum 3 min), also within the same theme. Each thematic session is 1h 15 min, and is followed by a longer break for possibility to discuss and interact. All new and active fellows are expected to hold a flash talk, while for alumni it is welcomed but not expected. When you register for the event, you also choose theme and register a flash talk.

The aim is to create a forum to share both difficulties and success stories, get feedback and learn from each others experiences.

9:00-10:15 | Theme A: Clinical focus
Guest: Ruth Palmer, Professor at the Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg

10:15-11:00 | Coffee, interaction, exhibition
For management: Steering group PALS meeting (10:15-11:15)

11:00-12:15 | Theme B: Basic research focus
Guest: Joakim Lundeberg, Professor and head of division of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

12:15-13:30 Lunch, interaction, exhibition
For management: WCMM Directors’ meeting (13:15-14:15)

13:45-15:00 | Theme C: Machine learning and Data-driven focus
Guest: Giovanni Volpe, Professor at the department of Physics, University of Gothenburg

15:00-15:30 Coffee / interaction / exhibition

15:30-16:00 | Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation: 10 years of supporting translational research, and the road ahead for Sweden as a leading life science nation
Guest: Sara Mazur, Executive Director

16:00-17:30 | Industry collaboration – AstraZeneca & Gothenburg as a hub for life science
Guest speakers and more details on this session will be announced further on.

18:30 | Dinner and party at Kooperativet street food restaurant and event (walking distance)

Wednesday 4 June 2025

Details in the schedule may change.

7-8:30 | Breakfast and checkout

8:30-8:40 | Introduction

8:40-10:20 | PALS Projects: Presentation of the most recent collaborative projects

09:40-09:45 Quick in-room break

In this session, we conclude this year’s PALS meeting by showcasing projects that highlight real examples of joint efforts within the PALS community, with the aim to inspire future collaborations beyond the conference.

10:20 | Closing remarks

10:30 Coffee and lunch to go available
Checkout is also possible here for those who are not taking the arranged busses to the airport or train station.

11:00 Busses depart to airport and train station
For those who are not taking the busses, it is possible to eat your lunch wrap on spot, and continue mingle inside or by the waterfront in the hopefully sunny weather.

#PALS2025 in Social media

Please use the hashtag #PALS2025 in social media so that participants can follow your posts and see what you share. Posts from LinkedIN with this hashtag will be displayed below.

Questions or Comments

If you have questions or comments about the conference, feel free to use our form, or get in touch personally. The event’s main contact is Charbel Sader, communication officer at WCMTM, University of Gothenburg.

Scientific Program Committee (Fellows)

Coordination and event management

Camilla Skånberg | WCMTM Gothenburg
Charbel Sader | WCMTM Gothenburg
David Gotthold | SciLifeLab

Director and Co-Director

Johan Zelano | Director WCMTM Gothenburg
Margit Mahlapuu | Co-director WCMTM Gothenburg