| title | BioHackathon Europe |
|---|---|
| subtitle | 9–13 November 2026<br>Barcelona<br><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BioHackEU26" class="is-size-6">#BioHackEU26</a> |
| description | Find out about the 2026 BioHackathon Europe, where hackers get together to make life science research easier. |
| layout | page |
| show_sidebar | false |
| hero_image | /assets/img/heroes/hero-2026.webp |
| hero_darken | true |
| reg_text | Register to attend online or join the waiting list for an in-person place <div class="buttons is-centered mt-4"> <a href="https://elixir-events.eventscase.com/attendance/event/index/45837/EN" class="button is-size-5 ml-3"> Join the waiting list </a> <a href="https://elixir-events.eventscase.com/attendance/event/index/45836/EN" class="button is-size-5 ml-3"> Register for virtual attendance </a> </div> |
{: .is-pulled-right .ml-5 .mb-5 width="170"}
BioHackathon Europe is an annual event that brings together bioinformaticians and computational biologists from around the world. It’s organised by ELIXIR Europe and offers an intense week of hacking, with participants working on diverse and exciting projects. BioHackathon is a community-driven event, providing an opportunity for members of the life sciences community to meet and work together on topics of common interest. The goal is to create code that addresses challenges in bioinformatics research.
The next BioHackathon will take place at Campus Belloch in Barcelona from 9 to 13 November 2026 (see the Venue page. Remote participation is possible, but the event is primarily designed to be in person, and projects are required to include active on-site involvement.
- 16 March 2026: Call for project proposals opens
- 15 April 2026 (midnight CEST): Deadline for project proposals
- Late May 2026: Project selection and notification
- 29 June – 20 July 2026: Expression of interest for in-person participation
- September 2026: Programme published
- 9–13 November 2026: BioHackathon Europe 2026
Newly published
Explore the projects, collaborations and outcomes from the last BioHackathon Europe event.
{: .column .is-one-third .my-4}
{: .column .is-one-third .my-4}
{: .column .is-one-third .my-4}
{: .columns .stripe .my-6}
The BioHackathon provides space for collaboration and innovation in computational biology and bioinformatics. Participants engage in intensive, hands-on programming and content-creation activities, data integration and software development. The topics are aligned with the needs of ELIXIR Platforms, Communities and Focus Groups, as captured in the ELIXIR Scientific Programme.
The key objective of BioHackathon Europe is to advance the development of an open-source service infrastructure to accelerate scientific innovation. We focus on areas that support the work of ELIXIR Platforms, Communities and Focus Groups, including FAIR principles, identifiers, metadata standards, ontologies and metadata catalogues. This is achieved by engaging technical experts from across the bioinformatics community, both within and beyond ELIXIR, to collaborate on topics of shared interest aligned with ELIXIR activities.
{: .column .is-one-third .my-4}
{: .column .is-one-third .my-4}
{: .column .is-one-third .my-4}
{: .columns .stripe .my-6}
- Advancing new ideas and prototypes into fully functional tools and resources
- Enhancing existing bioinformatics resources and testing new features
- Engaging with potential users and improving documentation
- Networking with international experts in bioinformatics in one of the largest BioHackathon events in Europe
- Gaining experience in collaborative software development
- Learning new skills in coding, data integration and tool development
- Publishing outputs such as preprints or white papers based on BioHackathon project outcomes
BioHackathon Europe welcomes participants from industry and encourages collaboration between academia and commercial partners. Companies interested in contributing to projects or proposing challenges can get in touch via ELIXIR’s Industry and Innovation office. For more information, contact the ELIXIR Outreach Officer, Flora Foltanyi (flora.foltanyi@elixir-europe.org).
View the industry flyer.
'The BioHackathon was one of the best work events I have attended, with a great balance of actively learning from others, contributing your own expertise and networking within an incredibly welcoming and collaborative community.'
BioHackathon Europe participant {: .mb-5}
'Attending the BioHackathon gave me the chance to work on my ambitious, high-risk project with the help of experts in the field. As an early-career researcher, the opportunity to lead a group has given me valuable experience and a career boost.'
Early-career researcher {: .mb-5}
'It was an amazing experience ... Two teams embraced our challenge to demonstrate the validity of edge computing. We reached our goal of connecting with the bioinformatics community and creating awareness for a new technology. No doubt we will participate in the future.'
Natalia Jimenez, Atos {: .mb-6}