Planetary Biology 2026: Building an international community across biological scales and disciplines
More than 110 participants from 15 countries gathered in Uppsala on 28–30 October for Integrating Scales in Planetary Biology, exploring how biological processes, from cells to ecosystems, shape the resilience of life on a changing planet.
Organized by Planetary Biology at SciLifeLab together with the core organizing team behind the 2025 EMBO workshop Integrating Cell and Planetary Scales to Address Climate Resilience, the conference brought researchers and other stakeholders across disciplines and sectors together to exchange perspectives, explore research priorities and develop collaborations. It marked another step in building an international community at the intersection of molecular biology, environmental science and planetary health.
With 14 invited speakers and panelists, 48 submitted abstracts and 35 posters, the meeting offered a platform for scientific exchange across disciplines and biological scales.
From scientific exchange to new collaborations
Interaction was at the heart of the conference. Seven roundtable discussions invited participants to explore shared challenges and emerging priorities, including bridging biological scales, using data, models and AI in multiscale Planetary Biology, and building collaborations across disciplinary and geographical boundaries.
The Pitch Slam turned shared interests into potential projects. Participants formed interdisciplinary teams and presented their ideas to a jury of invited speakers and a representative from Uppsala University’s Innovation Office. The five proposals explored approaches ranging from citizen science and spatial omics to environmental governance, FAIR sampling and the role of art in experiencing biological complexity.
The winning proposal focused on using citizen science to monitor ecosystems over time. Led by four early-career researchers from three affiliations, the team received 50,000 SEK, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust Limited, to help take their collaboration forward.
Connecting research with the funding landscape
A panel discussion, Investing in Planetary Biology, brought together representatives from the Swedish Research Council, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and Wellcome to discuss how emerging interdisciplinary fields can be supported. Participants particularly valued the rare opportunity to hear from several major funding organisations in one discussion. As one attendee put it: “I especially appreciated the discussion with the funders. Very rare to have all those funding organizations in one panel.”
An engaged community looking ahead
Participants actively contributed to discussions, shared research and connected with colleagues beyond their own disciplines. Feedback highlighted the value of these open exchanges and the fresh perspectives they offered:
“For me, the biggest takeaway was getting a better sense of what drives people from different fields and communities. The open discussions gave me fresh perspectives that I’ll carry into my work and professional connections.”
This captures an important ambition of the Planetary Biology initiative: creating spaces where researchers can understand different perspectives and develop new approaches to complex challenges. For SciLifeLab, the conference is part of a broader commitment to building and supporting an international community through scientific exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration and connections across sectors.
We thank all speakers, panellists, moderators, poster presenters and participants, as well as our sponsors and supporting organisations: EMBO, EMBL, BioNordika Sweden AB, GenomeVault, The New Phytologist Foundation, Tellus Journal, The Living Soils Workshop, Uppsala University, Lund University, APOLO Biotech, Funga, SLUBI, and the Wellcome Trust Limited.
The next edition is yet to be confirmed, but we look forward to bringing this growing community together again and continuing to shape the future of Planetary Biology.
How do we understand life on Earth when it spans everything from single molecules to whole ecosystems? In this video, researchers at Integrating Scales In Planetary Biology conference explain why integrating scales is key to understanding the biosphere and how it is responding to rapid environmental change
Featured in this video:
– Amy Gladfelter, Duke Health Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering.
– Olga Vinnere Pettersson, Scientific Lead for Planetary Biology at SciLifeLab and Uppsala University researcher.
– Detlev Arendt, co-chair of the Planetary Biology transversal theme at EMBL.
