Biotechnology Summer School

21/04/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT

We are happy to continue our Speaker Announcements for the Biotechnology Summer School 2026!
As this year’s edition is dedicated to Cell and Gene Therapy, we are excited to introduce researchers whose work broadens the perspective on modern biomedicine and disease mechanisms.
We are pleased to present Silvestre Sampino as one of our speakers.

Dr Silvestre Sampino is an Assistant Professor and group leader in the Department of Experimental Embryology at the Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IGBZ PAN) in Jastrzębiec, Poland. He obtained a PhD from the University of Teramo, Italy, in 2014 and then joined IGBZ PAN, where he established his research line combining embryological techniques with neuroscience. His team’s research focuses on investigating the etiology and pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders in animal models, including mice and sheep.

We are delighted to welcome him to BSS 2026 and look forward to hearing more about his research during this year’s Summer School.

Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

16/04/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT

We are thrilled to launch our first Speaker Announcement for the Biotechnology Summer School 2026!

This year’s edition, focused on Cell and Gene Therapy, will bring together outstanding researchers whose work advances our understanding of modern biomedicine and innovative therapeutic approaches.
We are proud to introduce Sara Ricardo as one of our speakers.

Sara is a researcher in tumour biology and translational oncology, holding a PhD in Pathology and Molecular Genetics. Her work has focused on ovarian cancer biology, therapy resistance and biomarker discovery, with a strong translational orientation integrating experimental models, molecular analyses and patient-derived samples. After consolidating her expertise through research on breast and ovarian cancer, she developed her scientific career at the i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (University of Porto), where she established an independent research line and led multidisciplinary teams. In close collaboration with the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, she initiated clinically driven research projects and created an innovative biobank of ascitic fluid samples from ovarian cancer patients, now supporting longitudinal studies on tumour progression, immune microenvironment and therapeutic resistance. In 2025, she was appointed Director of the Toxicologic Pathology Laboratory at Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO-Porto), where she leads a multidisciplinary team and coordinates research on toxic injury, cytotoxicity, drug resistance and biomarker identification. Alongside her research activity, she maintains a strong commitment to higher education, particularly in biopathology and histology, contributing to multidisciplinary programmes and innovative digital teaching approaches.

We are excited to have her as part of BSS 2026 and cannot wait to hear more about her research during this year’s Summer School. Stay tuned for more Speaker Announcements coming soon!



Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

07/04/2026

Save the date. More details soon.

09/10/2025

03/10/2025

🌿 The XXVIII Biotechnology Summer School has officially wrapped up! 🌿

What an incredible week it has been - filled with science, collaboration, and unforgettable moments in the heart of Kościerzyna. From insightful lectures and hands-on workshops to kayaking, bonfires, and our themed dress-up party, this year’s Summer School offered both inspiration and connection.

We would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who made this event a great success:

🧬 To our amazing participants - your passion, curiosity, and energy brought the program to life.
🎓 To the speakers and experts who shared their time and knowledge - thank you for guiding and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
🙌 To the dedicated organizing team and volunteers – none of this would have been possible without your hard work.
🤝 And to our generous sponsors – MegaMocni and Kawa.ska – thank you for supporting young minds in biotechnology.

We are proud to have created a space for learning, exchange, and growth - and we’re already looking forward to what the next edition will bring.

Thank you all for being a part of the journey. Until next time!

Kawa.ska Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

18/05/2025

⏰ Last Call! Registration Closes Tonight at Midnight! ⏰

This is your final chance to apply for Biotechnology Summer School 2025 –
“The Green Side of One Health: From Basics to Industrial Applications”! 🌿🌱

Don’t miss out on five days of science, inspiring talks, group activities, and the opportunity to connect with amazing people from across Europe.

📅 The event takes place 22–26 September 2025 in Kościerzyna, Poland
📝 Registration is open until 23:59 today!
➡️ Apply now at bss.ug.edu.pl

11/05/2025

🌿 One Week Left to Register! 🌿

Don’t forget — registration for Biotechnology Summer School 2025 is open until next Sunday (May 18)! 🗓️
Apply now at 👉 bss.ug.edu.pl

Biotechnology Summer School isn’t just about lectures and cutting-edge science (though there’s plenty of that too 😉).
It’s also about making connections, enjoying nature, and having a lot of fun! 🌞💚

🔥 Expect:
🍔 Group BBQ
🔥 Bonfire under the stars
🛶 Kayaking on the lake
🤝 Amazing opportunities to meet fellow students and researchers from across Europe

Come learn, connect, and make memories with us this September!

📍 Kościerzyna, Poland | 22–26 September 2025

Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

07/05/2025

We’re happy to introduce the final speaker of Biotechnology Summer School 2025: Professor Paweł Bednarek! 🌿🌱

Professor Paweł Bednarek is group leader at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, Poland. He received his PhD at the same institution in 2001 and carried out post-doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. Pawel’s scientific interest focuses on the function of plant specialized metabolites in plant-microbe interactions. This includes metabolomic investigation of plant response to microbial colonization, identification of enzymatic and regulatory components of the corresponding metabolic pathways and functional characterization of the respective end products. His research focuses mainly on tryptophan-derived metabolites known as indole glucosinolates and indole phytoalexins that appeared to be indispensable for proper immune responses in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and other Brassicaceae species. In addition to the functional characterization these metabolic pathways, he is also interested in their evolution in the context of plant-pathogen arms race.

We’re excited to hear his insights on plant immunity and the evolutionary dynamics of the plant–pathogen arms race during BSS 2025! 🌾🧪

🌿 Reminder: Registration is still OPEN — but the deadline is near!
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this year’s event!

📍 Kościerzyna, Poland | 22–26 September 2025
📄 Registration form available in the “Registration” tab on our website.


Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

06/05/2025

We’re excited to announce another speaker of Biotechnology Summer School 2025: Prof. Dr. Daniel Mertens! 🌿🌱

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Daniel Mertens heads two research groups, one group at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and a research group at the University Hospital Ulm. As a scientist, Daniel Mertens is the author of 101 publications that have been cited 5753 times by colleagues (https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/1318302). He has received € 6.77 million in grants from external third-party funders for his research and coordinated international research networks (cancerepisys.org and leukemia-resistance.de). Since 2011, he has been training scientists, physicians, administrators and staff in transferable skills (www.scientistsneedmore.de). So far, >9000 participants took part in international workshops in Europe, USA and Africa. Since 2023 he empowered 5754 participants in 126 workshops to apply AI tools in their everyday lives. After the workshops, 80.4% of participants said they will make implementation of artificial intelligence a top priority.

🌿 Reminder: Registration is OPEN!
Don’t miss your chance to join us — the deadline is coming soon! 📝

📍 Kościerzyna, Poland | 22–26 September 2025
📄 Registration form available in the “Registration” tab on our website.


Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

05/05/2025

We are happy to introduce another speaker of Biotechnology Summer School 2025: Dr. Magdalena Miklaszewska! 🌿🌱

Dr. Magdalena Miklaszewska is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University (Germany), where she explores the potential of oleaginous microalgae for wax ester production. She also holds a position as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk (Poland).
Magdalena obtained her PhD in Biochemistry in 2015 from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG-MUG. From 2018 to 2020, she was a Visiting Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Göttingen, supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education through the Mobility Plus Program. During this time, she worked under the supervision of Prof. Ivo Feussner and Prof. Agnieszka Zienkiewicz. She also received several international scholarships, including a DAAD Fellowship and a French Embassy Scholarship supporting a scientific stay at the Laboratory of Membrane Biogenesis, CNRS/Bordeaux University (France). Between 2021 and 2024, she held a Postdoctoral Fellowship within the REWIRE (REinforcing Women In REsearch) Programme at the University of Vienna.
Her research focuses on lipid metabolism and metabolic engineering of photosynthetic organisms, with a particular interest in the production of industrially valuable lipids in microalgae and plants through synthetic biology approaches.

🌿 Reminder: Registration for Biotechnology Summer School 2025 is OPEN!
Don’t miss your chance to apply — the deadline is approaching fast! 📝

📍 Kościerzyna, Poland | 22–26 September 2025
📄 Registration form available in the “Registration” tab on our website!

Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed

29/04/2025

We are thrilled to introduce another outstanding speaker of the Biotechnology Summer School 2025: Prof. Tomasz J. Sarnowski! 🌿🌱
Since 1998, Prof. Tomasz J. Sarnowski has been associated with the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBB PAS), where he completed his doctoral dissertation. In January 2021, he became the head of the Laboratory of the Regulation of Gene Expression at IBB PAS. From 2008 to 2010, he conducted a postdoctoral fellowship under the prestigious Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne, where he holds the status of a guest scientist. In 2010, Prof. Sarnowski was awarded the Marie-Curie Re-Integration grant (FP7), a highly competitive and prestigious honor.
Prof. Sarnowski is the author of numerous publications in the fields of molecular biology, genetics, and oncology. He promotes the use of various model systems, including Arabidopsis, shrimp, and human cell lines, to better understand the processes disturbed in cancer diseases, particularly those related to epigenetics. His current research focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma, advanced bladder cancer, and salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma.
Together with his team and collaborators, Prof. Sarnowski has demonstrated that membrane kinase receptors, such as ERECTA in Arabidopsis and HER2 in humans, can migrate to the nucleus and interact with SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes, thereby influencing gene expression regulation.
Prof. Sarnowski’s research group collaborates extensively with both domestic and international institutions, including the University of Leeds, the National Cancer Institute, two Max Planck Institutes in Germany, and Mahidol University in Thailand. Since 2003, he has maintained a close collaboration with the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology.
Prof. Sarnowski has been awarded a research grant from the Polpharma Scientific Foundation, enabling his investigation into the molecular basis of renal cancer. He also served as the IBB PAS coordinator for the prestigious Polish Medical Agency grant awarded to the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology. Additionally, he was a participant in the Horizon Europe-funded international ISIDORe project, which aims to establish a rapid network for combating SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pandemic-prone pathogens. Currently, he is the IBB PAS coordinator in two projects financed in frame of EU4Health program- JANE2- aiming in combating cancer and Jade Health- for improving treatments of dementia.
Throughout his career, Prof. Sarnowski has received numerous accolades, including scientific prizes from the Polish Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and the Scientific Council of IBB PAS. Furthermore, his protein purification technology was awarded promotion in the EU Technology Marketplace.
With his wide-ranging expertise and dedication to advancing both plant sciences and molecular medicine, Prof. Sarnowski will surely deliver an inspiring talk at BSS 2025! 🌿✨
🌿 Reminder: Registration for Biotechnology Summer School 2025 is OPEN!
The deadline is approaching — don’t miss your chance to join us! 🌱

📍 Kościerzyna, Poland | 22–26 September 2025
📝 Registration form available in the "Registration" tab!

Międzyuczelniany Wydział Biotechnologii UG i GUMed