ELIXIR-UK All Hands 2026
About the ELIXIR-UK All Hands meeting
The ELIXIR-UK All Hands is the UK Node’s flagship community event, held annually to bring together members, collaborators, and partners from across the UK’s life sciences research infrastructure. It is open to all members and collaborators of the ELIXIR-UK Node, spanning research data management, training, human data, bioinformatics tools, digital research infrastructures and much more.
Previous meetings have taken place in Exeter (2025) and have featured sessions on FAIR data, open science policy, flexible funding calls, AI in the life sciences, and community-led world cafés.
What to expect
While the full programme is still in development, past All Hands meetings have included:
- Keynote and community sessions from ELIXIR-UK leadership, host institutions and member organisations
- Funding and policy updates, including BBSRC, MRC and BioFAIR updates
- Flash talks and poster presentations from members and early-career researchers
- World café discussions to shape ELIXIR-UK priorities on topics like FAIR data, AI strategy, sensitive human data and training
- Networking and social programme, including dinner on the night of the first day.
We especially welcome contributions from early-career researchers and those new to the ELIXIR-UK community (including prospective members).
Who should attend
- Staff and researchers at ELIXIR-UK member organisations
- Bioinformaticians, data stewards and research software engineers in member organisations (including prospective ones) or collaborators.
- Policy, communications and project management professionals in research infrastructure.
- ELIXIR Europe international partners and invited collaborators.
- Early-career researchers interested in research data management, bioinformatics and open science.
Day 1
09:30
Registration opens with tea/coffee upon arrival
10:00
Session one. Welcome and introduction
Our Heads of Node reflect on where ELIXIR-UK has come from and where it’s heading, followed by our hosts, putting the spotlight on Liverpool.
Carole Goble, The University of Manchester
Neil Hall, Earlham Institute
11:15
Coffee Break
11:45
Session two. ELIXIR-UK success and future
This session celebrates what the community has achieved and welcomes new voices into it. Expect flash talks from our newest member institutions, new Node Services, updates from our BioFAIR Pathfinder projects, a look at the BioFAIR Method Commons, and news/projects/developments from across our community.
13:00
Lunch
14:00
Session three: How to engage with industry
A practical, panel-led session on what it takes to build effective academia-industry partnerships from those building partnerships with industry: what industry looks for in academic collaborators, where the friction points tend to sit and where to start.
15:30
Coffee Break & Group Photo
15:45
Session four. World Café – conversations with the community to shape ELIXIR-UK
An interactive format to connect and hear about different activities in ELIXIR-UK. Join small, rotating discussions to share experiences, surface challenges and spark new ideas.
17:00
Posters and early career spotlight
Posters from across the community, alongside dedicated time for early career researchers to share funding needs and ideas.
18:00
Social activity
19:00
Dinner at the venue
Day 2
08:30
Registration opens with tea/coffee
09:00
Session six: Sustaining our resources
A look at how ELIXIR-UK’s endorsed services can evolve and thrive as the funding landscape shifts. Listen to short case studies of different funding models in practice, from industry partnership to spin-out to donation-based support, and a panel discussion drawing out what’s transferable.
10:45
Coffee Break
11:15
Session seven: AI and the future of bioinformatics
An interactive, world café-style session on skills, trust, data and responsible innovation. We’ll dig into how bioinformatics expertise is valued as AI tools become more capable, what training and development needs to change to keep pace, and how funders are starting to position themselves on AI use in grant writing and research design.
12:45
Closing remarks
13:00
Lunch
14:00
SIAB annual meeting (co-located, invitation only)
Organising Committee
- Eva Caamano Gutierrez, University of Liverpool
- Robert Andrews, Cardiff
- Ian Overton, QUB
- Ryan Kelly, University of Liverpool
- Lauren Mee, University of Liverpool
- Jacqueline Vigilanti, University of Liverpool
- Xènia Pérez Sitjà, Earlham Institute
- Joe Maguire, Earlham Institute
Frequently asked questions
The ELIXIR-UK All Hands is the annual national gathering of the UK Node of ELIXIR, the European infrastructure for life science data. It brings together researchers, data managers, trainers and infrastructure professionals to review progress, discuss priorities and future direction and build collaborations.
The event is open to all members and collaborators of the ELIXIR-UK Node. Priority for places is typically given to participants from ELIXIR-UK member organisations, but we are open to all, including collaborators and prospective members.
We rotate locations across our members. This year, the event is hosted in Liverpool, at the Bluecoat on 25-26 November 2026.
We have limited travel support available for ELIXIR-UK members with no other means of attending. Priority will be given to early career participants and confirmed speakers. If you would like to be considered, please indicate this during the registration process. Funding decisions will be communicated by early October 2026.
Before registration opens, we invite all our members to participate in the programme committee. If you are interested, email us at contact@elixiruknode.org. Members of this committee will have their travel and accommodation secured by the UK Node.
Registration is now open, participants are able to submit poster abstracts, suggest discussion topics for a world cafe. We welcome contributions from across the community.
If you’re interested in sponsoring this event, we offer speaking slots throughout the event.
