The Biohackathon Germany 2026 will be held 07-11 December 2026 at the Freizeit In in Göttingen.
Mark your calendars and stay tuned here for further updates.
The BioHackathon Germany is an annual event that brings together life scientists, bioinformaticians and data managers / data stewards from Germany and around the world. Organised by de.NBI & ELIXIR-DE, it offers an intense week of hacking with over 150 participants (on-site and online) working on diverse and exciting projects. The aim is to produce results that address challenges in bioinformatics and life science research. Scientists from companies are also encouraged to participate and submit project proposals connecting their work to open science activities and initiatives.
Goals
- Promote the development of an open source data integration infrastructure that will accelerate scientific innovation. This includes areas such as FAIR, identifiers, metadata standards, ontologies and metadata catalogues.
- Engage technical people from the bioinformatics community within and beyond de.NBI & ELIXIR-DE to collaborate on topics of common interest aligned with de.NBI & ELIXIR-DE activities.
- Strengthen and enable interactions and collaborations with ELIXIR, NFDI and other bioinformatics related projects through joint activities.
- Provide networking opportunities for all participating attendees
Project application
We are looking forward to receiving your creative and impactful project applications! Whether you’re an experienced participant or new to the hackathon community, we encourage teams from all life science fields to submit innovative project ideas.
Project applications will open in mid to late April. The submission deadline is July 15th, and applicants will be notified of accepted projects by July 17th.
Detailed instructions on how to apply will follow soon.
To ensure a dynamic and collaborative experience, each project should have at least two project leaders who design and submit the application. Additionally, at least one project leader and four project members (co-leaders if possible) should attend the Biohackathon in person. If a project cannot meet this in-person participation requirement, it will be run as an online project.
Participant registration:
Registration will be open September 1st. Stay tuned here for more details.
Expenses and Funding
Registration for the BioHackathon is free of charge, however you will have to cover your own travel and accommodation expenses yourselves. Conference catering will be served for lunch and coffee breaks. de.NBI & ELIXIR Germany will cover accommodation for two project leads per accepted project.
Please be aware that those who register as face-to-face participants should stay at the venue for the full duration of the event. This is to optimize the value of on-site interaction and collaboration.
More information will be published closer to the event. A limited hotel allotment for participants is reserved, information will be provided when the registration is opened.
Venue
This year, we are holding the BioHackathon Germany 2026 from 07-11 December 2026 at the Hotel FREIZEIT IN in Göttingen, with remote access available for those unable to attend in person. However, for the best BioHackathon experience, we recommend on-site participation whenever possible.
Göttingen is a vibrant university city in Lower Saxony, Germany, renowned for its rich academic tradition and welcoming atmosphere. Home to the prestigious University of Göttingen, the city boasts a lively cultural scene, historic architecture, and beautiful green spaces. With its dynamic student population and long history of scientific excellence, Göttingen offers the perfect blend of tradition and innovation.
Travel information
By Car:
The HOTEL FREIZEIT IN Göttingen is accessible via the A7 motorway.
- From the south: Take the first exit (Göttingen-Dransfeld, exit 73), turn left towards Dransfeld; the hotel will be on your left.
- From the north: Take the second exit (Göttingen-Dransfeld), turn left towards Dransfeld; the hotel will be on your left.
Please note: Hotel parking is available for a fee.
By Train & Bus:
Göttingen is conveniently served by 107 ICE stops. From the main station’s east exit, board bus 61 or 120 towards Dransfeld and get off at “Dransfelder Straße” (opposite the hotel).
Alternatively, taxis are available at the west exit (approx. 10–12 minutes).
By Plane:
The most suitable airports for traveling to Göttingen are Hannover (HAJ), followed by Frankfurt (FRA), and Hamburg (HAM).
Please book your airport shuttle to HOTEL FREIZEIT IN Göttingen a few days in advance (service for a fee).
Hotel FREIZEIT IN GmbH
Dransfelder Straße 3
37079 Göttingen
Code of Conduct
The de.NBI & ELIXIR Germany Code of Conduct has been created to ensure that all participants at de.NBI & ELIXIR Germany events can interact with each other in a respectful and safe environment, and have avenues to turn to in case they believe there has been a breach to this Code of Conduct.
Data Privacy
Please see our Data Privacy document for information on data privacy.