NEWS This week marks the start of the 14th annual meeting of the leading Nordic institutes in molecular medicine, hosted by MIMS at Umeå University. The conference showcases the latest research advances and facilitates multidisciplinary interactions among researchers.
Participants of the strategy meeting between Umeå University, MIMS, EMBL and Nordic EMBL Partnership.
ImageSofia Nordin / Chillimedia
The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, MIMS, was established at Umeå University in 2007. It is part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, a union of life science institutes in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden under the umbrella of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). Every year, the partnership holds a conference to meet and discuss the latest developments in molecular medicine and explore possible new collaborations.
“Since its establishment in 2007, MIMS has helped transform Umeå’s research landscape, attracting outstanding international scientists and creating an environment where researchers can collaborate and thrive. Through MIMS and the Nordic EMBL Partnership, researchers gain access to international networks, training, and perspectives that extend beyond any single institution. This kind of collaboration is essential to keeping European life science research innovative, open and globally leading,” says Tora Holmberg, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.
For Janna Saarela, Director of the Norwegian Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Medicine (NCMBM) and Speaker of the Nordic EMBL Partnership, the meeting demonstrated what the partnership can achieve when its members work together.
“This is what the Nordic EMBL Partnership is about: bringing together our capabilities, resources and expertise to create a stronger force for European life science. By working together rather than as individual entities, we can help keep Europe at the forefront of global research,” says Janna Saarela.
A particular highlight of this year's meeting is the visit of the new Director General of EMBL, Professor Anthony Hyman. The European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL, was founded in 1974 to balance the strongly US-dominated field of molecular biology. Professor Hyman took up his mandate at the end of March 2026, and this meeting provided an opportunity for bringing the EMBL Director General together with Nordic university leaders, funders, and decisionmakers. This year, the meeting also welcomed representatives from Lithuania and the EMBL node; Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre, who joined the strategic discussions, reflecting the growing engagement of the wider Baltic region in shaping the future of molecular medicine and life science research. This underscores the growing importance of the Nordic region in the European life science landscape, and hosting these high-level discussions positions Umeå University as a convening force for strategic dialogue and collaboration between EMBL and the Nordic molecular medicine community. This platform of discussions creates opportunities for future scientific collaboration, strategic investments, and increased international visibility for Nordic research.
In his keynote lecture, officially opening the annual scientific meeting of the Nordic EMBL Partnership, Professor Hyman addressed the importance of AI as a driver of the next era of scientific discovery, describing it as a methodological shift that is transforming how key questions in molecular biology are addressed and enabling the generation and testing of increasingly complex hypotheses.
At Umeå University, MIMS group leaders use a broad range of genetic, biochemical, computational and cell biological methods to understand pathogenicity, immunity and antibiotic resistance. Their research spans from Nobel-prize winning research into bacterial defence mechanisms (CRISPR/Cas9) to recent breakthroughs in understanding the biology underpinning antibiotic efficacy, new treatment strategy for Chlamydia infection or understanding how TBE virus infects the brain.
For MIMS, the collaboration with the Nordic EMBL Partnership and EMBL is instrumental for providing a framework for scientific excellence, enabling researchers to engage in cutting-edge collaborations, access international expertise, and contribute to advance molecular medicine that addresses major societal challenges. It also strengthens the international visibility of both MIMS and Umeå University, positioning northern Sweden as an important contributor to molecular medicine and life science research in Europe.
“Bringing everyone together here in Umeå is an opportunity to take a step back, look at where European life science is heading, and think about what we can achieve together. The Nordic EMBL Partnership provides a strong platform for those conversations, but also for the science itself — connecting researchers, group leaders and institutions and turning shared ambitions into new ideas and collaborations,” says Oliver Billker, Director of MIMS.