Cell & Gene Therapy 2026

SAVE THE DATE

Free-to-attend!

Date

09 – 10 March 2026

Location

Cambridge, UK

Day(s)

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Event Overview

The Cell and Gene Therapy Conference at Hinxton Hall (9-10 March 2026) will unite industry and academic leaders to address the challenge of advancing cell and gene therapies into the clinic. Featuring insights from researchers, investors, healthcare providers, start-ups, and business developers, the event will spotlight collaborative, translational solutions.

Track Information

Coming soon!

Science Committee

Conference Directors

ELRIG Verena

Verena Brucklacher-Waldert

Laverock Therapeutics

ELRIG David Baker

David Baker

AstraZeneca

Speakers

To be announced. 

Activities

This conference recognises outstanding contributions of early career professionals to science and innovation through our awards. Offering you the opportunity to celebrate your research or technology with the ELRIG community.

Awards available at this conference:

  • Early Career Professional Best Poster Award

What is an Early Career Professional?

We define ECPs as someone in life sciences and drug discovery who is an:

  • Undergrad
  • Postgrad (including PhD)
  • Within 5 years of finishing higher education and starting your career

*Career breaks will be recognised, as will individuals whose career has spanned a break due to caring responsibilities or personal circumstances.

ECP Poster Award

The Early Career Professional Poster Award recognises the research and fresh ideas that the next generation of scientists bring to drug discovery.

Posters are judged on relevance, innovation, impact, and presentation quality, with the winner receiving:

  • £250 (which you can keep, donate to your lab, or give to charity).
  • A prestigious glass trophy.
  • Industry exposure & networking opportunities.

We define an ECP as an undergrad, postgrad (including PhD), or someone early in their career.

If you’re interested in applying for this award, please register for this conference and follow the instructions in your confirmation email.

Agenda

View the agenda for this conference.

Exhibitors

Find exhibitors on the event floorplan.

Posters

Discover numerous posters and innovative research from across the drug discovery community, aligned to our track themes. Hear from our Flash Poster Presenters and find out who has won the coveted Early Career Professional Poster Award!

PLEASE NOTE: Only one poster can be submitted per delegate. We only need your title and abstract, you do not need to upload your PDF. Also only Early Career Posters will be considered for a flash presentation at this event.

How to submit a poster

To submit a poster application you must first register for Research & Innovation 2025. A link to the poster portal will be available in your registration confirmation email. The poster abstract submitted must not exceed 300 words.

PLEASE NOTE: Only one poster can be submitted per delegate, we only need your title and abstract, you do not need to upload your PDF and only Early Career Posters will be considered for a flash presentation at this event.

Poster deadlines

  • Flash poster presentation are open to ECPs only –  please submit your title and abstract by 09 February
  • to be considered for general display – upload your title and abstract by 01 March

We have limited space at site and late entries will not be accepted.

If you have any questions regarding your submission, please contact events@elrig.org

Poster acceptance

The author will be held responsible for false statements, the scientific judging panel will ensure the poster is relevant to the event content. Successful poster applications will be notified via email and the poster display number will be given approximately two weeks before the event.

Flash Poster Acceptance 

If your poster is chosen for a Flash Poster presentation, you will need to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to last no more than 5 minutes. The scientific judging panel will review the posters submitted for Flash poster presentations and if successful you will receive confirmation from the ELRIG Team two weeks prior to the event.

During the event

Your poster should be displayed for the duration of the full event.

A board will be available with your poster number and Velcro strips to affix your poster (your poster must be A0 portrait).

Poster sessions will take place during the late afternoon networking session on Day 1, and in the lunch refreshment break on Day 2.  You will be expected to be at your poster during these times to answer questions from delegates.

All posters will need to be collected at the end of the event and removed from site; any posters left at the end of the event will be disposed of.

ECP Poster Award

The Early Career Professional Poster Award celebrates the fresh ideas and groundbreaking research shaping the future of drug discovery. The posters will be judged during the conference based on its relevance, innovation and impact. You will not need to be at your poster during judging.

If you’re an undergrad, postgrad (including PhD), or early in your career*, this is your chance to showcase your work and get the recognition you deserve.

The winner will receive:

  • £250 (which you can keep, donate to your lab, or give to charity).
  • A prestigious glass trophy.
  • Industry exposure & networking opportunities.

The prize is awarded during the opening session on day 2 of the event.

To apply for this award, please register first. A link to the Poster Portal will be available in your confirmation email where you can submit a 300 word poster abstract.

*Career breaks will be recognised, as will individuals whose career has spanned a break due to caring responsibilities or personal circumstances.

During registration you will be asked if you identify as an ECP – An Early Career Professional (ECP) can be a student in higher education undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (including PhD), or within 5 years of finishing higher education and starting their career in life sciences and drug discovery.

Venue & Accommodation

Hinxton Hall Conference Centre
Wellcome Genome Campus
Hinxton
CB10 1RQ

 

Book your accommodation with ELRIG’s Registration & Accommodation Partner MICE Concierge Ltd. More details coming soon.

Please note: if you are speaking at this event the ELRIG team will contact you directly regarding accommodation. 

Resources

Social Media

Download our useful social media images to share that you’ll be attending Research & Innovation 2025 with your network.

Sponsorship Opportunites

We have several sponsorship opportunities available to exhibitors that can provide a wide range of new and exciting benefits for your organisation. We are also happy to discuss a tailored package to suit your budget.

Or visit our interactive floorplan to view available exhibitor spaces and book your booth at this conference.

FAQs

Are ELRIG events really FREE to attend?

Yes ELRIG events are FREE to attend.

We are a not-for-profit organisation hosting events for the drug discovery community. We believe that access to high quality science should be accessible to all. Find out more here.

We’re grateful for the support from our exhibitors who help us cover the costs of our events from sponsorship and stand sales. If you come to our events, please take the time to visit our exhibition and meet our exhibitors.

Or if you’re interested in exhibiting at an event, check out our sponsorship page.

How do I change / cancel my registration?

As a non-profit organisation, we aim to reduce food waste, and your cancellation helps support our sustainability efforts.

If your circumstances change and you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket. Your confirmation email includes a link to the cancellation site.

Delegates: What do I need to bring with me?

Please save your ticket to your smart device or print a copy. Upon arrival at the venue visit the ELRIG registration and scan the QR Code. Your badge will be automatically printed. If you forget or lose your QR Code you can enter your email address to print your badge.

Refreshments will be provided, please bring your own reusable cups to help us reduce plastic waste at our events.

Can I register on arrival?

ELRIG events are often sold out and we are unable to cater to drop-ins. If you haven’t pre-registered we may be unable to let you in.

Corporate Sponsors

Become an exhibitor or sponsor