Drug Discovery 2025
A festival of life science
Free-to-attend!
Date
21 – 22 October 2025
Location
Liverpool, UK
Day(s)
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Hour(s)
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Event Overview
ELRIG’s Drug Discovery is again hosted by the city of Liverpool and as Europe’s leading Drug Discovery and Life Sciences conference will have scientific tracks covering topics such as Translating ideas into Therapies, Chemical Biology and Omics as well as Advanced Models for Drug Discovery.
The conference will be hosting scientific content from partners such as SLAS, the British Pharmacological Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Central to this festival of life sciences is the exhibition hall where attendees will have the opportunity to meet with, engage and learn from the leaders in drug discovery as well as leading product suppliers.
ELRIG aims to remove as many barriers to conference attendance as possible, so all events are free to attend and with a prayer room, family room and quiet room available, ensuring our promise of inclusivity is at the heart of all our events.
Science Committee
Conference Directors
More details coming soon.
Speakers
More details coming soon.
Activities
ELRIG’s Breakthrough Zone gives your startup the visibility it needs to gain traction in the drug discovery community. As a leading scientific conference provider in Europe, our events attract attract pharma, biotech, and academic experts—your ideal early adopters, customers, and collaborators.
Connect with decision-makers, spark collaborations, and get your innovation in front of those who can take it to the next level.
What's included?
- An A0 poster space with tabletop
- Blinded GDPR-compliant delegate list
- Access to lead capture via the event app
- Opportunity to win ELRIG’s Innovation Award
(The winner will give a 10 minute auditorium presentation on Day 2 and get their fee refunded) - Affordable pricing – £500 + VAT
How do I apply?
Get in front of the right audience. Apply to be part of the Breakthrough Zone and tell us about your innovation in 300 words. Closing date TBC
Applications open soon – check back regularly
To be eligible to participate in the Breakthrough Zone and enter the ELRIG Innovation Award competition, your company should have less than 25 full-time employees and/or have a turnover of less than £2.5M.
We recognise the vital role that young companies play in driving innovation, so to support and amplify their contributions we’re delighted to bring the the ELRIG Breakthrough Zone to R&I2025 again.
This dedicated space highlights the latest solutions and technologies in thematic areas of this conference.e.g. big molecules such as proteins, RNA, cell and gene therapies, PROTACs and application of big data to support target identification, biomarkers, development of molecules.
Each year Research & Innovation 2025 recognises outstanding contributions to science and innovation through our awards. Whether you’re an early career professional or part of an innovative start-up, we’re 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
- Kirsty Smitten Award
- NEW: ELRIG Outstanding Contribution Award
- Innovation Award – available only to Breakthrough Zone participants at the conference
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.
Applications for this award will open soon – please check back.
Kirsty Smitten Award
Early Career Professional applicants can demonstrate impact in the following ways:
- Through the delivery of impactful science, contributing to early, pre-clinical drug discovery
- By their science or technology development work
- Through their leadership or facilitation of collaborations within the drug-discovery space
- Through other philanthropic and volunteering contributions
About Kirsty Smitten:
Formerly the ELRIG ECP Impact Award. This award was renamed in honour of Kirsty Smitten, who’s pioneering work on antimicrobial compounds won many accolades and awards, including the ECP Impact Award in 2021. She sadly died of a rare form of heart cancer in October 2023. Kirsty was a strong proponent of self-improvement, and was keen to inspire others to seize opportunities for personal growth.
ELRIG's Outstanding Contribution Award
ELRIG Outstanding Contribution Award
The ELRIG Outstanding Contribution Award recognises individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to both ELRIG and the broader drug discovery and life sciences community. This prestigious award is presented annually at the ELRIG Drug Discovery 2025 event.
Who Should Be Nominated?
This award honors individuals who have:
✅ Made a significant impact on ELRIG through leadership, event support, or community engagement.
✅ Shown long-term dedication to ELRIG and the drug discovery field, typically for 10+ years.
✅ Demonstrated innovation, collaboration, and outreach within academia, industry, or entrepreneurship.
Current ELRIG Board members are not eligible for nomination during their term.
How to Nominate
🔹 Nominations open once a year and are announced via email and social media.
🔹 Only third-party nominations are accepted—self-nominations are not permitted.
🔹 Nominators must be involved in the drug discovery community and familiar with the nominee’s contributions.
🔹 Submissions must include:
- A completed nomination form, with supporting statement outlining the nominee’s impact – complete it here
Nominations close on Monday 8th September
Selection & Award Presentation
A diverse judging panel will review all nominations based on impact, engagement, and commitment. The winner will be announced just ahead of ELRIG Drug Discovery 2025, and will have the opportunity to join us for a celebratory ‘in conversation with’ session on Day 1 in Liverpool
🔗 Download full award details here
Got someone in mind? Nominate them and help us celebrate outstanding contributions to our community!
ELRIG's Innovation Award
This coveted award highlights a start-up from the ELRIG Breakthrough Zone. It celebrates new science and technology impacting drug discovery and the wider life science industry.
The winner of this award has the opportunity to give a 10-minute presentation at Drug Discovery 2025
For more info, see the Breakthrough Zone section above.
A networking session like no other aimed at early career professionals.
Meet with industry experts, forge new connections, listen to their tips to the top and understand strategies to help your career. Just turn up and join this speedy, buzzy networking event. You’ll be glad you did!
Join us on 10 March 2025 at 6pm in the exhibition hall
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.
Exhibitors
Floor plan and exhibitor list coming soon.
Venue & Accommodation
ACC Liverpool
King’s Dock
Port of Liverpool
Kings Dock St
Liverpool
L3 4FP
Book your accommodation with ELRIG’s Registration & Accommodation Partner MICE Concierge Ltd.
The event room blocks represent your best value and most local hotels for the event. We understand there is a wide choice of options so if you don’t want to use the event room blocks we have partnered with Booking.com to give you access to the widest choice of hotels. Compare prices and see the widest choice with Booking.com.
ELRIG is only able to provide suggestions on how delegates may travel to or places they may stay at, to attend its events. However, ELRIG cannot recommend nor endorse any of the travel choices nor hotels that attendees make and is not liable for any of the services that its delegates procure.
Sponsorship Opportunites
We have several sponsorship opportunities available to our vendors 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. Contact us on info@elrig.org.
FAQs
Are ELRIG events really FREE to attend?
We are a Not-for-Profit organisation and put on these events to help our industry grow and prosper. Our organisation is made up of volunteers, and a small team of part-time staff.
We cover the cost of each event from sponsorship and stand sales. If you come to one of our conferences, please take time visit the exhibition and speak to our vendors.
How do I register to attend Therapeutic Oligos 2025?
How do I change / cancel my registration?
If you cannot remember your password, follow the link to reset your password on the registration page.
Delegates: What do I need to bring with me?
Can I register on arrival?
How do I cancel my registration if I cannot come?
Corporate Sponsors
