4th Teaming Club Conference: Delivering effective strategies for long-term sustainability

From 15 Oct 2025 until 17 Oct 2025 - BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal

The Teaming Club Conference is a highly important annual gathering that brings together all European Centres of Excellence established through the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe "Teaming for Excellence" programmes. This informal but vital network serves as the premier platform for knowledge exchange, experience sharing, and collaborative networking among representatives from almost 50 successful Teaming projects across Europe.

The overarching theme of the conference is "Delivering effective strategies for long-term sustainability", addressing the most complex challenge for Teaming Centres after EU funding ends. Discussions will focus on topics such as setting up and sustaining research infrastructure, strategies to attract international talent and demonstrating impact. In addition to representatives from the various Teaming Centres across multiple disciplinary areas, key officials from the European Commission (REA officials) and representatives from the government, including the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, will be present, along with key national institutions.

PROGRAM

DAY 1
Wednesday 15th (CIBIO)

From 12:00 Registration

12:30 - 14:00 Welcoming lunch (CIBIO)

14:00 - 15:00 Opening session

- Welcome from BIOPOLIS Director, Nuno Ferrand

- Address by Fernando Alexandre, Minister for Education, Science and Innovation

- Address by Minna Wilkki, REA

15:00 - 15:30 Setting the scene: common challenges – introduction to the conference programme & discussion themes

15:30 - 16:00 Coffee break

16:00 - 17:00 Plenary Discussion #1: National funding agencies and what we need from them

- Ioanna Ioannou (CMMI)

- Dorota Niedzialek (ENSEMBLE3)

- Ralf-Martin Soe (FinEst)

Chair: Pedro Beja (BIOPOLIS)

17:00 - 17:15 2026 Teaming Club hosts presentation

BBCE

Welcome Dinner (and visit to Port cellar)

DAY 2
Thursday 16th (CIBIO & Qta Crasto)

9:30 - 10:30 Teaming Sustainability and Synergies:

- Outcomes of the 2025 Teaming Sustainability & Synergies Survey and Statistics on the Latest Call - Federica Roffi (REA)

- Teaming Synergies - Vesna Bengin (ANTARES)

Chair: José Reis (BIOPOLIS)

10:30 - 11:00 Hi Teaming Club! #1

IorAI; MARBLE; INESCTEC.OCEAN

11:00 - 11:30 Coffee break (CIBIO)

11:30 - 13:00 Common Challenges & Solutions #1

3 parallel thematic sessions:
I. Setting up, managing and sustaining research infrastructure (1) (Auditorio@CIBIO)

II. Delivering the Quadruple Helix (Room42@Qta Crasto)

III. Fostering enterprise & bringing innovation to market (1) (Poli@Qta Crasto)

13:00 - 14:30 Networking lunch (Qta. Crasto)

14:30 - 16:00 Common Challenges & Solutions #2

3 parallel thematic sessions:
I. Setting up, managing and sustaining research infrastructure (2) (Auditorio@CIBIO)

IV. Strategies to attract and retain international talent (Room42@Qta Crasto)

III. Fostering enterprise and bringing innovation to market (2) (Poli@Qta Crasto)

16:00 - 16:30 Coffee break (CIBIO)

16:30 - 17:30 European programmes and cross border R&I

- WiderAdvance Facility - Katarzyna Walczyk-Matuszyk (online)

- Creating and managing successful ERA Chair projects - Timurs Safiuļins (FeLow-D/SWEB)

- Widening in FP10: Novelties and Challenges - Francesca Cervelli (European Commission)

Chair: Arita Dubņika (BBCE)

17:30 - 18:00

Hi Teaming Club! #2

TRIO-VI; CLARA; P4Health; PMPC

Free evening

DAY 3
Friday 17th (Qta. Crasto)

9:30 - 10:30 Keynote address: Mariners, Maps and Mathematics: Science in Early Modern Portugal

Henrique Leitão

(Introduction by Nuno Ferrand)

10:30 - 11:00 Hi Teaming Club! #3

Astrocent Plus; TEAM-NANO; CELESTE; H2START

11:00 - 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 - 12:30 Plenary Discussion #2: Internationalisation and raising funds from foreign sources

- Andris Ozolins (CAMART2)

- Luis P. Almeida (GeneT)

- Maria Georgiadou (Cyprus Seeds)

Chair: Nuno Ferrand (BIOPOLIS)

12:30 - 14:00 Networking lunch (Qta. Crasto)

14:00 - 15:30 Tour of BIOPOLIS Quinta de Crasto campus

15:30 - 16:00 Coffee break

16:00 - 17:00 Plenary Discussion #3: Conference conclusions to take forward

- Laura Ward (GIMM)

- Vilma Karobliene (SustAInLivWork)

- Soraia Barbosa (BIOPOLIS)

17:00 - 17:30 Closing session: Teaming Club next steps

Quick intro by V. Bengin and F. Roffi followed by open discussion

Chair: Nuno Ferrand (BIOPOLIS)

Closing Dinner (and visit to Biodiversity Hall)