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Drug Discovery Europe 2026 Updated (Light)

From Target to Candidate. Now.

The Timeline is About to Collapse.

Drug Discovery Europe is where artificial intelligence, advanced biology and translational science converge to transform the earliest stages of drug discovery. Over 1,000 senior scientists, R&D leaders and technology innovators from pharma, biotech and AI-driven platforms. Two days in Berlin built around the questions the field is actually asking in 2026.

What the Programme Covers

The full drug discovery value chain, from the moment a target is identified to the point a candidate is ready for development.

The programme is designed so that a computational chemist, a translational scientist, a neuroscience lead and an automation engineer each find the sessions that speak directly to their work. And then cross into each other's tracks for the sessions that connect them.

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What is New in 2026?

Three significant programme additions reflect where the field has moved since last year.

AI in drug discovery has its own dedicated track for the first time, covering AI in screening, generative AI for molecular design, and the real impact of AI on drug discovery workflows. Not theoretical. Case studies from the organisations doing it now.

ADC discovery and development joins the programme as a standalone track on Day 2, reflecting the scale of industry investment in antibody-drug conjugates and the need for a dedicated forum on conjugation chemistry, payload design and toxicity challenges.

Neuroscience drug development expands into a full two-day programme. Neurodegeneration and age-related disease on Day 1, neuroimmunology and neuroinflammation on Day 2, with a dedicated focus on translating preclinical findings into clinical applications.
Answering the question the field is openly asking: is neuroscience the next oncology?

Who is Speaking?

Four keynotes open the event across the Drug Discovery, Neuroscience and Automation tracks.

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Paul Workman OBE FRS,
Harrap Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the Institute of Cancer Research — Adventures in Precision Medicine for Cancer: 25 Years After the Genome Sequence.

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Ingo Hartung,
Executive Director and Head of Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design at Merck Healthcare KGaA — Designing for Impact: Moving Beyond Inhibitors.

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Rafal Kaminski,
Chief Scientific Officer of Angelini Pharma — Brain Health: A Call for Global Action and Unity.

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Dave Hallett,
Chief Scientific Officer of Recursion — The Automation and AI Landscape in 2026.

Confirmed speakers from AstraZeneca, GSK, Sanofi, Novartis, Roche, Bayer, AbbVie, Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, Amgen, Ipsen, Lundbeck, UCB, Servier and Angelini Pharma alongside leading academic institutions including the Institute of Cancer Research, ETH Zurich, Goethe University Frankfurt, the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and Kings College London.

ELRIG is the scientific partner for the Target Identification and Validation track and sponsors the Young Scientist Poster Awards across both days.

Three invite-only closed-door sessions run for senior leaders outside the main programme, on where smart capital is flowing in drug discovery, the real impact of AI on workflows, and the winning model for brain health innovation.

How it Works

The programme runs across six simultaneous tracks on each day, designed so attendees can follow a single scientific thread or move across tracks as the agenda demands.

400 pre-arranged one-to-one meetings are scheduled across both days during morning coffee, lunch and afternoon breaks. Each meeting is confirmed in advance, delegates select who they want to meet from a fully profiled list, and only confirmed acceptances appear in their schedule.

The AI and Digitialisation Zone in the exhibition hall runs live technology demonstrations and short tech talks throughout both days, with scheduled demos during lunch on Day 1 and Day 2. Confirmed Zone companies include Recursion, Iktos, the Structural Genomics Consortium, AI VIVO and Ignota Labs.

The Start-Up Zone on Day 1 gives emerging companies a ten-minute pitch slot on the Start-Up Stage, putting founders and early-stage platforms in front of the same audience as the major pharma and biotech speakers.

Day 1 closes with the Young Scientist Poster Award announcement by ELRIG, followed by wine tasting and dinner.

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Discover Your Unmissable Schedule.

Discover everything our event has to offer by exploring the agenda page. There, you’ll find detailed information on every presentation, from inspiring keynote addresses to engaging panel discussions. You can also personalise your experience by saving your favourite sessions and building a tailored agenda that fits your interests and schedule, so you never miss the moments that matter most.

Berlin. 15 - 16 June 2026.