ILSI Europe hosts, sponsors, and co-organises a variety of scientific events. These include independent symposia, workshops, webinars, hands-on scientific trainings and sessions held as part of the program of larger scientific conferences or professional meetings.
Where to find us this year?
Upcoming Events
Workshop – Functional Barriers in Food Contact Materials: Concepts, Efficiency and Testing
17/11/2026 – 18/11/2026
Brussels, Belgium
BIOFIN-EU Policy Forum
25/11/2026
Brussels, Belgium
The BIOFIN-EU project will close with a Policy Forum in Brussels, bringing together leaders from agriculture, food businesses, finance, government, research and environmental organisations to discuss why nature should be valued as critical infrastructure for a resilient, secure food system, and how incentives and responsibility can be better aligned across the whole food chain.
6th Symposium on Nutrition for the Ageing Brain
20/04/2027 – 21/04/2027
Bologna, italy
A curated forum where leading experts in brain health and nutrition connect, exchange, and shape the field.
ILSI Europe Symposium 2027
22/04/2027
Bologna, Italy
9th International Symposium on Food Packaging
04/04/2028 – 07/04/2028
Athens, Greece
- Define what a functional barrier is and how it differs from a simple physical barrier
- Explore different types of barriers (passive, diffusion-based, reactive, recycling-related, coatings) and where they are used
- Review how barrier efficiency is demonstrated, combining modelling with experimental approaches
- Discuss testing strategies, including migration testing, challenge tests, and analytical methods
- Identify best practices and common pitfalls when designing, validating, and applying functional barriers
The detailed programme will be announced soon.
Registration
Registration fee: €100 Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For questions about registration, please contact Hugo Costa at hcosta@ilsieurope.be Register here(opens in new tab) [post_title] => Workshop - Functional Barriers in Food Contact Materials: Concepts, Efficiency and Testing [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => workshop-functional-barriers-in-food-contact-materials-concepts-efficiency-and-testing [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-08-31 08:02:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-08-31 08:02:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://ilsi.eu/?post_type=event&p=17344 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => event [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 17378 [post_author] => 361 [post_date] => 2026-09-08 13:18:19 [post_date_gmt] => 2026-09-08 13:18:19 [post_content] =>Nature, Risk and Reward: Valuing Nature for a Resilient Food System
Nature underpins the food we produce, the resilience of our supply chains and our long-term food security. Yet its true value is rarely reflected in the decisions that shape our food system.
Are we valuing nature accordingly?
About the Forum
This policy forum brings together leaders from agriculture, food and drink businesses, finance, government and research to explore how valuing nature more effectively can strengthen resilience across the food system. Discussions will examine the growing risks posed by climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, and consider how investment, policy and market incentives can be better aligned to reward practices that sustain and restore natural capital. A central theme will be the alignment of incentives. Current market, policy and financial signals often fail to reward those delivering environmental benefits or investing in long-term resilience. The forum will explore how taxes, subsidies, private finance and emerging nature markets could be better calibrated to encourage sustainable practices and direct capital towards natural capital restoration, and why achieving this requires shared responsibility across the whole food chain, from farmers and manufacturers to retailers, investors and policymakers. With speakers from:- Food industry
- Finance sector
- University of Limerick, Ireland
- London School of Economics, UK
- Queen's University Belfast, UK
- Maastricht University, Netherlands
Programme and registration details to follow shortly.
For event-related queries, please contact: events@ilsieurope.be
About BIOFIN-EU
BIOFIN-EU aims to establish a comprehensive framework and technology that fosters the necessary conditions for nature-positive investments.
BIOFIN-EU is actively innovating and experimenting with novel approaches for capturing, aggregating, and analysing biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) data. The goal is to minimise transaction and reporting costs associated with finance that supports the protection and restoration of biodiversity.
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Although there is a wealth of data on how nutrients and diets can support cognitive functions and brain health, their therapeutic and pharmacological potential in humans and clinical conditions remains largely unexplored. Major health organisations have not yet provided dietary recommendations for preserving brain health and cognition. Specific nutrients' role in maintaining brain function during ageing have been clearly defined.
ILSI Europe's Symposium on Nutrition for the Ageing Brain aims to address these gaps by gathering top scientists and stakeholders to review the evidence supporting how nutrients, food and diet influence brain health.
The 6th edition of the symposium will take place on 20 & 21 April 2027 at the Living Place Hotel(opens in new tab) in Bologna, Italy.
This edition will be co-located with the ILSI Europe Annual Symposium 2027, taking place on 22 April 2027 at the same venue.
Further details, including programme and speakers, will be announced in due course. Stay connected through our official channels for updates!
Scientific and Organising Committee
- Dr. David Vauzour, University of East Anglia (UK)
- Dr. Sandrine Thuret, King's College London (UK)
- Prof. Wim Vanden Berghe, University of Antwerp (BE)
- Prof. Louise Dye, University of Sheffield (UK)
- Dr. Piril Hepsomali, University of Reading (UK)
- Dr. Yannick Vermeiren, Wageningen University (NL)
- Dr. Rachael Patusco, Haleon (US)
The full agenda of the event will be announced in the upcoming months. Stay tuned!
SponsorsOur Sponsors for 2027
Platinum
Gold
Call for Sponsors
The Scientific Committee is looking for food and related industry companies as well as scientific journals to support the event.
Rather than scale, the symposium on Nutrition for the Ageing Brain is designed for depth-enabling direct, high-quality interactions and in-depth scientific exchange. For sponsors, this means privileged access to the people driving research and innovation, with the time and setting to build meaningful, lasting connections.
Sponsors have the unique opportunity to help define the event agenda by driving the scientific themes and discussions.
Read the sponsorship brochure
To secure your sponsorship package or discuss alternative options not listed here, contact Sebastien Alexandre at salexandre@ilsieurope.be(opens in new tab)
If you have any question about the event, please don't hesitate to contact Maria Tonti (mtonti@ilsieurope.be) or Hugo Costa (hcosta@ilsieurope.be).
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The ILSI Europe Symposium is a gathering of experts from around the world who meet to shed light on the current and future challenges in food safety, nutrition, and sustainability. It is a unique opportunity for scientists from academia, industry and public sector to take part in the debate around those topics and create connections.
The next edition of the Symposium will take place on 22 April 2027 at the Living Place Hotel(opens in new tab) in Bologna, Italy. This edition will follow the 6th Symposium on Nutrition for the Ageing Brain, taking place at the same venue. Further details, including programme and speakers, will be announced in due course.
ProgrammeThe full agenda of the event will be announced in the upcoming months. Stay tuned!
If you have any question about the event, please don't hesitate to contact Isabelle Guelincxk (iguelinckx@ilsieurope.be) or Hugo Costa (hcosta@ilsieurope.be).
[post_title] => ILSI Europe Symposium 2027 [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => ilsi-europe-symposium-2027 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2026-09-07 12:45:50 [post_modified_gmt] => 2026-09-07 12:45:50 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://ilsi.eu/?post_type=event&p=17353 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => event [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [4] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 17255 [post_author] => 351 [post_date] => 2026-07-09 10:12:10 [post_date_gmt] => 2026-07-09 10:12:10 [post_content] =>
Explore the latest research on food packaging safety and sustainability
The ILSI Europe International Symposia on Food Packaging are held every four years and are internationally recognised as a scientific forum to discuss science that ensures the safety and quality of food packaging.
This multi-disciplinary meeting will be of interest to those active in issues associated with the safety and quality of food packaging. It will bring together those involved in basic studies, those responsible for bringing innovations to the market place, and those charged with ensuring the safety and quality of food contact materials.
The 9th edition of the symposium will take place from 4 to 7 April 2028 in Athens, Greece.
Organising Committee
- Charlene Lacourt - Danone
- Thomas Gude - ETH Zurich
- Peter Oldring - Sherwin Williams
- Marinella Vitulli - Food Contact Center
- Cristina Nerin - University of Zaragoza
- Hugo Costa - ILSI Europe
- Luigi De Rosa - ILSI Europe
- Konrad Korzeniowski - ILSI Europe
Scientific Committee
- Christian Kirchnawy - Austrian Research Institute
- Cristina Nerin - University of Zaragoza
- Deepti Salvi - North Carolina State University
- John Koontz - FDA
- Alejandro Ariosti - University of Buenos Aires
- Peter Ragaer - University of Gent
- Salvatore Ciano - University of Zaragoza
- Frank Welle - Fraunhofer Institute
- Marco Zhong - National Reference Laboratory of Food Contact Material
The full agenda of the event will be announced in the upcoming months. Stay tuned!
RegistrationBook your spot to join us!
Click here to register(opens in new tab)
Deadlines
- Early bird registration: Open Now (Soon next week) ; Deadline: June 30th 2027
- Regular registration: closed; Deadline: March 1st 2028
Early Bird Fees
- Industry: 1000 €
- Non-industry: 700 €
- Students: 400 €
Regular Fees
- Industry: 1300 €
- Non-Industry and Additional Task Force Member Company: 850 €
- Students: 550 €
Cancellation policy
- Cancellations received before 18 December 2027 will be fully refunded.
- Cancellations received between 19 December 2027 and 1 February 2028 will be partially refunded at 50% of the registration fee (minus €50 handling charge).
- Cancellations received after 1 February 2028 and no-shows will not be refunded.
- Cancellations requests must be submitted in writing to Hugo Costa at hcosta@ilsieurope.be(opens in new tab)
Substitution
Substitution of attendees are accepted if addressed in writing to Hugo Costa at hcosta@ilsieurope.be(opens in new tab)
Hotel Booking
- Participants are solely responsible for managing their hotel bookings, including any modifications or cancellations. These should be arranged directly with the hotel.
Call for abstract is open!
Click here to submit your abstract
Themes
- Advances in Analytical Chemical Testing
- Advances in Analytical Biological Testing
- Advances in In Silico Techniques
- Advances in Toxicology Related to Food Packaging
- Progress in Risk Assessment
- Food Contact Materials in the Circular Economy
- Impact of the PPWR on Food Packaging
- Management of NIAS
Deadlines
- Oral abstracts submission: 31st October 2027
- Poster abstracts submission: 31st December 2027
Rules
Abstracts should be focused on themes mentioned above and should not exceed 2500 characters.
When composting your abstract, please keep in mind:
- Relevance: The abstract should be relevant to the conference theme or topic.
- Originality: The abstract should present original research or innovative ideas.
- Clarity: The abstract should be written in clear and concise language, with a well-defined structure and logical flow.
- Significance: The abstract should demonstrate the significance and potential impact of the research or ideas presented.
- Methods: The abstract should provide a clear and concise summary of the research methods used, including the study design, data collection, and analysis.
- Results: The abstract should clearly and accurately describe the research findings and their implications.
- Conclusion: The abstract should provide a clear and concise conclusion that summarizes the main points of the research or ideas presented.
- Grammar and References: The abstract should adhere to grammar rules and include appropriate and relevant references, cited correctly.
Call for sponsors is open!
Members of ILSI Europe and non-members alike are welcome to become sponsors of the symposium.
Attending this conference as a sponsor provides a valuable opportunity to engage with and target a relevant audience, allowing you to focus on key topics and establish meaningful connections within your industry.
Read the sponsorship brochure here
To secure your sponsorship package or discuss alternative options not listed here, contact Sebastien Alexandre at salexandre@ilsieurope.be(opens in new tab)
If you have any question about the event, please don't hesitate to contact Konrad Korzeniowski (kkorzeniowski@ilsieurope.be) or Hugo Costa (hcosta@ilsieurope.be).
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About the event
This workshop will bring together experts from industry, academia, and regulatory bodies to clarify what functional barriers are, how functional they work and how their performance should be demonstrated in practice. The agenda will focus on practical approaches, regulatory expectations, and real-world challenges to support a more harmonised understanding across stakeholders.Agenda
During the event, we will:
- Define what a functional barrier is and how it differs from a simple physical barrier
- Explore different types of barriers (passive, diffusion-based, reactive, recycling-related, coatings) and where they are used
- Review how barrier efficiency is demonstrated, combining modelling with experimental approaches
- Discuss testing strategies, including migration testing, challenge tests, and analytical methods
- Identify best practices and common pitfalls when designing, validating, and applying functional barriers
The detailed programme will be announced soon.