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The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the University of Groningen (RUG) are pleased to announce the “3rd UNAM–Groningen University Symposium and School on Nanomedicine and Nano-Biointerfaces,” which will take place on April 6–10, 2026.

The event comprises a program that brings together leading scientists to explore cutting-edge topics at the intersection of nanomedicine, biomaterials, and bioinspired technologies through keynote talks. The event includes lectures covering the same topics, specifically aimed at graduate students interested in this emerging and interdisciplinary field, and those pursuing graduate studies under the Sandwich PhD Double Degree programs between UNAM and Groningen. Networking sessions will also be organized to promote collaborative work among different UNAM research groups and the University of Groningen, and, most importantly, to continue strengthening inter-institutional collaboration by leveraging academic expertise while promoting student engagement in cutting-edge scientific discussions.

Leading faculty members from the RUG will present cutting-edge research spanning physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, biomedical engineering, and biophysics. This type of event fosters new academic alliances that directly benefit our students, who, since the first edition of this event in 2023, have demonstrated outstanding engagement in exchange activities and Sandwich PhD Double Degree programs between UNAM and RUG in this field. We are confident that these initiatives will continue to grow and further strengthen the collaboration between both institutions.

This year, the event will take place at two UNAM campuses:

The opening sessions will be held at UNAM’s main campus, hosted by the Materials Research Institute (Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales) and the Faculty of Chemistry (Facultad de Química). This setting will provide invited speakers and participants with direct exposure to advanced research facilities at the heart of UNAM, Mexico’s leading university.

The second half of the event will take place at the UNAM Juriquilla Campus, hosted by the Center for Applied Physics and Advanced Technology (CFATA) in collaboration with the Institute of Neurobiology (INB). Participants will have the opportunity to be introduced to the advanced research conducted at the Juriquilla Campus in Querétaro, a city founded during the Mexican colonial period and today recognized as a strategic hub of central Mexico and the Bajío region. This setting will allow students to gain first-hand insight into laboratories specializing in nanomaterials, biophysics, and biomedical applications. In addition, invited professors will be guided on visits to two major national research facilities located on campus: the National Laboratory for Materials Characterization (LANCAM–CFATA) and the National Laboratory for Scientific Visualization (LAVIS–UNAM Campus Juriquilla).

On the final day of the event, a strategic meeting will take place between the organizing committee and invited speakers to evaluate the outcomes of the symposium, discuss future directions of the UNAM–Groningen collaboration, and identify new opportunities for joint research initiatives, student mobility, and upcoming editions of the event.