14-16 October 2026
Lisbon, Portugal
Call for abstracts will open on 27 January 2026.
Apply for oral or poster presentations.
The Champalimaud Research Symposium 2026
(CRSy26) will gather an interdisciplinary community of researchers to discuss the interplay between the neural and immune systems in relation to cancer initiation, progression and therapy. This symposium will emphasise the dynamic interactions among tumour cells, neurons and immune components, and how these relationships impact tumour growth, metastasis and the tumour microenvironment.
Key topics will include mechanistic insights into neuro-immune signaling pathways, the influence of stress and innervation on tumor immunity, and how immune responses can affect neural activity within tumours and beyond.
(CRSy26) will gather an interdisciplinary community of researchers to discuss the interplay between the neural and immune systems in relation to cancer initiation, progression and therapy. This symposium will emphasise the dynamic interactions among tumour cells, neurons and immune components, and how these relationships impact tumour growth, metastasis and the tumour microenvironment.
Key topics will include mechanistic insights into neuro-immune signaling pathways, the influence of stress and innervation on tumor immunity, and how immune responses can affect neural activity within tumours and beyond.
Symposium Chairs
Carlos Minutti
Immunoregulation Lab, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, PT
Henrique Veiga-Fernandes Immunophysiology Lab, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, PT
Carlos Minutti
Immunoregulation Lab, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, PT
Henrique Veiga-Fernandes Immunophysiology Lab, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, PT
Confirmed Keynote Speakers
Douglas Hanahan
EPFL, Lausanne, CH
Florent Ginhoux
Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, FR
Douglas Hanahan
EPFL, Lausanne, CH
Florent Ginhoux
Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, FR
CRSy is the main scientific symposium of the Champalimaud Research. Since 2017, it has fostered global dialogue among researchers across various disciplines, focusing on groundbreaking advancements in neuroscience, physiology and cancer.
︎ Time in Lisbon (WEST)
fri 17 / models and robots
fri 17 / models and robots
morning chair:
I. Memming Park, PhD
Neural Dynamics Lab, Champalimaud Foundation. Lisbon, Portugal
Neural Dynamics Lab, Champalimaud Foundation. Lisbon, Portugal
afternoon chair:
Shreya Saxena, PhD
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University. Yale, United States
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University. Yale, United States
09:00
Registration & Welcome Coffee
09:30
Keynote Lecture
Large-scale pretraining on neural data allows for transfer across individuals, tasks and species
Keynote Lecture
Eva Dyer, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
10:30
Building generic neuromotor interfaces for human computer interaction
Jesse Marshall, PhD
Meta Platforms Inc
New York, New York, USA
Coffee Break
11:30
Spatiotemporal modeling of cortical cholinergic and calcium signaling dynamics across learning
Josue Ortega Caro, PhD
Department of Neuroscience
Wu Tsai Institute
Yale University, New Haven
Connecticut, USA
11:45
DynaMix: zero-shot inference of dynamical systems
Christoph Hemmer, PhD Candidate
Central Institute of Mental Health
Mannheim, DE
Heidelberg University
Heidelberg, DE
12:00
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
Future of Neurocybernetics
As neuroscience, AI, and robotics increasingly intersect, our community faces a defining question: how should we organize and focus our collective efforts to understand intelligence at scale?
This panel brings together leading researchers and innovators to chart the next directions for neurocybernetics — a field that seeks to connect brains, machines, and environments through shared principles of adaptation and control.
Adrienne Fairhall, PhD
University of Washington
University of Washington
Eva Dyer, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Jesse Marshall, PhD
Meta Platforms Inc
Meta Platforms Inc
Joe Paton, PhD
Champalimaud Foundation
Champalimaud Foundation
Sean Escola, MD, PhD
Protocol Labs
Protocol Labs
Moderated by Memming Park, PhD
Champalimaud Foundation
13:00
Lunch
Srinivas C. Turaga, PhD
Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Ashburn, Virginia
15:00
Investigating the neuromechanics of animal locomotion using robots and simulations
16:00
Coffee Break
16:30
World structure emerges within neural networks trained to generate egocentric, goal-directed behavior
Caroline Haimerl, PhD
Champalimaud Foundation
Lisbon, Portugal
16:45
Finding separatrices of dynamical flows with deep koopman eigenfunctions
Kabir Dabholkar, PhD Candidate
Faculty of Mathematics, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, Israel
17:00
Measuring brain body interactions in humans during complex naturalistic decision making
Christopher J. Rozell, PhD
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
Atlanta, Georgia
17:30
Closing Remarks
The closing remarks will include a presentation by John Krakauer of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology (CRN), followed by the announcement of the Protocol Labs best posters and short talk winners, and a summary of the three-day event highlights by the CRSy chairs.
Boat Tour – Hippotrip
Boat Tour – Hippotrip
Explore Lisbon by both land and river in a singular and exciting ride on the amphibious bus, Hippotrip.
19:30
Farewell Dinner and Party (sponsored by Protocol Labs)
Join the CRSy delegates in a farewell dinner at LIV Beato where you’ll be treated to delicious Portuguese cuisine in the relaxed atmosphere of one of Lisbon’s historic neighborhoods.