The first two days of the international conference IBSC 2026 – “Bio4Future – Life Sciences for a Sustainable and Smart Future” brought together researchers from different countries in Novi Sad. Through plenary lectures, oral presentations and poster sessions, participants shared their research findings and discussed how life sciences can contribute to a sustainable and smart future.

The conference opened with welcome addresses by Prof. Dr Srđan Rončević, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad; Prof. Dr Anchana Prathep, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University; and Prof. Dr Slobodanka Pajević, President of the Scientific Committee.

The first day’s plenary lectures were delivered by Asst. Prof. Dr Itthipon Jeerapan, Prof. Dr Young Hae Choi, Prof. Dr Vladimir Beškoski and Prof. Dr Kosana Suvočarev. On the second day, participants had the opportunity to hear lectures by Prof. Dr Antonio Jesus Meléndez-Martínez from the University of Seville, Spain, and Prof. Dr Michel Chalot from the University of Marie et Louis Pasteur, France.

The programme spanned four conference tracks and included invited talks, oral presentations and poster sessions. Discussions enabled participants to exchange experiences, explore different research approaches and consider opportunities for future international collaboration.

Prof. Dr Dušanka Cvijanović, Acting Director of the BioSense Institute, also contributed to the scientific programme with her presentation “Can We Measure Restoration Success from Space? Insights from a Changing Climate”. Her talk addressed the assessment of ecosystem restoration success through observations from space in the context of a changing climate.

The first two days of the conference provided a forum for researchers from different disciplines and institutions to connect, exchange knowledge and share ideas on future research directions.

A two-part training programme was also organised within the Know4Nano project, in connection with the Joint International PSU-UNS Bioscience Conference – IBSC 2026, focusing on strengthening capacities for research and innovation support, development and management. The first part took place on 29 September, during the session “Horizontal Pillar: Capacity Building in Research and Innovation Support, Development, and Management”. The second part was held on 30 September at the BioSense Institute and included a lecture followed by a round-table discussion on “Challenges in the Commercialization of Scientific Results”.