Application open.

We are pleased to announce the return of the International School on Advanced Immunology to Germany bringing together young immunologists from across the globe through a collaboration between the Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) at The University of Osaka and ImmunoSensation² at the University of Bonn.

We invite applications from PhD students and early postdocs interested in participating in this exciting educational program. The school promises to be an excellent opportunity for young immunologists to meet and learn from world-leading immunologists. Participants will also have the chance to connect with their international peers of the same generation, fostering a lasting worldwide network that will endure well beyond the duration of the school.

School Overview

Four-day intensive course for advanced Ph.D. students and early postdocs
Faculty of 15 outstanding immunologists
50 competitively selected participants
Accommodation with full board provided to the participants
Travel subsidies are available (up to 300 EUR for travel within Europe, up to 600 EUR for overseas travel)
Application is free, but accepted applicants are required to pay a registration fee of 350 EUR
Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations

Eligibility

Ph.D. students in their final years and postdocs within three years since obtaining their Ph.D.
Participants are required to give a poster presentation and a short oral presentation
Participants are required to participate in the entire four-day program
Anyone who has been accepted into any of the previous schools including the NIF Winter School on Advanced Immunology held in 2012-2020 is not eligible to apply

ABOUT

Mission Statement

The International School on Advanced Immunology started in 2022 and is jointly organized by IFReC and ImmunoSensation². The purpose of the school is to foster young immunologists into leaders of the next generation to lead to breakthroughs in the field of immunology. The four-day intensive course provides an opportunity for 50 selected international PhD students and young postdocs to meet with a faculty of 15 world-class experts to push the frontiers of immunology and network with peers of the same generation.

We welcome young researchers from all disciplines to participate in this program. The selection process is highly competitive, and we expect participants to be highly motivated to actively participate in all of the school activities during the stimulating intensive program.

The school was rated highly by the world-class researchers who had given lectures at the previous schools and by the previous participants because of the advanced lectures and the high level of research achievements of the participants, as well as the very active interaction among the participants.

FACULTY

15 world-class experts in the field of immunology

Philipp Beckhove
Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (Germany)

Updated on 19 March 2025

APPLICATION

ELIGIBILITY

Senior Ph.D. students and early post-doctoral fellows (less than three years since obtaining their Ph.D. degree)
Participants are required to give a poster presentation and a short oral presentation.
Participants are required to participate in all activities during the program (4 day-course).
Accommodation for the participants will be covered by the school.
Travel subsidies for train or airfare are available (up tp 300 EUR within Europe, up to 600 EUR overseas)

Note: Anyone who has been accepted into the previous school including NIF Winter School on Advanced Immunology held in 2012-2020 is not eligible to apply.

REGISTRATION FEE

Application is free, but accepted applicants are required to pay a registration fee of 350 EUR.

SELECTION

A competitive selection process will be conducted, based on the submitted application materials.　　
Admission quota: 50 students with gender-balanced participation
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The results of the screening and selection process will be announced in the middle of June 2025.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

May 16, 2025

PREPARATION OF APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

Please have ready a recent face photo, at least 900 pixels wide and 1200 pixels high (aspect ratio 3:4), for a print size of 30 mm wide and 40 mm high. Then, download the application forms from the following links and prepare them as instructed on the forms.

Curriculum Vitae (CV) (Name_CV.docx): CV with your statement for the reasons or purpose for attending the program
Abstract (Name_abstract.docx): Abstract of the presentation to be presented by the applicant – do not forget to insert your photo into the abstract.
Recommendation letter: The recommendation letter should be prepared by the applicant’s supervisor.

Rename the files by replacing “Name” in the file names (Name_CV.docx and Name_abstract.docx) with the surname of the applicant (e.g., Smith_CV.docx, and Smith_Abstract.docx, respectively).
The name of the PDF file for the recommendation letter has to include the surname of the applicant (e.g., Smith_recommendation.pdf).
All documents are to be submitted via the website to the School office at the time of application.

The recommendation letter may be submitted in PDF format via the website to the School Office at the time of application or by email at a later date.

APPLICATION STEPS

Make sure that you meet the eligibility requirements.
Click the application button below to go to the application website. Fill out your information and submit your application documents. Submission of both CV and Abstract is mandatory. The recommendation letter may be submitted later by email.
- Please note that an application is not complete until all application documents have been submitted, and that an incomplete application will not be considered.
- An email confirming your application will be automatically sent from the School Office to your registered email address.
- If you cannot find any email from advanced-immunology@uni-bonn.de after submitting your application through the website, please check your spam email folder, confirm your email acceptance settings, contact your mail server administrator, or try again using another email address. The School Office is unable to provide any technical support for this issue.
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for screening.
If there are any changes to your registered information, please email the School Office.
The results of the screening and selection process will be announced in June 2025.

Apply here

SCHEDULE

September 14-19, 2025

VENUE

Seehotel Maria Laach

Address: Maria Laach 3, 56653 Glees/Maria Laach, Germany
Phone: +49 (0)2652 5840

The conference venue, Seehotel Maria Laach, is in the middle of the largest nature reserve in Rhineland-Palatinate. The traditional house, existing on the site for over 155 years, has been freshly renovated and now appears in new splendor. It is directly located at the Benedictine Maria Laach Abbey, an important Romanesque building from the 11th century that contains several monastery enterprises, and the Laacher See (Lake Laach) which is a volcanic caldera lake with a diameter of 2 km (1.2 mi).

ACCOMMODATION

Seehotel Maria Laach
Maria Laach 3, 56653 Glees/Maria Laach, Germany

Each student will share a room with another participant (twin room/ separate beds).
Accommodation costs will be fully covered during the program session period.
All meals will be provided during the program.
All participants are invited to a welcome party on 15 September and a farewell party on 18 September.
Please do not contact the hotel directly. Contact the School Office for hotel information.

SUPPORT

German Research Foundation under Germany’s Excellence Strategy

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Core-to-Core program
An international network for advanced research on human immunology

WPI Academy

ORGANIZERS

Organizing Committee

Kiyoshi Takeda (Director IFReC, The University of Osaka)
Tomohiro Kurosaki (Deputy director IFReC, The University of Osaka)
Akihiko Takagi (Manager IFReC, The University of Osaka)
Gunther Hartmann (Speaker ImmunoSensation2, University of Bonn)
Waldemar Kolanus (Speaker ImmunoSensation2, University of Bonn)
Catherine Drescher (Managing Director, ImmunoSensation2, University of Bonn)

Local Committee

[Chairman]
Gunther Hartmann
[Members]
Eva Bartok
Monique Breteler
Waldemar Kolanus
Christian Kurts
Elvira Mass
Felix Meissner
Katrin Paeschke
Andreas Schlitzer
Joachim Schultze

CONTACT US

Address

University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany

Tel

+49 228 287 51288

Email

advanced-immunology@uni-bonn.de

Contacts

Dr. Catherine Drescher (Manager / Scientific Program / Student Selection)

Jewgenija Kovalova (Event Management)

The 4th International School on Advanced Immunology