Five days in Utrecht, hosted by the Princess Máxima Center: the first time the whole network meets in person.

Key details
Location: Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
Duration: 5 days
Date: Approximately November 2027 (to be confirmed)
Hosted by: Princess Máxima Center (PMC)
Open to: ORFeus doctoral researchers and up to 20 external PhD students and early-career researchers

All details on this page are provisional. The program may evolve as the project progresses. The final schedule, registration link and practical information will be announced closer to the event.

About this school
School 1 is the first residential training event of the ORFeus program and the moment the full network comes together in person. It establishes the scientific and methodological foundations for dark proteome research across the three core disciplines of the program: computational biology, genomics and proteomics.

By this point in the program, ORFeus doctoral researchers will have approximately eight months of hands-on research experience in their individual projects. The school is designed to complement that experience with structured training in shared methods and cross-disciplinary skills, and to build the collaborative relationships that will drive the network forward.

External participants, particularly PhD students and early-career researchers working in smORF biology, translatomics, proteogenomics or related fields, are invited to attend the scientific sessions and the symposium.

Preliminary program

Day 1: Introduction and orientation
Introduction to the ORFeus program, its objectives and Work Package structure, presented by the project coordinator and WP leads. Followed by a session on career and personal development.

Day 2: Ribosome profiling masterclass
A full-day masterclass on Ribo-Seq experimental design and data interpretation, building on the foundations from CTW1. Includes a collaborative session on creating the ORFeus supervision Network Manual.

Day 3: Proteomics and multi-omics integration
Morning session on best practices in microprotein mass spectrometry, covering sample preparation, instrument strategies and the specific challenges of detecting small proteins. Afternoon session on integrating multi-omics datasets for smORF research. Includes a transferable skills session on effective scientific communication and public engagement.

Day 4: Hackathon and data management
A collaborative hackathon on building reproducible multi-omics analysis pipelines, with a focus on practical tools the network will use throughout the project. This day also initiates planning for the ORFeome platform, the consortium’s shared data and methods resource. A dedicated session on FAIR data management principles rounds out the day.

Day 5: First ORFeus symposium
The opening symposium of the ORFeus network. Doctoral researchers present flash talks on their projects, followed by a keynote lecture, industry perspectives, and a session on career paths in and beyond academia. The day closes with a roundtable on successful project completion.

Transferable skills training
In addition to the scientific program, each day includes integrated sessions on professional development topics including career planning, supervision best practices, science communication and responsible data management.

Registration
External participants are welcome for the scientific sessions and especially for the symposium on Day 5. Registration details, the final program and practical information (venue, travel, accommodation) will be shared on this page when available. If you would like to be notified when registration opens, please get in touch using the form below.