For one week, 18 European students took over the IM2B laboratories in Marseille as part of the CIVIS 2026 summer school. After several months of remote theoretical learning, this intensive session allowed them to put their knowledge into practice through hands-on experiments in biophysics at the molecular level.
Organized as part of a Blended Intensive Program (BIP), the CIVIS summer school “Molecular Scale Biophysics” combines an online component with an in-person session, taking place June 1–5, 2026, in Marseille. This program offers participating students a progressive learning experience, punctuated by regular exercises and assessments. Following the theoretical portion, participants gathered at the IMM facilities on the Joseph Aiguier campus, as well as at the Timone, Luminy, and CRCM sites, for a week of scientific immersion. A total of 18 students from six different European universities (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University of Bucharest, Autonomous University of Madrid, Sapienza University of Rome, Stockholm University, and University of Salzburg) took part in this project.
At the IM2B facilities, the students conducted numerous experiments related to the techniques they studied throughout their training. Advanced spectroscopy, hydrodynamic methods, thermodynamic techniques, and real-time biosensing approaches were central to their daily work. Under the guidance of researchers, they gained hands-on experience in sample preparation, the limitations specific to each method, and data analysis. This week also provided an opportunity to foster international exchanges and strengthen collaborations in molecular-scale biophysics, a field at the intersection of many scientific disciplines.
