The NanoBalkan International Conference took place at the Tirana International Hotel & Conference Centre in Albania from 26 to 30 October 2026. The Phantoms Foundation and ICN2 organised the conference in collaboration with the Academy of Sciences of Albania and the NanoBalkan Regional Centre, with support from the University of Tirana. The Academy reported that the conference brought together 174 participants from 19 countries.

ICREA Prof. Arben Merkoçi, leader of the Nanobioelectronics and Biosensors Group, co-organised the conference and served as its Co-Chairperson. He led the opening session of the five-day programme, which included plenary and keynote lectures, workshops and poster sessions.

International workshops and the NanoBiosensors School

Dr Ruslan Álvarez co-organised the 7th Albania–Japan–Spain Workshop, Nanotechnologies for 21st Century, and chaired the session featuring researchers from Japan. Dr Marianna Rossetti co-organised the 4th Albania–Italy–Spain Workshop, State of the Art of Nanotherapeutics and Nanodiagnostics, where researchers discussed advances in drug delivery, diagnostics and other biomedical applications of nanotechnology.

Dr Danilo Echeverri and Dr Massimo Urban co-organised the NanoBiosensors School with Prof. Merkoçi. Sessions covered topics such as wearable biosensors and 3D printing for sensor fabrication. Echeverri presented laser-engraved reduced graphene oxide electrodes for biosensing at the Albania–Japan–Spain workshop, and Urban discussed accessible ways to fabricate electrochemical sensors at the Albania–Italy–Spain workshop. Alexia Rubio Román presented a poster on a CRISPR-Cas12a electrochemical biosensor for detecting high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV).

Research contributions from across ICN2

ICN2 group leaders ICREA Prof. Josep Nogués and CSIC Prof. Laura M. Lechuga gave keynote talks. Prof. Nogués presented research on magnetoplasmonic monocytes for nanotherapy, while Prof. Lechuga joined the conference online to discuss nanophotonic platforms for decentralised biosensing. Dr Aziz Genç discussed how changes in materials at the atomic scale affect their catalytic and thermoelectric performance. Dr Fernando Novio Vázquez presented hybrid nanoparticles for combined diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Anna Puig served on the conference’s technical committee.

At ICN2, we would like to thank the local organising team and all those who participated, either in person or online, for their dedication during the challenging circumstances in Tirana that week.