We are pleased to invite you to participate in the Space Medicine Conference 2026, which will take place in Gdańsk. The event is co-organised by the Medical University of Gdańsk and the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine.
Space medicine is, by its very nature, an interdisciplinary field. It brings together medicine, molecular biology, physics, engineering, data science and new technologies in order to better understand human functioning under conditions of extreme environmental constraints. Although it is most often associated with human spaceflight, it in fact addresses a much broader challenge: how to diagnose, monitor and treat a patient when access to equipment, specialists, time and resources is limited.
In this sense, space medicine is also a medicine of scarce resources. It requires the development of solutions that must be accurate, safe and applicable in conditions of limited equipment, limited personnel and limited possibilities for immediate intervention. This is precisely why the questions posed in this field are important not only for space exploration, but also for medicine on Earth – from care in remote and hard-to-reach environments, through emergency and military medicine, to new approaches in diagnostics, monitoring and prevention.
The space environment provides unique conditions for studying biological and physiological processes, including the effects of radiation, microgravity, isolation and limited access to medical resources. It allows us not only to observe the human body under unusual conditions, but also to test hypotheses that cannot easily be verified on Earth. As a result, research in space medicine may lead to solutions with applications far beyond the space sector itself.
The aim of the conference is not only to present research findings, but also to create a space for collaboration between researchers, clinicians, engineers, and technological and industrial partners. We seek to build an environment in which the development of space medicine is based on genuine exchange of expertise, the joint definition of problems and the search for solutions of both scientific and practical value.
We particularly encourage young researchers and students to take part. We want the conference to be a place where participants can not only present their own findings, but also engage in dialogue with people developing this field across different areas and institutions.
See you in Gdańsk.
Jakub Mieczkowski
Magdalena Kozak