DLA Annual Conference &
General Assembly 2026

What nature knows about daylight – 
Inspirations across fields and disciplines 

At the DLA Annual Conference 2026, participants will be invited to explore how daylight has shaped life on Earth – from the origins of life and materials to ecosystems, cultures, and human societies. 

Nature offers a vast repository of knowledge on how organisms sense, respond to, and adapt to light. Through nature-driven talks, bold and unconventional topics, and engaging interactive formats, the conference will encourage participants to reflect on what nature has already taught us and how insights from life, physical, and environmental sciences can inspire innovative research and applications across disciplines.

Rather than focusing on perspectives already well established within the Daylight Academy, this edition deliberately broadens the conversation and returns to some of the most fundamental questions linking light and life. Learning from natural systems, evolutionary processes, and ecological contexts can provide essential inspiration for every daylight researcher and practitioner. 

Join us in strengthening interdisciplinary dialogue, rebalancing perspectives within daylight research, and opening new pathways for collaboration – grounded in a deeper understanding of daylight as a fundamental force shaping life and societies. 

In addition, we are thrilled to celebrate this year’s laureates in the categories of Daylight Research and Daylight in Architecture during The Daylight Award Ceremony 2026. It will take place on the evening before the conference (27 May) from 18:00 to 22:00 at the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Please note that attendance is by invitation only and that the number of seats are limited due to the venue’s capacity.

Call for posters (closed) 

This year’s programme was developed by the Scientific Committee, consisting of the following DLA Members:

Aicha Diakite-Kortlever, Lighting technology, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
Maria Eriksson, Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Sweden
Burkhard König, Organic chemistry, Universität Regensburg, Germany
Christoph Kueffer, Plant ecology, OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences & ETH Zurich. Switzerland
Klaus Martiny, Psychiatry, Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Denmark