The UPCON Conference Series

International Conference on Properties, Design, and Applications of Upconversion Nanomaterials

Breaking News

The UPCON 2024 Special Collection is open for submission!

UPCON 2026 – 13th to 17th of April, 2026, Brno, Czech Republic!

So what's this UPCON all about?

UPCON – Conference on Properties, Design, and Applications of Upconversion Nanomaterials

The UPCON conferences are a forum for discussing advances in the field of upconversion nanomaterials among researchers from academia and industry and for defining future trends in the field. The scientific sessions include lectures by plenary, keynote, and invited speakers, as well as talks and poster presentations selected from submitted abstracts.

The UPCON conference series originates from The European Upconversion Network (COST action CM1403) that was coordinated by Hans-Heiner Gorris and Tero Soukka  from 2014 to 2018. The 1st UPCON in Wrocław (Poland) in 2016 and the 2nd UPCON in 2018 in Valencia (Spain) were organized as both Summer School and Conference, whereas the 3rd UPCON in 2021 in Compiegne (France) was a 100% online conference (UPCONline 2021) due to COVID-19. In 2023, Jim Schuck and Yung Doug Suh organized the 1st Upconversion Nanoparticle Gordon Research Conference in Waterville Valley (USA). The 4th UPCON was held in Montréal (Canada) in 2024 during a total solar eclipse. The  5th UPCON will be held in 2026 in Brno (Czech Republic).

Scope of the UPCON conferences

Fundamental aspects of upconversion photophysics and photochemistry

Research and design of upconversion nanomaterials and compositions and new synthesis methods

Molecular upconversion

Triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion

Photophysical characterization of upconversion nanomaterials and molecules

Material and toxicity characterization

Surface functionalization and transfer of upconversion nanomaterials and molecules into the aqueous phase

Instrument development (both spectroscopy and microscopy)

Biological and chemical sensing

Imaging (in vitro and in vivo)

Photon upconversion enhancement (e.g., using plasmonic nanostructures)

Dye sensitized upconversion

Novel upconversion materials

Novel upconverion excitation schemes

Thermometry

Therapeutics and theranostics

Permanent Conference Steering Committee

Artur Bednarkiewicz (Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland)
Hans-Heiner Gorris (Masaryk University, Czech Republic) – WEBSITE
Niko Hildebrandt (McMaster University, Canada) – WEBSITE
Marta Maria Natile (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, Italy)
Julia Perez Prieto (University of Valencia, Spain)
Tero Soukka (University of Turku, Finland)
Fiorenzo Vetrone (Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Canada) – WEBSITE