Madrid has had an unusual year. After Spain lifted the World Cup in July, the capital is preparing to host a very different gathering about winning more healthy years of life.
On 30 September and 1 October 2026, the International Longevity Summit will bring scientists, physicians, founders, investors and futurists to the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain. The programme ranges from the biology of ageing and regenerative medicine to artificial intelligence, biomarkers, health data and the longevity economy.
The setting is more than decorative. Eurostat reports that Comunidad de Madrid had the highest life expectancy at birth of any EU region in 2024, at 85.7 years. That does not make Madrid a laboratory for every claim made in longevity, but it gives the conversation an unusually relevant home.
Event at a glance
Dates: 30 September–1 October 2026
Venue: Real Academia Nacional de Medicina de España, Madrid
Format: In person and virtual
Organizer: International Longevity Alliance
Pre-conference programme: UNESCO World Heritage tours on 28 and 29 September
View the programme and register →
Why this edition stands out
Longevity conferences often place careful biomedical research next to far more speculative forecasts. This summit makes that tension visible rather than avoiding it. The announced programme brings together researchers working on ageing biology and disease mechanisms, clinicians focused on prevention, entrepreneurs building new services and technologies, and advocates who argue for much more ambitious life-extension goals.
For attendees, that breadth is both the attraction and the reason to listen critically. A molecular mechanism, an early-stage company and a clinically useful intervention are not the same thing. The most valuable conversations are likely to be the ones that clarify where an idea currently sits on that path—and what evidence would be needed to move it forward.
The 2026 edition also moves into the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain, founded in the eighteenth century and closely associated with the history of Spanish medicine. The contrast is fitting: an institution shaped by centuries of medical progress hosting a field that often speaks in decades, and sometimes centuries, ahead.
Speakers across science, medicine and the longevity economy
The announced speaker list includes Eric Topol, Brian Kennedy, Guido Kroemer, Steven Austad, María Blasco, Valentin Fuster, Michel Poulain, Peter Diamandis, Aubrey de Grey, Bashayer Almubarak, Tina Woods, Michael West and other international and Spanish participants.
Their subjects span cell biology, cardiovascular health, demographic longevity, digital medicine, telomeres, biotechnology, investment and the social implications of longer lives. That mix should make the summit useful not only for people following laboratory research, but also for those trying to understand how discoveries move through clinical practice, capital and public debate.
As always with a large conference programme, speakers and schedules can change. Attendees should check the organizer’s current agenda before booking travel around a specific session.
A new route in for researchers and founders
For the first time, the summit is adding scientific posters and startup pitches. Its open call invites research projects, short talks and startup initiatives, giving younger researchers and emerging companies a route into a programme previously centred on established speakers.
The current submission deadline is 15 September 2026. Applicants are asked to register first and then submit a short proposal through the event website. For a researcher with a relevant project—or a founder who can explain the evidence behind a product—this may be the most practical reason to attend.
The programme beyond the auditorium
Two optional pre-conference days turn the event into a longer Madrid programme. The first tour visits Alcalá de Henares, Aranjuez and Toledo; the second goes to Ávila, Segovia and El Escorial. A welcome cocktail, a longevity-themed evening event and a public Madrid Longevity March are also planned around the scientific sessions.
These additions matter because conferences are rarely valuable only for what happens on stage. The useful part is often a question asked after a session, an unexpected introduction or the chance to compare how researchers, clinicians and founders define the same problem differently.
Who is it for?
The summit is most relevant for researchers, clinicians, investors, founders and policy-minded readers who want a broad view of the longevity field rather than a narrowly clinical congress. Curious members of the public can also attend, but should expect a programme that moves between established science, translational work, commercial projects and explicitly futuristic ideas.
If you are deciding whether to go, start with the agenda rather than the headline names. Identify the sessions or people that could change a real decision, open a collaboration or sharpen your understanding of an unresolved question. A conference becomes much more useful when you arrive with three specific conversations you want to have.
Registration and practical details
As of 1 September, standard two-day conference registration is listed at €249, with the full rate of €299 beginning on 28 September. Virtual access is listed at €29 during the standard period. Tours and evening events are ticketed separately. Prices and availability may change, so confirm the current terms directly with the organizer.
The venue is in central Madrid, between the Royal Palace and Teatro Real. The organizer lists accommodation options nearby but does not require an official hotel.