Terms and conditions for membership

These membership terms and conditions, together with the Articles of Association, Code of Conduct and our Privacy Policy, govern your membership with us.

If you have any queries relating to your membership, please contact the membership team via [email protected].

You are asked to confirm that you have read and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions when applying for membership of the Microbiology Society.

Membership Benefits

Membership of the Microbiology Society will provide you with a range of benefits such as:

  • access to the members’ area of the website,
  • a variety of resources to support your professional development,
  • the ability to participate in Society activities,
  • discounted rates for publishing in our journals,
  • special offers from other organisations,
  • access to Microbiology Society events at discounted rates, and
  • the ability to share your research, exchange knowledge and professional experiences with the microbiology community.

Actual membership packages may change over time and vary according to the type of individual membership.

The Individual Membership Contract

Individuals may join the Society online via our membership pages. If you require the form in an alternative format, please contact [email protected].

When you submit your application online, by post, by telephone or by emailing us with details of your application, you are making an offer to join the Microbiology Society, which, if accepted, will result in a legally binding contract.

At the point of renewal of your individual membership, your renewal payment is confirmation of the continued acceptance of this contract. You may not transfer any of your rights and obligations under these terms and conditions to another person. 

Constitutional rights of membership

Your constitutional rights of membership are fully outlined in the Articles of Association. By accepting these terms and conditions, you agree that you have read and agree to abide by the Articles of Association and Code of Conduct.

Membership term

Your membership is valid for the prescribed membership term, usually one year or three years depending on your subscription.

Membership fees

Membership fees are set annually by the Trustee Board and approved by the membership via the Society’s Annual General Meeting. The current fees can be accessed via the membership rates page.

Access to the services related to each category of membership are conditional upon the payment of the appropriate subscription fee.

Members are not entitled to a refund, either full or partial, of any subscription fees following termination or voluntary cancellation of membership.

If you join the Microbiology Society to take advantage of discounted attendance rates at a conference or other event, and we have to cancel that event for any reason, our liability is limited to a full refund of the event registration fee only. We will not refund any membership fees related to the event booking.

Membership renewal

To renew your membership subscription, you must pay your renewal fee in full before the designated 'Renewal Date'.

If you have not paid any subscription due by the Renewal Date, your membership shall be deemed to have lapsed and your continuous membership period interrupted.

Intellectual property rights

All Intellectual Property which exists in the materials provided to members as part of the member services are owned by Microbiology Society and/or its content providers.
Membership does not confer any right to use Microbiology Society Intellectual Property, including the brand and logo, except where expressly provided in writing.

You shall not:

  1.  licence, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign or otherwise commercially exploit materials, including passwords, provided to the member by the Microbiology Society; or
  2. licence, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign or otherwise commercially exploit or otherwise make the member services available to any third party.
Data Protection

For your security and peace of mind, Microbiology Society will not supply your details to any organisation for third party marketing purposes unless you have given permission for this to happen. By accepting these Terms and Conditions, you agree to the use of your information as set out in our Privacy Policy.