The Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2026 will take place Monday 13 April – Thursday 16 April at the ICC Belfast.
The Conference takes place over four days and consists of scientific symposia, workshops, fora, professional development sessions, Prize Lectures, Hot Topics and much more.
Further information will be announced in the build-up to the meeting on our social media channels, and you can follow us on Twitter @MicrobioSoc and on Bluesky @microbiologysociety.org using the hashtag #Microbio26
The Microbiology Society is a charitable membership organisation and our Annual Conference is run for the benefit of our members and the wider microbiology community. This event is supported by revenue generated from our journals. We therefore request that any delegates working for commercial publishers or competing Society publishers do not engage in any promotional or commissioning work for their own journals while at the meeting. If delegates do engage in any promotional activities, they may be asked to leave the event.
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A wide range of sessions will be on offer to delegates at Annual Conference 2026, including broad-scope Fora and focused symposia, as well as various professional development and Get Involved activities.
You can explore many of these sessions below, with the full programme available soon.
Actinomyces: Industrial uses; cryptic pathways and novel antibiotic discovery
Actinomyces are a incredibly interesting and diverse group of soil dwelling bacteria that have been the source of an amazing 25% of all bioactive microbial metabolites and so have made a significant contribution to medical care. Advances in ‘omics’ technologies and novel culture techniques has renewed interest in this remarkable group of bacteria. In this session we welcome abstracts from those working within the actinomyces field. We especially encourage industry participation. This session will run on the same day as the mycobacteria session to allow cross-pollination between the two sessions.
AI-enabled Microbiology
Microbiology generates vast amounts of data, yet drawing meaningful insights from this information remains a significant challenge. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be leveraged to enhance data analysis and address complex scientific questions pertaining to microorganisms and their environments. ML is commonly integrated into omics workflows and has also been deployed, for example, to discover novel antimicrobial compounds, for protein and RNA structure resolution, to predict zoonosis, or to guide high throughput culturomics. This session will highlight some current AI and ML applications from across the field of microbiology and explore how these technologies have the potential to expand our understanding of microbial systems.
Careers Session
More information coming soon.
Education and Outreach Symposium
More information coming soon.
Engineering (Micro)biology: Reprogramming microbes towards global solutions
From the fundamentals of molecular biology through the development of synthetic biology approaches and the design-build-test cycle, our ability to design or redesign living microorganisms or products from them for novel purposes, is rapidly increasing. This reprogramming offers the potential to address a multitude of challenges facing humanity, including sustainability, climate change, food security, biomaterials development, biosecurity and human health. In this Symposium, we will hear from world leaders in Engineering Biology developing tools to introduce non-canonical amino acids into proteins, designing completely new chromosomes and reprogramming metabolism. These tool are being used to advance drug discovery, our fundamental understanding of the building blocks of life, and our capacity to harness microorganisms for production of industrially relevant products.
Environmental, Applied and Industrial Microbiology Forum
This forum includes offered papers on any area and any organism relevant to environmental, ecological, applied and industrial microbiology, including (non-human) host–microbe communities and interactions, marine and freshwater microbiology, soil and geomicrobiology, air-, cryo- and extremophile microbiology, climate change, biotechnology, bio-processing and bio-engineering, food microbiology, and other applied and industrial microbial processes, including microbe-mediated biodegradation and bioremediation.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
More information coming soon.
Eukaryotic Microbes in Health and the Environment
Eukaryotic microbes encompass a dazzling array of organisms, habitats, and niches that are frequently overlooked. They are of primary relevance to both ecological & environmental health and plant & animal pathogenesis, and increasingly are being exploited by the biotech industry. This symposium will celebrate and bring to focus the large biodiversity of microbial eukaryotes, their roles and relevance, and highlight the unique challenges posed in studying them. We welcome submissions on any microbial eukaryotes (fungi, yeasts, algae, protists, parasites) and their role in health, the environment, and industry.
Exploring Microbiome Function
The "Exploring Microbiome Function" symposium will focus on the role of microbiomes in ecosystem function for health and global sustainability. Areas of interest will include, but not be limited to, the unexplored microbiota, non-culturable and non-viable microbiota, and cryptic gene clusters. Microbiome is intended here to cover prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbiota, as well as viruses. Abstracts demonstrating novel functional insights into the role of the microbiome in health and ecosystem sustainability will be particularly welcome.
Genetics and Genomics Forum
Genetics and genomics forum will consider offered papers on all aspects of the genes and genomes of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their mobile elements, including their sequencing, transcription, translation, regulation, chromosome dynamics, gene transfer, population genetics and evolution, taxonomy and systematics, comparative genomics, metagenomics, bioinformatics, and synthetic biology.
Infection Forum
Offered papers (and associated posters) will be presented in areas related to clinical, veterinary and plant infections caused by microbial pathogens. This will include detection and diagnosis, identification, typing and epidemiology, pathogenesis, virulence, host response and immunity, treatment and prevention, antimicrobial agents and resistance, transmission and models of infection. Eligible abstracts can be entered into the Infection Science Award competition, with the awardees invited to the Federation of Infection Societies annual meeting.
Knocking Out AMR
More information coming soon.
Microbial pangenomics: reaching new frontiers of an open and evolving discipline
The advent of high-throughput genome sequencing has revealed that genetic differences among individuals in various species are not solely due to small polymorphisms. Instead, these differences also arise from variations in the presence and absence of genes and non-coding regions. This discovery has given rise to the concept of pangenomes, which encompass the entire set of genes within a species, including core genes that are present in all individuals and accessory genes that vary among individuals. In this session, we will delve into the latest research on the structure and evolution of microbial pangenomes, as well as the challenges involved in their analysis.
Microbial Physiology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology Forum
This forum will consider offered papers on all aspects of microbial (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) metabolism, physiology and molecular biology. This will focus on fundamental and translational research in this area. This would include the metabolism and physiology of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotic microbes, including pathogens; biochemistry and structure of cells, cell growth and division; cell architecture and differentiation; synthesis and transport of macromolecules; ions and small molecules; development signalling and communication, sensing and cellular responses and also how this work informs microbial engineering, antimicrobial drug development, and other potential applications. All speakers will be selected from the submitted abstracts.
Microbiome Forum
The Microbiome Forum encourages a broad remit of microbiome research with particular emphasis on early career submissions. It will consider offered papers on all aspects of human, animal and environmental microbiome science. This session will be held adjacent to the half-day Microbiome Symposium. Speakers will be selected exclusively from submitted abstracts.
Mycobacteria: Challenges and progress
Mycobacterial research remains massively overlooked and underfunded, whilst the burden of mycobacterial disease continues to rise: tuberculosis is once again the leading cause of infectious death globally; non-tuberculosis mycobacterial infections are on the rise and M. bovis remains a dominant cause of bovine and zoonotic TB worldwide. We welcome abstracts from those working on all aspects of mycobacterial research. The session will be of broad interest as much of mycobacterial research is applicable to wide and diverse areas of microbiological study. This session will run next to the Actinomyces session to facilitate cross-pollination between these two related topics.
New Investigators Professional Development Panel
Establishing an independent research group is both exciting and challenging. At this stage, new investigators develop innovative scientific directions, build teams, secure funding, navigate the world of higher education teaching and build networks within the community. This session will highlight the groundbreaking work of researchers who have started their independent groups within the past 5 years and will feature newly appointed investigators, researchers who transitioned from industry to academia and those who learned through direct experience. Showcasing diverse topics across microbiology, from bacterial to fungal and viral research, this session provides a platform for emerging leaders to present their latest findings, share insights into their research vision, foster collaborations and establish their presence within the microbiology community. This session will also feature a panel discussion on new investigators experiences in establishing their groups and the varied successful routes to achieve this.
Out of Body Experience- in vitro models of Infection (Complex cell infection models)
Recent developments in primary cell culture, organoids and bioengineering have resulted in increased understanding of infection biology. These complex models have allowed development of microphysiological systems and organ-on-chip models allowing modelling of microbial mechanisms of infection, immune evasion and host immune signalling.
Pathogens without borders: Multi-host veterinary infections
Bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotic microbes such as protozoa, helminths and fungi exhibit a spectrum of adaptations that enable them to colonise or infect a variety of host species. Such adaptations can give rise to either host-restricted pathogen strains that are specialized for particular organisms, or strains with a multi-host lifestyle, capable of thriving in varied niches. Moreover, one pathogen may infect multiple host species, but lead to differing clinical outcomes. Understanding the determinants that govern host specificity, and disease outcome is critical to One-health approaches aimed at mitigating potential zoonoses, and improving animal health, welfare, and productivity.
This session will aim to bring together an interdisciplinary community of bacteriologists, virologists, parasitologists, and mycologists working at the intersection of veterinary microbiology. We welcome abstracts on any aspect of veterinary microbiology, including transmission, co-infections, and pathogenicity, with a particular emphasis on the determinants of host-specificity and/or generalism in animal reservoirs, and on understanding factors influencing varying disease outcomes across species infected by the same pathogen.
Phage biology with a view to application
This symposium aims to take an interdisciplinary approach to explore the latest advancements in phage research. This symposium welcomes research encompassing all areas of phage biology, such as medicine, veterinary science, food safety, genetic engineering, evolution, agriculture and the environment. As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to threaten human, animal, and environmental health, phage therapy is emerging as a promising alternative. However, successful implementation requires an in depth understanding of the fundamental biology underlying phage-bacterial interactions including bacterial resistance mechanisms and efficacy in complex environments, and using this knowledge to address the practical and regulatory hurdles of bringing phage into clinical use. Advances in genomics are allowing us to be ‘smarter’ in designing phage cocktails and developing personalised medicine approaches. Understanding both biological and regulatory principles is essential to ensure the safe, effective and sustainable use of phage across One Health domains.
Plant-Pathogen Interactions
This session will explore the diverse world of plant pathogens, focussing on eukaryotic, prokaryotic, and viral species that are leading causes of plant disease worldwide. With an emphasis on the pathogens rather than their plant hosts, the session will highlight the latest research on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant-pathogen interactions. Topics will include pathogen infection structures, effector biology, manipulation of host cellular processes, and evolution of virulence mechanisms. By bringing together established and early career researchers, this session aims to foster discussions on recent discoveries and emerging technologies, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration to better understand and combat plant diseases.
Transformative tools for biological complexity
In this session we will explore a diverse range of novel techniques as well as innovative applications of existing methods that improve our understanding of biological complexity relating to all aspects of microbiology. Methodological approaches can include spatial biology, microscopy, microfluidics and any ‘omics, or other transformative tools, with those with widest accessibility especially welcomed.
Vaccine platforms and gene therapy vectors
The rapid pace with which technological advances in vaccine platforms and gene therapy vectors are occurring brings it's own challenges and questions about how best do we harness this technology for maximal effect. Importantly, building safe vaccines and vectors represents only half the challenge: the best use and implementation is also crucial to success. In this symposium we will draw on the expertise throughout the community to highlight the technology and challenges at the cutting edge. To do this we envisage a series of overview talks, offered papers and a panel discussion to achieve this.
Virus Forum
The virology community has to embrace many different disciplines to understand the diversity of viruses and to study how such small things can have such wide-ranging effects. Historically, the Microbiology Society’s Virus Workshops have tried to capture the amazing variety of virology with pre-determined sessions, alternating between sessions based on virus taxonomy and sessions based on the properties of viruses and how they interact with their hosts. However, the balance of content can change from year to year, making it challenging to divide up offered papers between sessions. From this year, we are opening up the choice of topics for these sessions to all our community. As in previous years there will be 6 half-day workshops (now called ‘Virus Forums') held over two days at the Annual Conference, but the topics will be tailored to reflect the current variety of virus research.
Virus Symposium: A Virus For All Seasons
Viruses are ever-present, but many viruses such as Influenza, RSV, and COVID, fluctuate with the changing seasons, often surging each winter. In some cases, this leads to ‘quademics,’ where multiple viruses co-circulate at high prevalence, as seen during the 2025/26 winter season, leading to significant strains on health infrastructure and public health resources. This session will explore both the fundamental biology of these viruses, but also the complex interplay between climate (temperature, humidity), host factors (age, immune waning, boosting, vaccination), and epidemiology (travel, indoor crowding) that drives the seasonality of these viruses.
Virus Symposium: Viral manipulation of the intracellular RNA world
Both DNA and RNA viruses introduce novel RNA sequences into an infected cell that must survive and thrive in the cytoplasm. To do this they manipulate the host cell in myriad ways, from rewiring RNA splicing, modification and decay to producing non-coding RNAs that sequester cellular factors, reprogramming the RNA-binding protein (RBP)-ome and creating bespoke sub-cytoplasmic compartments.
Abstract submission for the Microbiology Society Annual Conference will open in early September and close at 23:59 GMT on 11 November 2025. Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the session organisers and submitters will be notified of the outcome directly in December 2025.
Abstracts should be submitted through the Oxford Abstracts system. Both members and non-members of the Microbiology Society are welcome to submit an abstract. By submitting an abstract to this meeting, you are indicating to the session organisers your commitment to attend the event.
Abstracts will be welcome for any of the following sessions:
Fora – broad sessions featuring offered talks
Environmental, Applied & Industrial Microbiology Forum
Genetics and Genomics Forum
Infection Forum
Microbial Physiology, Metabolism and Molecular Biology Forum
Microbiome Forum
Virus Forum
Symposia – specific sessions featuring offered talks and invited speakers
Actinomyces: Industrial uses; cryptic pathways and novel antibiotic discovery
AI-enabled Microbiology
Education and Outreach Symposium
Engineering (Micro)biology: Reprogramming microbes towards global solutions
Eukaryotic Microbes in Health and the Environment
Exploring Microbiome Function
Knocking Out AMR
Microbial pangenomics: reaching new frontiers of an open and evolving discipline
Mycobacteria: Challenges and progress
Out of Body Experience- in vitro models of Infection (Complex cell infection models)
Pathogens without borders: Multi-host veterinary infections
Phage biology with a view to application
Plant-Pathogen Interactions
Transformative tools for biological complexity
Vaccine platforms and gene therapy vectors
Please note that the abstract is the only information session organisers use when deciding whether to accept your work for presentation as an offered talk or poster. If accepted, it will be published in the online programme or poster abstract book for the conference – so think carefully about what needs to be included.
Registration for Annual Conference will open in September.
Registration fees
The Microbiology Society's Annual Conference is the UK's largest annual gathering of microbiologists, and we welcome everyone from across our community to Belfast in 2026.
Members get heavily subsidised registration fees for Annual Conference, Focused Meetings and other Society events – both online and in-person. Join now to enjoy these discounts and many other opportunities that are designed for microbiologists at all stages of their careers.
|
|
Monday 13 April (PM) and Tuesday 14 April (£) |
Tuesday 14 April and Wednesday 15 April (£) |
Wednesday 15 April and Thursday 16 April (AM) (£) |
Full conference (£) |
|
Full member |
420 |
560 |
420 |
840 |
|
Concessionary member For those with an academic or professional interest in microbiology earning less than £35,000 (or equivalent) per year. |
182 |
242 |
182 |
364 |
|
Affiliate member For anyone with an interest in microbiology who simply wants to stay in touch. |
482 |
642 |
482 |
964 |
|
Student member For those registered for a higher degree / those studying at undergraduate level. |
159 |
212 |
159 |
318 |
|
Non-member |
743 |
990 |
743 |
1486 |
What's included in your registration fee?
An event app (please note, this is an in-person meeting)
Admission to all scientific sessions
Admission to break and lunchtime information and career development sessions (excl. ticketed events on the morning of Monday 13 April)
Full access to the trade exhibition
Full access to scientific poster sessions
Buffet lunch (Tuesday 14 April, and Wednesday 15 April, only)
Tea and coffee breaks
Access to an online abstract book
Certificate of Attendance (on request)
Access to CPD
Registration confirmation
Upon registration, you should receive an automated confirmation email. Please contact [email protected] if this has not been received within 24 hours.
Visa applications
If you need a letter of invitation for a visa application, we will be happy to supply this after we have received full payment. To find out if you need a visa to visit the UK, please visit the UK visa and immigration website.
It is the policy of the Microbiology Society not to supply an invitation letter to any delegate without payment and we will not reply to any request from an unregistered delegate. When the delegate has paid, the Conference office will email back a confirmation/receipt letter and, upon request, a letter of invitation, which may be used to obtain the necessary visa.
Please note that all conference delegates are responsible for their own travel and visa arrangements; the Microbiology Society will not take any responsibility for travel or visa problems.
Payment information
All registration fees must be paid in full before arrival at the conference. Any outstanding registration fees must be paid before admittance will be granted to the conference.
Cancellations
Refunds are not provided; however substitutions of attendees can be made at any time before the event by contacting [email protected].
Applications for the Society Events Grant to support members attending Annual Conference 2026 will open on 12 December 2025 and close on 2 January 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
Grants will act as contribution towards registration, travel, and accommodation expenses only.
Eligibility requirements:
Eligible membership categories:
Minimum membership period required:
A minimum membership period of one year and two consecutive membership payments is required. Postgraduate and Undergraduate with three-year memberships will need to have completed one year (three-year membership payment constitutes consecutive payment).
Please read all information carefully on the Society Events Grant page before submitting an application for funding.
The conference will take place at the ICC Belfast:
ICC Belfast
2 Lanyon Place,
Belfast,
BT1 3WH
By Plane
With George Best Belfast City Airport just an eight-minute drive from the venue, Belfast International Airport just a 30 minute drive, and Dublin Airport 90 minutes away, ICC Belfast is a short transfer time for delegates arriving via regional or international routes.
By Train
ICC Belfast is within walking distance of both Belfast’s city centre train stations, with Lanyon Place Train Station just a two-minute walk from the venue. There are eight daily Enterprise rail services connecting Belfast Lanyon Place Station and Dublin Connolly Station.
By Bus
ICC Belfast is in a prime location for visitors arriving by bus. The two city centre bus stations are a short walk from the venue, and there is a Translink Glider stop right outside. The Aircoach bus service connects Belfast with Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre, operating over 10 daily routes.
Accommodation
To support you in securing your accommodation, we provide links to our booking and accommodation services via First Choice.
First Choice have secured negotiated rates at hotels to suit a broad range of budgets.
If you require any further information for personal or group hotel bookings, please email [email protected] at any time.
CRÈCHE
The Society is again teaming up with Nipperbout to provide a free crèche at the Annual Conference 2026. The crèche will be available to all children of delegates between the ages of 0 and 12 years.
All registered delegates will be offered the opportunity to make use of these free childcare services, which will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Details on how to register for the crèche will be posted on this page in due.
Accessibility and inclusivity
Details regarding the venue's accessibility, including their Accessibility Statement, are available on their website.
Please ensure you notify us of any dietary requirements on your registration form to ensure these are catered for.
The Microbiology Society Annual Conference is a key feature in the calendar of a microbiologist—from undergraduates to those more established in their careers.
The scientific event is designed to provide ample opportunities for formal networking, and the social programme offers informal opportunities for delegates to make new friends, forge future collaborations, and have fun.
Details of social events will be posted on this page in the coming months.
ExhibitionPLUS is an initiative designed to help you discover other ways members engage with the Society, and provide you with more opportunities to grow your network and customer base.
Annual Conference 2026 offers opportunities for industry over three days to network with delegates across all career stages, oral and poster presenters, and authors publishing in our journals.
From making an impact with the Gold, Silver and Bronze packages, through to individual options from our pick and mix, we have a range of options to help you reach and strengthen your connections in this targeted community. Please download our exhibition and sponsorship pack for more details.
If you have any questions about the packages available please email [email protected]. Limited spaces available. Book early to choose your preferred stand.
Constant Systems
