Unlocking the future of microbiology research: fundraising for the Society’s 80th anniversary
26 November 2024
As the Microbiology Society approaches its 80th anniversary, we face challenging circumstances to generate the income needed to support our community. Council has been aware of these challenges for a number of years and has taken steps to ensure that we can navigate them successfully.
To meet them, we are working to adapt our publishing business to be financially competitive as well as increasing the visibility of microbiology research, whilst simultaneously seeking new income streams.
One of these streams is through fundraising and philanthropic giving. In 2021 we launched our first fundraising activity to generate revenue for our Unlocking Potential Grant which supported early and mid-career microbiologists to overcome career challenges.
Now is the time for us to enhance and expand our fundraising efforts and to do so, we need the support of everyone who values our microbiology community.
In 2025 the Microbiology Society will mark 80 years since its founding in 1945 by its first members including Ralph St John Brookes, Muriel Roberts, Marjory Stephenson, Alexander Fleming and many other visionary microbiologists. Our aim is to use this unique opportunity to put in place the foundations of a philanthropic fundraising campaign.
The purpose set out by our visionary founders holds true to this day. Our ability to bring groups of microbiologists together for knowledge exchange and to forge new collaborations remains essential to the Society’s role – to help unlock and harness the unique breadth and depth of our members' knowledge about the discipline of microbiology.
In our 80th year, we will recognise the importance of community, of legacy and look forward to our future – to continue to grasp opportunities to amplify our members’ voices and advance the understanding of microbiology in resolving global challenges.
Our founding member Alexander Fleming knew bacteria would eventually overcome antibiotics and now, as the Society is 80, our Knocking Out AMR project recognises the real threat AMR poses as a leading cause of death worldwide.
In our anniversary year, we will demonstrate that we have both the heritage and the ambition to bring together our networks and drive forward solutions to global challenges like AMR. We will also use the anniversary to make the case for support for microbiologists to focus on the research that will help solve these grand challenges—donations to our fundraising activity will allow our members to do this.
Throughout our history, we have shaped a vibrant microbiology community. We are more ambitious than ever, and for our anniversary, we want all of our members to get involved in our wide-ranging activities, to publish for the community, and to donate to our fundraising activity.
Get involved—donate £80 or £8 to celebrate 80 years of your microbiology community.
By doing so, you will help unlock the potential of microbiologists to focus on the grand challenges of research and help us continue for the next 80 years.