Annual Conference 2017

#Microbio17

Work continues with the preparations for our Annual Conference 2017, which takes place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) between 3 and 6 April. Abstracts submission will be opening soon and closing just before Christmas, so start working on your submissions today to be in with a chance of presenting your work through an offered paper or poster! You can now register online and take advantage of our early bird rate, and don’t forget to apply for your grants in time to ensure you meet the deadlines.

Visit the Society website to view all of the information about the Annual Conference and follow the Twitter hashtag #Microbio17 for regular updates.

Destination Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital city is globally recognised as a world-leading authority in the sciences, technology and education. Home to more than 3,000 researchers and 100 market-leading companies, it is a major part of Scotland’s science and technology sector – a sector that continues to lead the world.

Did you know that it was in Edinburgh that chloroform was first used as an anaesthetic? Dolly the sheep was cloned at the University of Edinburgh’s The Roslin Institute, and the first ‘bionic’ hand – a powered prosthetic with articulating fingers – was developed by a spin-out company from the city’s Princess Margaret Rose Hospital.

So along with Edinburgh’s status as a thriving scientific hub; plus plenty of attractions, lots of history, superb travel systems and fantastic accommodation, it was an obvious choice as the location for our 2017 Annual Conference.

Must-sees in Edinburgh

There’s so much to see and do in Edinburgh, why not plan some time before or after the conference to visit some of the must-see attractions as recommended by Convention Edinburgh:

• Make some time to explore the delights of Edinburgh Castle, which is visible from almost every main street in the city centre. It’s a medieval fortress built upon the site of an extinct volcano and provides breath-taking panoramic views of Edinburgh.
• Scotland’s Parliament Building is located at the bottom of the Royal Mile and is open to visitors all year round, except when Parliament is in recess. Guided tours are free of charge.
• The Royal Yacht Britannia is one of the UK’s top tourist attractions. Berthed at Leith Docks, it’s available for guided group tours.
• The National Museum of Scotland provides a diverse collection that will take you on a journey of discovery through the history of Scotland, the wonders of nature and world cultures – all under one roof and with free admission.

Search online for more must-sees and further information on tickets and opening times.

Impact of Annual Conference attendance

As part of our evaluation following this year’s event we discovered that the impact of attending our Conference is far greater than we could have imagined. Here are some of the outcomes delegates shared with us, relating to professional development and developing connections:

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• I gained experience of presenting my work
• I updated my knowledge
• I have been invited to present at other meetings
• I identified funding opportunities
• I identified the latest research to support with my dissertation topics
• I arranged an external examiner for my PhD student
• I met the expert in my field
• I found the opportunity to recruit young talent
• I was able to identify job opportunities and new job leads

DEVELOPING CONNECTIONS

• I was able to meet face-to-face with others
• I developed contacts and research groups
• I met with collaborators
• I developed joint projects
• I developed long-term friendships and networks
• I networked with researchers at a similar stage in their career to me
• I met and discussed with people who were able to advise on current difficulties in my research
• Some of the companies at the stalls have agreed to sponsor our research/send us free samples.
• I discovered new products from the commercial stands
• I found a PhD student working on the same topic as me

Accommodation and Travel

Because Edinburgh provides so much to see, do and explore, the destination attracts many visitors all year round and therefore hotels are continuously in use. So if you’re planning on joining us for Conference next year we would highly recommend you secure your accommodation and make your travel plans as early as possible.

To aid you with securing your accommodation you can visit our website where we provide a link to our booking service via Reservation Highways. We have instructed them to secure negotiated rates at hotels to suit a range of budgets and you can make your reservation today, or you may wish to make your own enquiries by searching online travel agents or visiting the local tourist board. Either way, avoid delay so you can get the best value for money!

One last thought – if you are planning on travelling as a group, why not try and make your travel plans together? Perhaps you can share a twin room or even hire an apartment; plus,- when travelling together you may be able to save on fares with some train companies who offer discounts for multiple bookings. And why not share taxi fees when you arrive?

Getting to Edinburgh is easy and below is a guide to assist your plans:

AIR

Edinburgh Airport is served by more than 40 airlines, connecting 130 worldwide destinations. Only 12 km from the city centre, it’s served by excellent bus, tram and taxi services that link directly to the town. More information available from www.edinburghairport.com

RAIL

Edinburgh station is linked to all the UK’s major cities and airports. A high-speed link to London takes just over four hours. The Eurostar service connects to Paris in around eight hours. There are trains to major cities across the UK, as well as to Scotland’s favourite tourist destinations. More information available from www.nationalrail.co.uk

ROAD

Edinburgh is easily accessed by a network of motorways and trunk roads, chiefly the M74, A1 and A68 from the south and the M8 from the west. The M9 and M90 head north. Edinburgh’s bus station on St Andrew Square connects to all the major cities in Britain. More information on bus services available from www.nationalexpress.com

Conference Programme 2017

You can view the current 2017 programme online, including a list of over 150 invited speakers and their talk titles and abstracts. Here is a list of the scientific sessions for 2017:

MAIN SYMPOSIA:

• Anaerobes in infection
• Aquatic microbiology
• Cell biology of pathogen entry into host cells
• Circadian rhythms
• EndCritical health challenges in medical mycology?
• Epigenetic and non-coding RNAs in eukaryotes
• Geomicrobiology
• Heterogeneity and polymicrobial interactions in biofilms
• Just passing through – virus infections of the gastrointestinal tract
• Macromolecular machines
• Microbial cell surfaces
• Microbial genomics: whole population to single cell
• Microbial mechanisms of plant pathology
• Annual General Meeting of Protistology-UK Society: Intracellular infection and endosymbiosis within protists
• Regulation of RNA expression during virus infection
• Synthetic and systems biology approaches to microbiology

PROKARYOTIC FORUMS:

• Prokaryotic Genetics and Genomics Forum
• Prokaryotic Microbial Infection Forum
• Environmental and Applied Microbiology Forum
• Microbial Physiology, Metabolism and Molecular Mechanisms Forum

VIRUS WORKSHOPS:

• Antivirals and vaccines
• Clinical virology
• Evolution and virus populations
• Gene expression and replication
• Innate immunity
• Pathogenesis
• Plant virology
• Viral assembly

*Titles are subject to change

Visit the website to book your place at the Annual Conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.