News

Society events 2020

This year, the Council of the Microbiology Society, as Trustees of the Society, took the difficult decision to postpone all events in the organisation’s programme for the remainder of 2020, due to the continued spread of SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19.

This has meant the cancellation of the Society’s flagship Annual Conference that was scheduled to take place in Edinburgh and the deferral or cancellation of its Focused Meetings, Roadshow and wider programme of events.

The Society’s meetings are at the very heart of what we do to develop, expand and strengthen the networks available to our members so that they can generate new knowledge about microbes and ensure that it is shared with other communities. However, the wellbeing of our members, delegates, speakers, staff, exhibitors, contractors and local communities clearly remains our priority and the key reason behind the decision to indefinitely postpone all our events for this year.

Find out more about the Society’s exciting events – scheduled from 2021.

A Sustainable Future: call for case studies

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals which aim to produce a fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable world by 2030. The Microbiology Society has decided to act in its A Sustainable Future project. We believe that major policy decisions needed to set us on this journey require knowledge of relevant microbial activities and how these can be channelled for the greater benefit.

Microbiology is essential to achieving the SDGs and we have selected three areas in which the contributions it can make are most critical: antimicrobial resistance, soil health and the circular economy. We are looking for case studies within these three areas.

Case studies (400–800 words) will be published throughout 2020 on the project webpage, promoted on social media and may be edited for inclusion in the reports. We are particularly interested in narratives where microbiologists have worked with other stakeholders (e.g. other scientists, farmers, industry, etc.), developed interdisciplinary collaborations or made a novel discovery which impacts the SDGs. If you have an interesting story to tell, please contact the policy team: [email protected].

Get involved

The Society is celebrating its 75^th anniversary this year and there could not be a better time for members to get involved. Participating in Society activities helps build on existing experience and knowledge and offers the chance to develop new skills. It is a great way to give something back and make a difference.

Microbiology Outreach Prize and Prize Lecture nominations

Nominations for the Microbiology Outreach Prize, the 2021 Prize Lectures and the 2022 Prize Medal are now open. Nominations are welcome from any member of the Microbiology Society, regardless of membership period or category, by 10 June 2020. Submit your nomination.

Elections

Following implementation of a new Governance structure in support of our organisational structure, there are three new Committees to govern the strategic objectives of the Society, along with the Finance Committee and the Early Career Microbiologists’ Forum Executive Committee:

• Building Communities Committee
• Impact and Influence Committee
• Sustainability Committee

There are vacancies for positions commencing in 2021, for Elected Members on Council, the Building Communities Committee, the Impact and Influence Committee and the Sustainability Committee and on the Early Career Microbiologists’ (ECM) Forum Executive Committee. There are also roles for specific areas of expertise across the Eukaryotic, Prokaryotic, Irish and Virology Divisions.

Nominations are now closed, but voting will open in June. Check the Elections page of the website for more information.

Grant deadlines

Date	Grant
1 June 2020	Travel Grant – for eligible members wishing to present at conferences or attend training events taking place between 1 July and 30 September 2020.
1 September 2020	Travel Grant – for eligible members wishing to present at conferences or attend training events taking place between 1 October and 31 December 2020.
	Career Conference Grant – to support Undergraduate Student members wishing to attend the Royal Society of Biology Bioscience Careers Day.
30 September 2020	ECM Forum Event Fund – for ECM members requiring sponsorship for local events.
1 October 2020	Education and Outreach Grants – for eligible members requiring support for projects to communicate or teach microbiology.
	International Development Fund – for eligible members wishing to contribute to the development of microbiology in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
	Research Visit Grants – for eligible members wishing to make a research visit to a collaborator.