Conferences

Focused Meetings 2015

INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON ARBOVIRUSES AND THEIR VECTORS (IMAV)

University of Glasgow
7–8 September 2015

INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON THE INVASIVE FUNGUS

Mercure Hotel, Manchester
7–9 September 2015

September was an exciting month for the Society as two incredibly successful Focused Meetings took place. The International Meeting on Arboviruses and their Vectors (IMAV) saw a high attendance with over 20 offered oral presentations and 30 posters. The prestige of the meeting was heightened by the calibre of invited speakers, such as Carol Blair (Colorado State University, USA) and Simon Carpenter (The Pirbright Institute, UK). Delegates came from 16 different countries to attend and network with influential microbiologists.

The topics covered included:

• arbovirus–vector interactions and immune responses
• preventing arbovirus transmission: novel strategies
• arbovirus–vertebrate host interactions
• vertebrate immune responses to arbovirus infection
• arbovirus replication and evolution

The International Meeting on The Invasive Fungus was another success in the Focused Meeting series. Delegates enjoyed the opportunity to listen to and network with big names in their field such as Robin May (University of Birmingham, UK) and Dilip Shah (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, USA). Over the two-and-a-half days in Manchester, delegates covered the following topics:

• hyphal tip growth
• tropisms
• invasion of animal plant tissues
• host defence responses
• invasion of ecological environments

The Focused Meeting on Industrial Applications of Metal–Microbe Interactions takes place at Charles Darwin House, London, UK, 9–10 November. Topics include biomining; biorecovery and bioprocessing; bioremediation; and biofabrication of higher value products.

2016 dates for your diary

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF ARCHAEA 5

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London
1–3 August 2016

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS OF AVIAN VIRUSES

Charles Darwin House, London
27–29 September 2016

To register your interest in these meetings, email: [email protected]

FIS 2015 update

Only a couple of weeks now until FIS 2015 takes place! The theme is Action on Infection and the event provides a fantastic programme, with world renowned speakers and many networking opportunities. The event is at Glasgow SECC between 21 and 23 November 2015 and it’s not too late to register! Visit the FIS 2015 website.

Grants opportunities

The Society offers grants to support eligible members presenting research at our Annual Conference, Focused Meetings and Irish Division meetings.

SOCIETY CONFERENCE GRANTS

Open to technicians, postdoctoral researchers or PhD student members and those attending their first Society meeting, whether presenting or not.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCE GRANTS

These grants enable undergraduate student members to attend our meetings, and to cover travel and accommodation costs.

INCLUSION GRANTS

Grants for members who wish to attend a Society meeting and cover interim caring arrangement costs.

TRAVEL GRANTS

To support members who are not eligible for the above grants to present at any Society conference. Minimum membership period applies

For full eligibility criteria, please visit the Travel & Research grants pages.

Shape our events programme

Our programme of events is developed and driven from proposals submitted by our members. There are three ways our members can help shape our programme to share research and build networks and communities.

OPTION 1 – ANNUAL CONFERENCE SESSION

Our Annual Conference brings together a collective audience of over 1,200 delegates over a four-day event, providing an opportunity to share and develop research in all areas of microbiology. Proposals are welcomed from session organisers who wish to deliver a session at conference.

OPTION 2 – FOCUSED MEETINGS

Each year the Society’s Conference team oversees the running of three to four Focused Meetings, providing a forum for researchers and specialists to come together, share knowledge and build connections. These meetings attract over 100 delegates and often run over a two-day period. We welcome proposals from session organisers who have identified an area of research that will draw in delegates and provide a forum for networking.

OPTION 3 – SOCIETY SUPPORTED CONFERENCE GRANTS

To ensure that our members and the wider microbiology community have continuous access to a varied programme of events we regularly work in collaboration with other organisations and session organisers to sponsor UK and international speakers. If you have an event taking place and are looking for sponsorship you can apply for a Society Supported Conference Grant.

DECISION-MAKING

All proposals and applications are submitted to the Scientific Conferences Committee (SCC), which is made up of representatives from the Virology, Eukaryotic, Prokaryotic and Irish Divisions. This process ensures our conferences programme covers a broad spectrum of microbiology. Annual Conference sessions and Focused Meeting proposals are considered a year in advance.

KEY DATES

The SCC meets twice a year. Upcoming deadlines and notification dates for proposals are as follows:

Deadline:	14 December 2015	17 June 2016
Notification date:	15 February 2016	19 August 2016

For further information and application forms visit our Conferences pages.

Annual Conference 2016

Our 2016 Annual Conference takes place between 21 and 24 March at the ACC Liverpool and once again we are providing a full programme covering a broad spectrum of microbiology, including:

• climate change and disease transmission
• Clinical Virology Network (CVN)
• DNA viruses
• environmental and applied microbiology
• evasion of host defences
• gene and genome manipulation
• host–pathogen interactions – nutrition, immunity, metals
• intrinsic antiviral immunity
• membrane transportation
• microbial interactions with insects
• mining microbial diversity
• mycobacteria
• negative-strand RNA viruses
• plant viruses
• positive-strand RNA viruses
• prokaryote cell biology / genetics / infection
• protein post-translation modification
• restriction factors
• retroviruses
• Small World Initiative
• the model microbe
• viral haemorrhagic fever

In addition to these sessions, we will have our five Prize Lectures at the start and end of each day, including the Prize Medal, Fleming Prize, Peter Wildy Prize, Marjory Stephenson Prize and Unilever Colworth Prize.

Plus, in 2016 all of this…

• an audience with the Prize Medal Winner
• Meet the Speaker sessions
• lively debates
• evening entertainment
• Live at Lunch sessions
• poster presentations
• networking opportunities
• trade exhibition

Registration and abstract submission are both open. Visit our Conference pages.