Events programme proposal

The Microbiology Society delivers an annual programme of events for the microbiology community, from our Annual Conference to online and in-person scientific meetings, webinars and workshops.

We actively encourage our members to submit proposals for events and Annual Conference sessions to be included in the Society’s rich and varied events programme each year. There is a wide range of formats available including online seminars or events, industry-focused workshops, in-person meetings or a session within Annual Conference. We aim to match up the purpose of events with the most relevant format and will work with you to deliver a successful event.

We particularly welcome applications for meetings and events:

• aimed at microbiologists working in infection science, clinical and industry settings;
• looking to engage an international audience, with a particular focus on the USA; Canada and Germany.
• aligning with our Knocking Out AMR project solution objectives, 'diagnostics and surveillance' and 'therapeutics and vaccines', especially events that consider these from a cross-disciplinary, One-health perspective.

Publishing for the community

The Society is a membership charity and not-for-profit publisher and our ability to deliver programmes and activities, including our events, depends on the revenue generated from the content we capture for publication, and this in turn benefits the entire community. With this in mind, we expect events to generate content for our journals and we are asking applicants to consider how their proposal aligns with our publishing portfolio from the outset. You can browse our portfolio here and read about the aims and scope in the ‘About’ page of each publication. As part of our initial conversation, we will discuss appropriate journal outputs based on the type of event and we will connect you with our publishing team and Editors to further develop this.

Application process

Applicants can submit their proposal by completing the online form found at the bottom of this page. We have reduced the amount of information you need to provide to us at submission as we aim to develop a collaborative approach between ourselves and applicants, so we can work together to identify the final format an accepted proposal should take and how it can be run as effectively as possible for the target audience.

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis, however recommendations for Annual Conference sessions must be submitted by the end of January to be considered as part of the planning discussions by the Society’s Divisions and Editors in Chief for Annual Conference the following year.

We can only deliver a limited number of events each year which means we may not be able to accept all proposals submitted. On these occasions, we will work with you to identify viable alternatives which might include changing the event's format or timeframe. If we are not able to deliver the event, we recommend considering an application for a Society-Supported Conference Grant.

Other sources of grants and funding

As a membership charity, we ask that applicants consider how their proposed event could secure funding from other sources, including potential sponsorship from industry or commercial organisations and grants from other bodies.  For example, scientific meetings proposed by Society members to be held in the European Area are eligible for FEMS (Federation of European Microbiological Societies) grants and we may ask you to pursue these sources as a condition of acceptance for your application.

Before submitting your proposal, please read the Programme Proposal Guidelines. If you have any questions or would like an informal discussion about your event proposal, please contact [email protected].

Programme proposal form

Click the button below to complete the programme proposal form to apply. 

Please apply here