A career in science is characterized by mobility. FEMS Research & Training Grants have allowed Early Career Scientists to visit a different laboratory and acquire new skills since the beginning. Now the upcoming FEMS Industry Placement Grants (starting in 2022) will allow ECS to gain experience in industry. With a reflection on his own career path so far, Dirk Linke presents for the #FEMSmicroBlog why this new grant scheme, developed with inputs of the FEMS Working Group on Business & Policy, is timely. #TheCulturePlate

Illustration by Eliza Wolfson (@eliza_coli)

The FEMS Conference in Belgrade 2022 (30 June to 2 July 2022) relies on its high-end scientific profile and combined expertise of FEMS and SSM in successfully organizing global and SEE regional scientific events and we are looking forward to a great experience for all involved. 

Be part of this event, where intercontinental, European, regional, and local scientists from all stages in their career and from all demographical backgrounds can participate in a multifaceted conference. 

We are looking forward to receiving your submissions and are happy to answer any questions you have at belgrade2022@fems-microbiology.org. 

The Prof. Armen Trchounian Poster Award will be presented at the FEMS Conference on Microbiology in Belgrade. The award will recognize the best poster from an early-career microbiologist in a transition economy*. Those submitting abstracts that meet the eligibility criteria will be able to apply for the award as part of the submission process.

Prof. Trchounian was a renowned, popular, and prodigious microbiologist. He was Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Biotechnology at Yerevan State University (Yerevan, Armenia) and FEMS Delegate for many years but sadly passed away on 18 November 2020, aged 64. As well as a highly respected scientist, Armen was also a mentor to students and a proud ambassador of his beloved home country, Armenia. To combine these two elements of his life and career, his family have endowed a prize to recognize work by an early career researcher from the region*. 

We are grateful to Ronald S. Oremland for writing the first Retrospective in FEMS Microbes. His paper provides a personal and engaging summary of events and serendipities leading to important insights in microbial metabolism.

FEMS Microbes is an Open Access journal covering all aspects of microbiology and the microbial world around us. Our journal invites submissions of high quality basic and applied research within diverse areas of microbiology.

Maša Zupančič is the JSME for FEMS Microbes. Currently a PhD student at the National Institute of Biology, studying toxic cyanobacterial communities in surface waters.

Elisa Venturini is the JSME for microLife and also contributes to the activity of the microLife Twitter account. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Würzburg, Germany, focusing on annotation and functional characterization of new small proteins involved in virulence.

These past weeks, FEMS Journals awarded prizes to excellent posters. You can read interviews with the winners below.

Ewout Knibbe, Margarida Ribeiro Da Silva and Jakub Masarykm (Lex Scheffers memorial poster prize) - ICY15 meets ICYGMB30, awarded by FEMS Yeast Research

Helene Aflenzer - International Conference on Renewable Resources & Biorefineries, awarded by FEMS Microbiology Letters

Olivia Bulka, Guiping Lui and Jixing Wan - DehaloCon 2021, awarded by FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Meeting Organizer Grants

• For virtual and in-person meetings happenig 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2023 • Members of any FEMS Member Society can apply • Max support € 15,000 • Deadline 1 December 2021

Research and Training Grants

• To assist early career scientists in pursuing research and training at a European host institution in another country than their own country of residence • Max support €4,000 • Deadline: 1 January 2022

The FEMS Opportunities Board shares with you microbiology events, jobs, funding and much more. Here are our top pics of the month:

1. Researcher for the development of omega-3 based strategies to prevent infectious diseases in aquaculture: Spain

2. Doctoral Positions at the Graduate School Life Science Munich: Germany

3. Advances in Microbial Diversity, VI International Conference on Microbial Diversity (MD2021)

Spread awareness, stop resistance is this year’s theme for World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), celebrated between the 18-24 November. WAAW aims to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance and to encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policy makers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.

Stay tuned for a WAAW themed podcast episode featuring a guest from the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) but also #OnThisDay facts and FEMS Journal article highlights from our volunteers centred around antimicrobials and resistance.