On 20-24 June 2021, the World Microbe Forum took place in a completely virtual environment, co-organised by FEMS, ASM and 7 more societies from around the world.

Microbiologists came together to virtually celebrate the latest science and discuss the current challenges.

This #FEMSmicroBlog gives an overview of the event as well as some personal experiences from attendees.

Some statistics from the event:

• Registered attendees came from 114 countries
• 740 invited speakers involved in all sessions
• 550 h of video produced throughout the conference
• 230 oral abstracts
• 54 volunteers signed up to support the event
• 42 exhibitors and 29 sponsors from different industries

At World Microbe Forum, we had a fantastic selection of over than 2000 iPosters! 12 iPosters from Early Career Scientists won the iPoster prize and further 5 selected by our FEMS Journals received a FEMS Journal Poster Prize Award .

Shamsunnahar Mukta (Bangladesh): Biochemical characterization and biodegradation (plastics) assay of bacteria isolated from pit soil of Sylhet region

George Michail (Greece): S. proteamaculans and S. liquefaciens spp. isolated from subterrestrial karst aquatic ecosystem demonstrate substantial antifungal activity

María Belén Atiencia (Ecuador): Prevalence of biofilms in Candida spp. bloodstream infections: a metaanalysis

Sakeenah Hussain Naqvi (Pakistan): Low cost solution of airborne infection isolation room in resource poor settings

David Robert (France): Diagnosis of non-cholera Vibrio gastroenteritis: 4 year retrospective analysis of molecular testing by syndromic panels in New Aquitaine, France

We are looking for speakers, hosts, and volunteers to help with this year’s International Microorganism Day on 17th September!

Whether you want to give an engaging talk about microbes, host a section of our 24-hour live stream featuring speakers from across the world, or blog and share our initiative on social media – we have a role for you!

Simply fill in the form below with some details about yourself and your ideas, and we will get back to you with our response.

We are welcoming submissions for our first Mascot Art Competition!

All you need to do to participate is to create an original digital design of your favourite microbe, together with a name and simple explanation of your work.

Deadline is 31st July.

Happy sketching!

The theme of Peer Review Week 2021 (20-24 September) is Identity in Peer Review. Participating organisations will organise virtual events and activities to highlight the role of personal and social identity in peer review and ways the scholarly community can foster more diverse, equitable, and inclusive peer review practices.

This year, participants will explore how the distinct identities of the multiple stakeholders involved in the peer review process bring in added layers of diversity, expectations, perspectives, experience, knowledge, and skill. 

You can follow and participate to the discussion on social media with the hashtags #PeerReviewWeek21 and #IdentityInPeerReview

FEMS Microbiology Ecology Webinar on Sustainable Agriculture

First broadcast 20th May. This webinar explores sustainable agriculture by diving into the interactions between common crops and their microbiomes.

FEMS Yeast Research Webinar on Yeast Lipids, co-organised with Yeast Lipid Conference

First broadcast 3rd June. The webinar presents established and earlier career speakers who will cover diverse aspects of yeast lipid metabolism.