The British Mycological Society (BMS) will host the 9th International Mycological Congress (IMC9) in Edinburgh, Scotland during the period 1-6 August .
The UK, including Scotland, has a long tradition of being at the forefront of international mycology. The BMS is the largest mycological society in the world and promotes mycology in all of its aspects. It also has an international membership representing virtually every country in which mycology is studied. The BMS will provide the local Organizing Committee for the Congress and bring to bear its immense experience in organizing and hosting international mycological meetings. As a primary sponsor of the Congress, it has already agreed to provide £100,000 to support the meeting. The BMS will also put considerable effort into obtaining further financial sponsorship to support speakers, provide travel bursaries, and keep registration costs low.
Besides the BMS, other Societies and Organizations have also agreed to contribute and support IMC9. These include the British Lichen Society, British Society for Medical Mycology, British Society for Plant Pathology, European Mycological Association, Society for Applied Microbiology, Society for General Microbiology, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Mycology has never been as important as it is today and this is undoubtedly the most exciting time to be studying the subject. The International Mycological Congress represents the most important forum to provide an up-to-date perspective of mycology in all its guises. The BMS will make sure that IMC9 contains a Scientific Programme which is tremendously stimulating, inspiring and balanced across the enormously diverse subject spectrum of mycology.
The Nobel Prize laureate and Honorary Member of the BMS, Sir Paul Nurse FRS, has provisionally agreed to give the opening lecture.
Edinburgh has everything to ensure a successful conference. The Edinburgh International Conference Centre will provide an outstanding venue for IMC9 with excellent facilities for up to 2,700 delegates. A wide range of accommodation from student halls of residence to all classes of hotels will be available to suit every budget, and this will be centrally bookable online. The opening reception would be held in the historic castle with its dramatic setting in the centre of the city
Edinburgh is easily accessible with direct flights from many European cities and from the USA and Canada.
Edinburgh is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding tourist meccas in the world. The date for the conference will be the week before the Edinburgh Festival, which is the biggest arts festival on the planet. It will also coincide with the Jazz and Blues Festival. Numerous social and scientific activities before, during and after the meeting will also be available for delegates and their families, including tours around Edinburgh and Scotland, golf, fishing, field trips to major sites of international scientific interest, visits to research institutes, specialist workshops, field meetings and whisky tasting.
Scientific themes
- Cell biology, biochemistry and physiology
- Environment, ecology and interactions
- Evolution, biodiversity and systematics
- Fungal pathogenesis and disease control
- Genomics, genetics and molecular biology
