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The organizers of the XLIV ECCO Meeting are pleased to welcome you to the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island (Azores, Portugal), from 14th to 16th September 2026. The theme of this year’s meeting will be: “Integrative OMICS for a Changing Planet: New Frontiers in Taxonomy, Ecology and Biotechnology”,

We are also pleased to announce that ECCO grants for students and early-stage PhD researchers will be available. As September is still high season in the Azores, with warm weather and significant tourist activity, we strongly recommend arranging travel and accommodation early, as availability is limited and prices tend to rise. More information — including the call for abstracts, registration details, and keynote speakers — will follow soon.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Azores for ECCO’s annual meeting!

Warm regards,
The Organizing Committee of the XLIV ECCO Meeting

ECCO MEETING GRANTS

ECCO grants for students and early-stage PhD researchers will be awarded (Tenure staff of collections are not eligible). Applicants should send their abstract, their CV and a recommendation letter from their mBRC manager to wouter.deschamphelaire@ugent.be by 15 June.

Grants and the financial support are available for ECCO members as well as non-ECCO members. The financial support will cover the full registration fee, as well as support for travel and/or accomodation costs up to a maximum of € 200.

INVITED SPEAKES

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE

• Antera Martel (Curator of BEA, Spain)
• Cristina Varese (Curator of MUT, Italy; Scientific Officer, ECCO Board)
• David Novotny (Head of VURV, Czech Agrifood Research Center, Czech Replublic; IT Officer, ECCO Board)
• Gerard Verkleij (Curator CBS & NCCB collections WI-KNAW, the Netherlands; President, ECCO Board)
• Marizeth Groenewald (Yeast Curator CBS collection WI-KNAW, the Netherlands)
• Meriem Paris (Head of the CIP, France)
• Nelson Lima (Head of MUM, Portugal)
• Olga Matantseva (Curator of CCAC, Germany)
• Raquel Hurtado-Ortiz (Head CNCM (IDA) Institute Pasteur, France; Collection Officer, ECCO Board)
• Rosa Aznar (Head of CECT, Spain)
• Rúben Luz (Curator of BACA, CIBIO-Açores, Portugal)
• Vítor Gonçalves (Head of BACA, CIBIO-Açores/University of Azores, Portugal)
• Vitor Vasconcelos (Head of LEGE-CC, Portugal)
• Wieland Meyer (Director of WI-KNAW, the Netherlands)
• Wouter De Schamphelaire (Curator confidential collections & Service Manager BCCM/Genecorner, Belgium; Secretary, ECCO Board)

LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE