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2028 SMBE Regional Meetings


2028 SMBE Extended Regional Meetings Proposal Form

Deadline for submission: March 15, 2026
Submission opens:  November 3, 2025
Decisions announced: Mid-June 2026

About

In 2028, SMBE will support up to five regional meetings (one per world region) to increase accessibility and reduce travel impact. Each event should engage 100–200 participants and align with SMBE’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. 

SMBE is now calling for proposals for meetings and actions to be held between January 2028 and December 31, 2028. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis to members of the molecular evolution research community to host meetings that provide opportunities for participation to members with a wide range of interests, as covered by our society. The meetings could also include focused symposia to be determined by the organizers. The number of awards will depend on the quality of the proposals, the total cost, and the available budget.

The deadline for submission of proposals is March 15, 2026. Decisions will be communicated to the applicants in mid-June 2026. 

Please review the full Regional Meeting Guidelines before completing the online form below to submit your proposal.

Funding

  • Up to $50,000 USD per meeting (may cover up to 100% of costs).
  • Must include at least two plenary speakers (travel + lodging covered).
  • External sponsorships encouraged.
  • No overhead or indirect costs may be charged.
  • SMBE will cover travel for one SMBE representative keynote.

Meeting Requirements

  • Title format: “SMBE Regional Meeting in [City, Country]”
  • Duration: 3–4 days
  • Include sessions for early-career researchers (talks + posters).
  • Must include SMBE member(s) among organizers.
  • Avoid date conflicts with other major meetings.
  • Low-cost venues preferred (e.g., university campuses).
  • Registration discounts for SMBE members.
  • Hybrid or recorded content expected for wider accessibility.
  • Promote gender, geographic, and career diversity.
  • Collect attendee travel info to estimate carbon footprint.
  • Maintain a meeting website (active for 3 years post-event) featuring program, speakers, and SMBE acknowledgment.
  • Return unused funds within 3 months if event is canceled or under budget.

Awards at Regional Meetings

  • Graduate Student Excellence Awards (2 per meeting)
  • Young Investigator Awards (4 per meeting)
  • Undergraduate & Mentoring Awards (3 per meeting)
  • Awardees receive waived registration + gala dinner and up to $2,000 travel reimbursement (receipts required).
    Note: SMBE faculty awards are presented at the next Global Meeting.

Proposal Instructions

Please include the following in your submission:

1. Organizer Information

  • Names, gender, career stage, contact info, affiliations
  • Identify SMBE members among organizers
  • List of supporting institutions and other funding sources

2. Meeting Summary (max 4 pages)

  • Scientific rationale and significance
  • Anticipated impact on molecular and genome evolution fields
  • Student/postdoc involvement

3. Meeting Structure

  • Format (talks, posters, sessions)
  • Tentative invited speaker list (with gender, region, career stage)

4. Financial Summary

  • Total budget, SMBE funding requested, other funding
  • Expected participant number, registration fees (if any)

Post-Meeting Requirements

  • Submit final program, 2-page report, and financial summary to:
  • Publish a brief meeting report on the SMBE site or journal.
  • 90% of funds disbursed at approval; 10% after final reports.

Please complete the online proposal form below:

Fields marked with an * are required.

Please verify that you have checked the “I'm not a robot” checkbox.

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Section 1 - Organizer Information

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Section 2 - Proposal materials

Describe the scientific rationale for your proposed meeting. In doing so, be sure to clearly state (1) the importance and timeliness of the location of the meeting; (2) the anticipated short-term and long-term impacts of your meeting on the fields of molecular biology, genome biology, and evolution; (3) the extent and nature of student/postdoctoral fellow involvement in the organization and scientific content.  ; (4) The name(s), gender, career stage, and full contact information for all organizer(s) and the name of the institution(s) involved; (5) Universities/organizations providing additional financial support, if available, should also be listed. If additional funding is being simultaneously applied for, please state the status of that request as well. Please identify the organizers who are current SMBE members.

20MB max

Please upload a document which includes: (1) the proposed structure of your meeting (e.g., lectures only, lectures, contributed talks, poster sessions, etc.); (2) an indicative list of proposed invited speakers including their gender, geographical origin and career stage.

20MB max

Please summarize your financial request, including estimated total budget, registration costs (if any), travel support for speakers / trainees, costs of the venue (if any), and details of non-SMBE funds to be used. 

20MB max
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