Bio21 Institute working with MCB to bring premier scientific events to Melbourne

May 10, 2022

Melbourne is committed to continuing to be Australia’s knowledge and innovation capital. Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) works with knowledge partners to amplify Melbourne's global position as a knowledge capital and support ongoing knowledge exchange and the development of local talent.

This month, MCB shines a light on its knowledge partner, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute (Bio21 Institute).

Working together, Bio21 Institute proves to be key to MCB’s successful track record of securing international business events and Melbourne's reputation as a leading global business events destination.

The University of Melbourne's Bio21 Institute is a multi-disciplinary research centre specialising in molecular life sciences. The institute seeks to improve human health and the environment through innovation in biotechnology and related areas, driven by collaborative research and dynamic interactions with industry. It houses schools and departments from the Faculties of Medicine, Dental and Health Sciences (MDHS), Science (FoS), and Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) as well as some of the largest equipment platforms of molecular sciences in Australia. Bio21 is the home of the global hub for research and translational medicine of Australia’s largest biotechnology company, CSL. In addition, it hosts a large number of industry tenants including SYNthesis, MycRX, Circa, Rhythm Biosciences, Gertrude Biomedical, Alterity, Cyclotek and Therapeutic Innovation Australia.

The Institute has not only been prolific in producing some of Australia’s most internationally acclaimed research in molecular science and biotechnology but has also made a significant contribution to securing some of the most prominent scientific events for Melbourne. Working together with MCB, Bio21 has been instrumental in strengthening Melbourne’s reputation as a leading global business events destination.

Bio21’s leading academics have collaborated with MCB on securing three premier scientific events over the next two years, that cement Melbourne’s position as a leader in biological sciences. Melbourne will soon be host to the International Congress of Genetics 2023, General Assembly and Congress of the International Union of Crystallography 2023, and the Congress of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2024. Combined, these conferences are expected to attract over 7,700 delegates from more than 77 countries and deliver in excess of $67 million economic contribution to the local economy.

The International Congress of Genetics is held every five years and organised by the International Genetics Federation. Its objective is to provide a global platform for cooperation and interaction among scientists from all disciplines and nationalities to promote research, training, and education in biological sciences while advocating access and benefit-sharing of knowledge and resources. Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) will host 10 plenary lectures and 42 parallel symposia covering basic and applied genetics in microbes, plants and animals.

Next year Melbourne will welcome back the General Assembly and Congress of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) to Australian shores for the first time in 36 years.  This triennial congress of the IUCr is the major international scientific meeting for crystallographers worldwide. Across five days, delegates will convene at MCEC to share knowledge and promote crystallographic research, facilitate standardisation methods and form a focus on the relations of crystallography to other types of molecular sciences.

The 26^th Congress of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will be held across five days at MCEC. This major international meeting held every three years, unites biochemists and molecular biologists in 77 countries. Meeting here in Melbourne will provide an invaluable opportunity for current research in all fields of biochemistry and molecular biology to be considered.

Click here to find out more information about Bio21 Institute.