Announcements
9 April 2026
Highlights from Viruses 2026—New Horizons in Virology, 11–13 March 2026, Barcelona, Spain
From 11 to 13 March, we successfully delivered the Viruses 2026—New Horizons in Virology MDPI conference in Barcelona, bringing together an international community of researchers, editors, and partners dedicated to advancing the field of virology.
Conference Highlights:
Viruses 2026 in numbers was as follows:
- 198 total registrations, with 171 attendees on site;
- 233 submissions, with 122 accepted;
- 42 short talks, nine flash talks, and 80 posters;
- 13 invited speakers and one keynote speaker.
The strong level of participation and quality of submissions once again demonstrate the relevance of the Viruses community.
A standout moment was Dr. Ho’s keynote lecture, which also attracted an NBC documentary film crew, highlighting the broader impact of the presented research.
Scientific Programme
The conference programme covered areas across modern virology, including viral replication, pathogenesis, immunology, and public health. Sessions explored topics on antiviral therapeutics and vaccines, innate immunity, virus–host interactions, and the structure and mechanisms of virus replication.
Together, these discussions highlighted both the fundamental biology of viruses and the translational challenges of addressing emerging infectious diseases, reflecting the breadth and continued importance of virology research in a global context. The programme also included a sponsored workshop on research data management in virology, further emphasizing the importance of data practices in advancing the field.
Feedback from participants has been very positive, and I would like to thank the Conference team for this year’s event organization and delivery.
Thank you to our Viruses journal team and all colleagues involved behind the scenes in supporting the event delivery. As noted by Dr. Eric Freed (EiC of Viruses), the success of this edition gives us strong momentum as we look ahead to the next conference in 2028, with opportunities to further expand participation and engagement.
