The International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology is heading to Australia for the first time and will be hosted at the Cairns Convention Centre in July 2022. The global event will bring together over 700 leading academic scientists, researchers and scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Vertebrate Morphology, such as Biomechanics, Evolutionary Developmental Biology and Paleontology. The congress also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Vertebrate Morphology.
The conference, hosted by the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology, will be attended by delegates from over 40 countries, with experts from a variety of International universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, Chicago and Brown.
“Cairns was the perfect choice for the 2022 Congress,” said Dr Olga Panagiotopoulou, from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, who led Australia’s bid to host the event.
“Over recent years, Australia has become a leading nation in vertebrate research and we wanted to bring the international community to a city where they could network together and explore one of the most beautiful destinations in the world,” she said.
Events such as the International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, which is supported by the Queensland Government, drive visitation to region and leave a lasting impact long after the event is held.
Life sciences is a growing sector, with Australia positioned in the world’s top five in biotechnology for the past three years. Queensland has more than 100 large institutes, facilities, research hospitals, precincts, smaller laboratories and other research organisations involved in the biotechnology sector.
Australia competed against Portugal, Italy and the USA for the rights to host the international event.
“Hosting the congress in Cairns will help us attract International experts, a broad range of delegates, and shine a light on the local industry,” continued Dr Panagiotopoulou.
“The Cairns Convention Centre is the perfect host venue, it is close to a variety of accommodation options, an ideal size conference facility, and Cairns provides a lot of pre and post touring options for delegates,” she said.
The International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology will advance knowledge opportunities for researchers and students and allows for them to engage with world experts. It will also provide access for academics to editors from highly regarded scientific journals, such as Nature and Science. Australian delegates will have the opportunity to present to international colleagues about future collaboration and nurture new innovative ideas.
Janet Hamilton, General Manager, Cairns Convention Centre, said, “Attracting this event is a fantastic opportunity for Cairns in 2022. The Centre’s Business Development team will continue working closely with the society executives and Dr Panagiotopoulou to deliver an exceptional international meeting”
“The Centre is a leader within the region, and in Australia, in hosting international scientific conferences, highlighting our industry strengths and research expertise” Hamilton concluded.