Request for Site Proposals to host VTEC2029:

At the upcoming 2026 VTEC meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland we will decide on a venue for the next VTEC meeting, to be held in 2029!

At the last 10 meetings, several groups made a bid to the International Steering Committee VTEC Symposium (ISC-VTEC), before it decided to designate Kyoto, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Boston and Florence, Banff as the sites of the 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2023 and the upcoming 2026 conference, respectively.

Now, the ISC-VTEC would now like to solicit from all interested individuals proposals for the site of VTEC 2029. These proposals will be presented to the ISC-VTEC at the VTEC2026 meeting in a closed session, and, if the information is sufficient, a decision will be made before, and announced at, the closing session in Aberdeen.

In considering whether or not a group is able to continue in the fruitful scientific and interactive tradition that has characterized each of the past VTEC meetings, it is helpful to review the meeting objectives, as formulated at the 1994 meeting in Bergamo, Italy:

  • To host a multidisciplinary international scientific forum on state-of-the-art developments in all aspects of VTEC/STEC infection.
  • To promote education in VTEC/STEC infection, stimulate the exchange of knowledge and foster collaborative research efforts among microbiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, clinicians, public health experts, veterinarians, food industry officials, and others with an interest in this area.
  • To preserve the essential tradition of earlier VTEC meetings of achieving a synthesis between science, medicine, art, culture, and humanity.

Accordingly, the following guidelines for selection of a site will be applied by the ISC-VTEC:

  • A local host to deal with the meeting organizational issues, and evidence of administrative infrastructure. For example, the organizers of the VTEC 2012 conference were Congress Consultants and for VTEC 2009 the organization providing support was the Asociación Argentina de Microbiología with additional logistical support from Ana Juan Congresos. In 2006, the Australian Society of Microbiology was the major organization that provided administrative support for VTEC 2006.
  • Rotational representation (new sites will be favored, though not mandatory).
  • A suitable congress hall / meeting site that can accommodate a range of participant numbers, from 200 to potentially as many as 600 attendees. In addition to a single large room for plenary sessions, there should also be rooms for 2 or 3 simultaneous “break- out” sessions as well as sufficient poster display space.
  • Favorable budget considerations to promote wide international participation, including participation by students and scientists from developing countries. This objective might
    be achieved through such mechanisms as travel sponsorship, availability of economical accommodations, and reduced registration fees for specified groups, etc.
  • Accessibility to travelers (close to an international airport, served by major carriers directly from all continents)
  • Local/regional appreciation of STEC-disease
  • A core of investigators is present at or near the site, or in the region
  • Local financial and in-kind support, including evidence of committed local sponsorship.
  • Draft budget
  • Assessment of risks of sub-optimal success, i.e., an insufficient number of delegates, and/or speakers, etc., and inadequate local financial support
  • Social programs. The meeting strives to facilitate close social and intellectual interactions among participants. To achieve these interactions, it is necessary to have attractive social programs to keep people “cloistered.”

The Committee will systematically review the proposals by the extent to which they satisfy the objectives and principles of the meeting. Preparers should take these itemized considerations into account.

The proposal process consists of two parts:

  • A written proposal addressing the above guidelines to be submitted as a pdf-file by e-mail by March 31, 2026.
  • An oral presentation to the ISC-VTEC during the VTEC 2026 meeting in May, 2026.

In view of the large number of preliminary inquiries so far received, only a subset of the written proposals will be chosen for the oral presentation at VTEC 2018. It is acceptable that the written proposals submitted by March 31, 2026 do not have all of the necessary details finalized. The major purpose of the written proposal is to allow the ISC-VTEC to choose a subset of applicants for the oral presentation during VTEC 2018. During the oral presentation, additional details and materials can be presented.


Proposals by email should be addressed by March 31, 2026 to:

Prof.Dr Nicole van de Kar, MD, PhD, chair of ISC-VTEC
Department of Pediatric Nephrology
Radboud University Medical Center
P.O.Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen (115), The Netherlands
Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Please send as a pdf-file by e-mail to: Nicole.vandeKar@radboudumc.nl

Please contact Dr. Nicole van de Kar (Nicole.vandeKar@radboudumc.nl) if you would like additional details, or wish to discuss your potential proposal.