On behalf of the scientific and organizational committees of the Congress, we would like to cordially invite you to participate.

The aim of this event is to present the latest developments in microbiology that contribute to a better understanding of the role of microorganisms in nature and to bring together microbiologists from Serbia and the region with the best professionals from all over Europe, including microbiologists of various disciplines, bioinformaticians, geneticists, molecular biologists, biochemists, epidemiologists, pediatricians, infectious disease physicians and all other scientists with common interests.

This regional meeting will address all current microbiological problems and offer solutions to overcome them by world-class experts in the field. The resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs is causing major problems in veterinary and human medicine, necessitating the improvement of vaccines and the discovery of new drugs, but also alternative treatment models. Growing antimicrobial resistance, especially biofilm- related, requires alternative measures to biocontrol the spread of the microorganisms in various environments. These sessions will discuss the possible alternatives to the common antimicrobials, varying from bacteriophage applications, new natural compounds biotechnology or nanotechnology, as well as biological control, for the inactivation of the pathogenic and/or resistant phenotypes of the microorganisms.

In addition, food manufacturers and retailers have been trying for decades to reduce the material damage and risks to human health posed by biofilms in food processing facilities. The environment is already too polluted by many human missteps, so any help from microorganisms to remove or process waste materials can be a big help. We are getting better and better at using microorganisms in technological processes, firstly in the medical field, but also in agriculture, industry and the energy sectors.

Our knowledge of how microbial diversity is distributed in natural environments and how microbes influence ecosystems is constantly evolving as public databases are established and new techniques based on massive sequencing are developed. The microbiomes found in anthropogenic environments and on human-made materials are generally much less complex than those found in natural environments. Despite this simplicity, it is very difficult to link cause and effect when it comes to determining the role of individual microorganisms. Improved genome engineering tools in model organisms allow for a comprehensive remodeling of metabolic and regulatory networks.

At the same time, a growing number of non-model organisms can be modified with different traits so that they can be further used in different applications and environments. This expanded range of engineering capabilities and modified species brings their application in the real world closer and has the potential to make a real contribution to sustainability and addressing global health challenges.

Microorganisms are the key drivers of ecosystem functions, and microbial diversity plays a central role in maintaining the stability and sustainability of ecosystems. These sessions will examine some of the principles that shape and maintain this biodiversity and explore the factors that shape microbiomes and contribute to the success of specific members of communities in different habitats. Presentations will focus on omics techniques such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, which are used to better understand why the health of humans, animals and plants depends on microbial interactions. In this way, the complex microbiomes and the interactions between the microbiota and a variety of host organisms from different domains of life will be explored.

The Congress is in the process of accreditation by the Health Council of the Republic of Serbia.