17th European Conference on Fungal Genetics (ECFG), Convention Centre Dublin, 2–5 March 2025

The 17th European Conference on Fungal Genetics (ECFG) was held at the Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), Ireland, from 2–5 March 2025. The event brought together 852 delegates from 50 countries—including the USA, Germany, UK, Spain, France, Ireland, Austria, Japan, Korea, Hungary, Greece, and Turkey—marking a major milestone in advancing fungal genetics research and fostering international collaboration.

Over the course of four days, the conference featured 21 keynote speakers who shared cutting-edge insights across a broad range of topics. A total of 192 oral presentations were delivered across 18 concurrent sessions, while 533 posters were presented, highlighting the latest discoveries in fungal genetics, evolution, omics technologies, biotechnology, sustainability, secondary metabolism, and cell biology. Gender balance was proportionally represented among the selected speakers. In addition to the main ECFG sessions, 164 more talks were presented at satellite meetings, bringing the total number of oral presentations to 377. The conference received 711 abstract submissions, demonstrating the vibrancy and growth of the global fungal genetics research community. The event also attracted 20 sponsors and exhibitors, underscoring the increasing interest from industry and providing a platform for dialogue on emerging technologies and applications.

Prof. Kevin Kavanagh and Prof. Özgür Bayram (Biology Department, Maynooth University) co-chaired the conference. Prof. Kavanagh delivered the opening address and chaired the first-day session, while Prof. Bayram hosted the closing ceremony and presented 15 awards to early-career researchers for outstanding posters and talks, which were supported by ECFG.The success of the conference was also supported by a dedicated local organizing committee comprising seven academics from Maynooth University (MU), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), University College Cork (UCC), and the University of Galway (NUIG).