Meningitis Research Foundation Conference 2025

18-19th November 2025: BMA House, London

We are delighted to announce that we will be holding our 15th International Meningitis Research Foundation Conference on the 18-19th November 2025, at the BMA House in London, UK

Our world-leading research conference, dedicated to meningitis, invites delegates from around the world to join us for two days of cutting-edge presentations, panel discussions and poster presentations; as well as the opportunity to network.

Book your place today

We are delighted to offer a 20% early-bird discount, available to book by September 4th 2025, along with a substantial discount for early-career researchers and those from low- or lower-middle-income settings.

Should you have any questions about registering for the conference, please contact our Conference Team at: mrfconference2025@outsourcedevents.com

Bursary Fund

With funding from Wellcome, this year’s bursary scheme will provide financial support for travel, accommodation and subsistence to nationals of (and residents for at least 60% of the year in) a low-income or lower-middle-income country, interested in attending the conference. This is determined according with the current World Bank classification.

As part of the bursary process, we request that applicants submit an abstract that adheres to the submission guidelines outlined in the below call for poster abstracts. Successful bursary applicants will be given space for display at BMA House and published on the conference app. After the conference, posters will also be made available on our website.

The bursary scheme offers a limited number of places and will be awarded through a competitive selection process.

We aim to award bursaries by mid-June to enable time for visa applications and travel arrangements. Please complete the below form and submit by Friday 23rd May 2025.

Programme and themes

Guided by internationally renowned experts, our comprehensive two-day programme will showcase the very latest research, best practices and global strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management, of all causes of meningitis.

Our detailed programme is currently under development, with themes anticipated to include:

The global epidemiology of meningitis: insights into an evolving picture
Strategies for prevention and epidemic control: optimising use of vaccines and developing next-generation solutions
Advances in meningitis diagnosis and clinical management
Enhancing global meningitis surveillance: current efforts and future directions
Understanding and addressing meningitis sequelae: including insights from individuals with lived experience of disease
Progress of the "WHO Defeating Meningitis by 2030" Global Road Map

Bursary scheme application form

Please submit your application below for the Meningitis Research Foundation Bursary Scheme 2025

The deadline for applications is Friday 23rd May 2025.

We regret that applications received after the deadline cannot be considered. Please note that applicants who have previously been awarded a Meningitis Research Foundation bursary are not eligible to apply.

After this deadline, the conference steering group will review applications, shortlist candidates, and select the successful applicants, who will then be notified of the outcome.

Our Privacy policy describes why and how we collect and use personal data and provides information about your rights.

Please contact mrfconference2025@outsourcedevents.com if you have any questions about this process.

Title:	*required
First Name:	*required
Last Name/Family Name:	*required
Email:	*required
Organisation:	*required
Institutional/workplace address:	*required
Are you a national or resident, for at least 60% of the year, in a low-income or lower-middle-income country?:	Yes No *required
If Yes, which country?:
If Other, please specify:
Please outline your Education and Qualifications, including institution and year of award:	*required
Do you consider yourself an Early Career Researcher (ECR)?:	Yes No *required. For the purposes of this bursary programme, an ECR is typically defined as someone who is up to 5 years post-PhD/their highest degree (e.g., PhD, MD, MSc) and is not yet in a permanent senior academic or research leadership position.
Please outline your professional and/or research experience, starting with your current job title and any other work experience relevant to the Meningitis Research Foundation Conference bursary programme:	*required (Please include your role, the organisation/institution, dates of employment, and duties)
Please list any relevant publications you have authored, or co-authored:	*required
Please list any conferences that you have attended in the last five years and detail whether you had an accepted poster or oral presentation:	*required
Please outline how attending this conference will be relevant and important for you in your work and future career:	*required
Would this bursary be the only way that you can attend our conference in-person??:	Yes No *required
Please upload your poster abstract here:	*required. As part of your bursary application, you are required to submit a poster abstract that adheres to the submission guidelines provided on our website.
Please upload a letter of support from your Head of Department or Supervisor:	*required

Poster abstract submission form

Please submit your abstract by downloading this form and emailing it to mrfconference2025@outsourcedevents.com by Tuesday 9^th September 2025. The abstracts should be written in English and the presenting author is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content of the abstract before submission.

Meningitis Research Conference 2025 - Poster abstract form

Download

Call for poster abstracts is now open

We are now inviting submission of poster abstracts to be considered for display at our Meningitis Research Foundation Conference 2025.

The Steering Committee welcomes abstracts on any form of meningitis and related infections, covering both scientific and healthcare perspectives, with submissions that align with the conference themes outlined in the programme particularly encouraged.

Abstracts will need to be categorised under any of the five pillars outlined in the WHO Defeating meningitis by 2030 global road map:

1. Prevention and epidemic control
2. Diagnosis and treatment
3. Disease surveillance
4. Support and care for people affected by meningitis
5. Advocacy and engagement

If you are unsure which category your poster best fits under, please contact the Conference Team (mrfconference2025@outsourcedevents.com) to discuss this further.

Accepted abstracts will be given space for display at BMA House and published on the conference app. After the conference, posters will also be made available on our website.

Please note: In order for a printed poster to be displayed physically at BMA House, and a digital copy made available on the app, the presenting author must be registered to attend in person.

Instructions for preparation of posters will be sent together with the acceptance notification. Authors of the top five abstracts will be invited to give a short (5 minute) oral presentation of their work at the conference. All authors of accepted abstracts will be asked to send in a PDF/Powerpoint copy of their poster before the conference for consideration by the Steering Committee, who will award a prize for the best poster (NB: the best poster prize will not necessarily be awarded to one of the poster presenters. Posters with commercial funding are eligible to be chosen to give oral presentations, but are not eligible for the best poster award).

Conference Steering Committee

Meet our expert Steering Committee

We are delighted to announce that, this year our programme will be guided by a panel of distinguished experts in the field:

Dr Merijn Bijlsma, Amsterdam University Medical Center
Professor Ray Borrow, UK Health Security Agency
Dr Matthew Coldiron, Médecins Sans Frontières
Dr Dominique Caugant, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Dr Kanny Diallo, Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique
Professor Paul Heath, St George's, University of London
Professor Robert Heyderman, University College London (UCL)
Dr Lorenzo Pezzoli, World Health Organization
Dr Paula Reges, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation
Professor Fiona Russell, University of Melbourne
Professor Caroline Trotter, University of Cambridge
Dr Anne Von Gottberg, National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD)
Professor Guy Thwaites, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU)
Professor Joe Jarvis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

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