By submitting an abstract or a session proposal for FEMS MICRO 2025 in Milan, Italy (14-17 July 2025), you are agreeing on behalf of all authors and session contributors, to the following terms and conditions. Don’t forget to also check our AI Guidelines. 

General conditions 

• All submissions must be complete upon submission and submitted by the respective deadline (15 November 2024, 23:59 CET – session proposal submissions | 24 January 2025, 23:59 CET – abstract submissions). Submissions after the deadline will not be accepted.  

• The preference is for a maximum of two submissions per submitter. FEMS encourages you to submit one proposal under any of the Scientific Tracks (Eco Innovations, Health Horizons or Biotechnology) and one focused on Engagement & Growth. If you are interested in making multiple submissions for FEMS MICRO 2025, please ensure that the content is significantly different.  

• An acceptance to FEMS MICRO 2025 based on a submission does not entitle you to any financial benefits such as registration fee, travel or accommodation.     

• FEMS MICRO 2025 will be an in-person event; speakers/session contributors must attend and present at the congress in person.  

• It is the responsibility of the submitter to ensure that all co-authors/collaborators are aware of and agree with their names appearing in the  abstract/session proposal submission.  

• Submissions must be in English.   

• All submissions will be reviewed by the FEMS MICRO 2025 Programme Committee. 

• Active promotion of commercial entities, products or services is not permitted.   

Attendance and registration   

• As an accepted speaker, you agree to be available to attend FEMS MICRO 2025 and present on any of the days. The event takes place on (14-17 July 2025). 

• All submitters, session contributors and presenting authors are required to register and pay the congress registration fee in advance of the event. 

• The presenting author must register as an active participant at the congress at the latest 14 days after acceptance of an abstract.  

• All accepted session contributors must register as active participants at the Congress within the early bird registration period. 

• FEMS reserves the right to exclude any abstract that is not followed by a participant registration at the latest 14 days after notification of acceptance.   

• It is the role of the submitter to inform all co-authors/collaborators of the above points upon submission, and in advance of the congress. 

Terms of acceptance for interactive session proposal 

• The exact timeslot for each accepted session proposal will be confirmed in March 2025. Once the schedule has been published, changes cannot be made to the date and time that the proposal has been assigned to. Time slots are limited and there is a full programme throughout the week; as a result, time preferences cannot be guaranteed. All submitters are asked to ensure that session contributors are available from 10:00 to 17:00 on 15-17 July 2025. If a speaker is unavailable, they must be replaced.  

• If accepted for a session proposal, all session contributors agree to attend the session in person during the scheduled time/date and upload all presentation files by June 2025 (exact date to be provided closer to the event), or their session will be withdrawn. 

• Withdrawal of sessions can only be accepted if submitted in writing to FEMS@parthen.nl and subsequently confirmed by FEMS.  

Terms of acceptance for abstract submissions (Poster Display, Flash Talk, Session Talk) 

• In order to be considered for a FEMS MICRO Congress Attendance Grant for Early Career Researchers the submitter must have a complete, accepted abstract. However, this does not guarantee a FEMS MICRO Congress Attendance Grant.  

• Accepted abstract summaries will be published on the congress website and in the congress app.  

• Abstracts may have been presented elsewhere or published within the past 12 months but shall be updated to relate specifically to this congress.   

• If accepted for a poster display, the presenting author agrees to present their poster according to the poster guidelines that will be communicated by email, or it will be withdrawn.   

• If accepted for a flash talk, the presenting author agrees to present their poster according to the poster guidelines and their flash talk according to the flash talk guidelines that will be communicated by email, or it will be withdrawn. 

• If accepted for a session talk, the presenting author agrees to present the abstract during the scheduled time/date and upload all presentation files by  June 2025 (exact date to be provided closer to the event) or their abstract will be withdrawn.   

• Withdrawal of abstracts can only be accepted if submitted in writing  to FEMS@parthen.nl and subsequently confirmed by FEMS.  

• All extended abstract submissions that are not selected for session talks will be considered for poster displays by the FEMS MICRO 2025 Programme Committee.  

• FEMS will only request your formal confirmation of attendance if your abstract is accepted for a different submission type than your indicated preference during the submission process, at the latest 14 days after notification of acceptance.  

• It is the responsibility of all investigators that all studies are performed with respect to national legislation, international legislation and ethical guidelines both with regards to humans and animals. The FEMS reserves the right to reject any submitted abstract that is believed to violate these principles.  

• I understand that if this abstract is accepted, FEMS will own the rights to any electronic or print compilation of conference abstracts, as outlined in FEMS Copyright Policy below.   

Contact 

• The submitter is responsible for ensuring that the email address of the presenting author is correct as it will be used for contacting them after the review process.  

• The submitter will keep FEMS informed of any changes to the contact information provided.   

• Notification of acceptance or rejection of all submissions will be sent to the submitting authors by mid-March 2025.   

• For all enquiries regarding abstracts and submissions, please contact  FEMS at  FEMS@parthen.nl

FEMS MICRO copyright policy  

In consideration of the acceptance by FEMS of the abstract and any other materials that attendee may submit to FEMS in connection with a FEMS meeting or conference (the “Presentation Materials”), attendee grants FEMS a royalty-free, nonexclusive worldwide license to use, modify, publish, reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute, publicly display, and archive the Presentation Materials, in whole or in part, in all forms of print and electronic media, for commercial or non-commercial use.    

Under this license, attendee also grants FEMS permission to sublicense to others any or all of the aforementioned rights.    

Attendee understands that they retain ownership of the Presentation Materials; however, attendee further understands that FEMS shall own and retain all intellectual property rights in any printed or electronic collection or compilation of Presentation Materials in whole or in part.    

By submitting the Presentation Materials, attendee represents and warrants that the Presentation Materials are original to attendee or that they have the right to use such Presentation Materials, and that the Presentation Materials do not contain any material that will violate the copyright or any personal, proprietary, or other right of any person or entity.  Attendee is responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions required to grant rights to FEMS prior to submission.    

It is the responsibility of all submitters that all studies are performed with respect to national legislation, international legislation and ethical guidelines both with regards to humans and animals. FEMS reserves the right to reject any submitted abstract that is believed to violate these principles.    

FEMS acknowledges national or international law may not attach copyright protection to Presentation Materials, in which cases the abstract license does not apply. However, all other provisions that attendee is required to agree to during the abstract submission process remain in effect.  

Anti-plagiarism  

FEMS invites the presentation of new and original material in a range of multi-disciplinary topics in microbiology. FEMS takes plagiarism very seriously. Therefore, if an abstract, after careful review, examination and consideration, is rejected on the basis of plagiarism, all authors of the abstract will be denied the opportunity for further abstract submissions for the following two years. Note that this means that no abstracts from any of the authors (as author or co-author on subsequent submissions) will be accepted for any FEMS event for a period of two years starting on the date of the event for which the abstract was originally submitted. 

Guidelines for using AI for abstract submissions 

AI-powered Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools can help to structure and summarize information for scientific abstracts. However, for the submission process for FEMS MICRO 2025, FEMS urges you to use these tools responsibly, as it is essential to maintain the integrity and originality of your work 

It is important that you use AI as a supportive tool rather than to generate your core submission content. Please follow these guidelines when using NLP tools during the abstract preparation process: 

A) Use AI to refine language, not to generate content 

• AI tools should be used to improve the clarity, grammar, and style of your abstract. Do not use AI to generate the scientific content, ideas, or conclusions in your abstract. 

• Ensure that the core research contributions and findings presented in the abstract are entirely your own, and that AI is only used to refine how these are communicated

B) Maintain originality and intellectual ownership 

• Use NLP tools to rephrase or enhance specific sentences but avoid excessive reliance on AI-generated text that may obscure your original voice or style. 

• Be mindful that overuse of AI-assisted writing may affect the originality of your work. Ensure that the final abstract reflects your research intent and personal expression. 

C) Verify accuracy of technical terminology and factcheck all information

• Natural Language Processing (NLP) generative AI models have been shown to hallucinate such that AI that contains false or misleading information presented as fact. Your foremost role as a scientist is to seek the truth, so do not rely on a frequently unreliable source to cultivate a fact-base for your hypotheses. 

• AI-generated suggestions may not always understand complex scientific terminology or concepts. Carefully review AI-generated language suggestions to ensure that scientific terms, formatting, key findings, and methodologies remain accurate. 

• Avoid accepting AI-recommended changes to technical terms without proper review to prevent any loss of precision in the scientific content. 

D) Proofread and review 

• After using AI tools, manually proofread your abstract to ensure that all modifications are accurate, contextually appropriate, and aligned with the scientific message you wish to convey. 

• Share the final version with your co-authors for review, especially after using AI tools, to get feedback on clarity, coherence, and content accuracy. 

If you do use AI, please disclose in during the submission process as a reference.