Organize an Event
Organizing an event with FASEB allows you to advance research in — and foster a community around — a specific area of research in the life sciences. Becoming an organizer also positions you as a leader in your community, building your credibility and advancing your career.
FASEB makes organizing an event easier. Our professional meetings team helps with all areas of managing your conference from booking venues to arranging accommodations to helping secure sponsorships. Moreover, with FASEB, you have complete control over topic and speaker selection — something other organizations can’t always promise.
And now FASEB offers two different conference event formats, depending on the organizer experience level and maturity of the topic: Science Research Conferences (SRCs) and Catalyst Conferences.
These four to five-day, in-person conferences are for established research topics and are led by recognized researchers in the life sciences. Featuring a mix of scientific lectures and poster sessions, SRCs provide a unique opportunity for early-career researchers to get one-on-one interaction with established scientists in formal as well as informal settings. SRCs take place throughout the year, with attendance ranging from 100 to 200 researchers. Check out the SRC Quick Start Guide for Organizers, Be a FASEB SRC Organizer flyer and Organizer Expectations document for additional information on the basics of organizing an SRC.
Why You Should Organize an SRC
Organizing an SRC allows you to:
- Be an integral part in advancing research in your field,
- Provide an important channel for exchange of information with researchers in your field,
- Empower early career investigators in your field with invaluable opportunities for career development, networking, mentoring, and
- Leverage FASEB's experienced meeting planning, marketing, and grants management staff to help you plan, promote, generate support for, and manage your conference.
Interested in organizing a conference? We have a new online portal for 2025 submissions that will open in May. The deadlines for 2025 SRC Proposals are September 28, 2023, and February 8, 2024.
Review and Decision
Applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the FASEB SRC Advisory Committee. A few weeks following the official peer-review of your proposal, you will receive a letter with the committee’s decision and comments (if applicable). Once approved, you will work with FASEB to select a location. Then, FASEB's Grants Proposal Manager will reach out to you to begin your fundraising efforts, and a FASEB Conference Manager will work closely with you on all planning and logistics thereafter.
Want to learn more? Contact us about organizing a Science Research Conference.
These half-day virtual conferences take place between October and April and allow researchers to explore new topics and provide researchers of any career level the opportunity to try their hand at organizing a conference. Catalysts Conferences also help prepare you to convene a larger, longer, and more complex SRC. You can choose to organize Catalyst Conferences at one of two levels — Entry and Advanced. Check out the Catalyst Conference Organizer Guide for additional information.
Why You Should Organize a Catalyst Conference
Organizing a Catalyst Conference allows you to:
- Test a new conference topic,
- Create a following for a field of research,
- Build a speaker pool,
- Establish a conference track record,
- Excite potential sponsors.
If you are interested in organizing a Catalyst Conference, please send the following information to catalysts@faseb.org:
- Catalyst Conference title and topic description in a few sentences
- Proposed date for your Catalyst Conference (Catalyst Conferences are normally held on Wednesdays, October through April)
- Organizer bio
Catalyst Conference proposals are accepted on submission, with periodic reviews to ensure topic relevance and monitor speaker line up as the agenda develops.
Want to learn more? Contact us about organizing a Catalyst Conference.
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Policy
FASEB is committed to sustaining diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in the biological and biomedical sciences. Our goal is to create and support a conference environment that is welcoming and safe for all. FASEB believes inclusion of diverse participants, including attendees and speakers, is critical to the scientific and educational integrity of conferences. Organizers are expected to design programs that reflect this commitment. View our listing of diversity resources for organizers.