ABACBS 2026 Frequently Asked Questions
What size should I make my poster?
Posters should be in A0 in portrait orientation.
Official conference hashtag and social media policy.
We know the social media landscape has become increasingly fragmented, so here’s our plan to keep things simple:
Official event hashtag: #ABACBS2026, please use it for posts, photos, and updates.
The primary social platform for the event will be BlueSky. You can follow ABACBS at @abacbs.bsky.social
There is also the ABACBS Society slack channel where we’d encourage attendees to ask questions or engage in the conference channel if BlueSky isn’t your thing.
What is your refund policy?
If you need a refund, please contact conference@abacbs.org. We’ll do our best to help, though as we get closer to the event and finalise things like catering, only partial, or in some cases no refund, may be possible.
What happens to conference profits?
Some years the ABACBS conference runs at a profit, other years at a loss. Any surplus goes back to ABACBS to support the community. For example, funding member awards, running future meetings (including smaller symposia and workshops), funding our student society COMBINE, and supporting future conferences. All organisers are volunteers; no one is paid, and in most cases organisers do not even receive a registration waiver.
What is COMBINE?
COMBINE is the Australian Computational Biology And Bioinformatics Student Society. They host their annual symposium on the Monday before the main ABACBS conference, showcasing student research and providing networking opportunities.
What is SBEI?
SBEI (Symposium on Bioinformatics and Engineered Intelligence) is the annual symposium run by the ABACBS professional subcommittee. This year it is focused on GenAI across AgTech, Biotech and HealthTech.
Will there be carer support or childcare options?
TBA
Will there be a virtual stream?
TBA
Do I have to register for the conference if I want to attend the workshops?
Yes, workshop attendance requires a valid conference registration. You can add workshops to your registration during the sign-up process at iscb.swoogo.com/abacbs2026/begin. Workshop fees are separate from conference registration (Standard A$90).
I have a question about a specific event (e.g. Hackathon)
For enquiries about satellite or associated events, please contact the relevant event organisers directly. For general conference questions, reach out to us at conference@abacbs.org and we'll point you in the right direction.
Are there carer options available for attendees?
Yes, we are committed to making ABACBS 2026 as accessible as possible. If you require carer support or have specific needs, please contact us at conference@abacbs.org and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Are there scholarship options available to attend the conference?
Yes, a number of travel scholarships are available to support students and early-career researchers attending ABACBS 2026.
EMCR Funding Futures travel scholarship - three $500 travel scholarships available for postdocs. Apply via the EMCR-2026 page.
BioCASia travel scholarship - up to AU$400 available for students and early-career researchers attending BioCASia 2026, supported by SAiGENCI. Apply at biocasia2026.bioconductor.org/travel-scholarship/
COMBINE travel awards 0 available for students attending the COMBINE Symposium. Check the Combine-2026 page for details.