INTRODUCTION
Having agreed our five-year Strategic Framework at our 2014 AGM, 2015 saw us gearing up to build our future
capability as well as to deliver our existing activities. Our collective goals can be summarised as promoting
excellence and creating networking and other opportunities for microbiologists in Europe and across the
world. Our strategy focuses on 6 key pillars: research, education, policy, business, public engagement and
internationalisation, our key role being to help our Member Societies serve the microbiology community through
providing resources and opportunities, building capacity, and stimulating collaboration. To achieve these goals, we
focused this year on networking, professionalisation and internationalisation, as well as exploring potential new
revenue streams that can help maintain and develop our charitable activities.
Throughout 2015 we continued our long-term work on our publications, grants and events as well as our emerging
activities in education. This year also saw us start to build new pilots and projects relating to business and public
engagement, as well as devote increased attention to the needs and expertise of our membership. Our intention
is to continue to build these activities in the coming years, and to start new lines of work relating to policy and
internationalization.
RESEARCH
EDUCATION
• First journal issues published with our exciting
new branding
• First special issue on Education in FEMS
Microbiology Letters
• Launch of cross-journal and cross-partner
collections
• First all-day event at a FEMS Congress
• Celebration of FEMS2015 – our 6th Congress; in
Maastricht
• Brought in expertise from 163 expert speakers
from 22 countries
• Awarded more than €460,000 in grants
• Brought 138 grantees – including 12 from Latin
America – to FEMS2015
POLICY
Feedback from our members indicates a high level
of interest in science and public policy issues
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Endorsement for the One Health initiative on AMR
BUSINESS
• Well-attended special session on start-ups at
FEMS2015
INTERNATIONALISATION
• Welcomed 16 new journal editors from Europe,
North America, Latin America and Asia
• Renewed our MOU with our American
counterpart, ASM
• Initiation of new Business Development role to
improve our sustainability
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