We warmly welcome you to the Annual Conference 2027 of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) in Marburg one of the premier places in Germany to conduct cutting edge research in Microbiology. It is our pleasure to host this gathering of the German microbiology community in Marburg for the third time, following previous very successful conferences in 1989 and 2015.

The year 2027 is of particular significance for Marburg. The Philipps-Universität Marburg celebrates its 500th anniversary, and the foundation of the first chair in Microbiology at the Department of Biology by Prof Rolf Thauer was established just about 50 years ago. Today, Marburg provides a dynamic and highly collaborative, internationally visible, microbiological research environment that includes the Philipps-Universität, the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the joint research hubs SYNMIKRO and the Microcosm Earth Earley Carrer Center, as well as the DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence Microbes-for-Climate, and the Microbial Nucleotide Metabolism consortium. Together, these institutions and research consortia provide a solid foundation and cutting-edge infrastructure for interdisciplinary collaboration, facilitating scientifically excellent research in the wider field of Microbiology.

The scientific program will feature the breadth and diversity of microbial research in Germany and beyond and will provide a special stage for early career scientist. The conference’s central themes will be highlighted through plenary sessions focusing on Microbial Physiology, Climate and Sustainability, Microbial Evolution, and Microbial Cell Biology. In addition, for the first time, an entire plenary session will be dedicated to Microbes and Microbiologist in Industry, recognizing the vital role of microbial biotechnology for the German (bio)economy. The program will be complemented by keynote lectures, as well as parallel and special sessions. We intend to showcase the breadth and diversity of microbiological research and provide career and mentoring workshops.

We look forward to an inspiring conference filled with stimulating discussions, new perspectives, and a strong sense of scientific community. It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the beautiful and historic university town Marburg. – Let’s celebrate microbiology in all its diversity!