From July 12-16, the 2026 International Biometric Conference in Seoul welcomed nearly 1,000 registrants and an estimated 955 attendees to one of the most well-attended conferences in the Society's history.
"The scientific community came out to support their colleagues and a very deserving conference host this year," said Executive Director Peter Doherty, CAE. "More than eighteen months of planning have led us to this moment, and we would like to thank those past and current Local Organizing Committee members for their perseverance." The IBC had originally been scheduled to come to Seoul in July, 2020.
Academics and others from more than 53 countries were in attendance, including professionals representing more than 31 specialties, and were present on the show floor for this five-day educational event focused on the further development and application of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences. Statisticians, mathematicians, biological scientists, post-docs, students, and other interdisciplinary enthusiasts made up the majority of our attendees. And attendance from the Korean, Eastern North American and Japanese Regions of the IBS was especially strong this year.
Global collaboration and building lasting connections through a variety of social and networking events were top of mind throughout the week, as was a quality scientific program with nearly 700 speakers participating. The IBC also values diverse viewpoints and supports the attendance of delegates from lower- and middle-income countries (133 in attendance in Seoul) and our student community (283 this year) through several travel grant programs and registration discounts.
The IBC will next be held in Basel, Switzerland from 16-21 July, 2028 at the Conference Centre Basel, and planning is already underway. This will be the second time in history that the IBC has been held in Switzerland. We thank our Local Organizing Committee, comprised of members from the Austro-Swiss, French and German Regions of the IBS, for their special conference preview on Thursday, 16 July. You are encouraged to save these dates and look for more information coming soon on the IBC page.
The 2030 IBC host was finalized during IBC2026, and we are pleased to announce that IBC2030 will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Congratulations to the Ethiopian Region and the SUSAN Network of the IBS on receiving this honor. We thank the IBS volunteers involved in the selection process, as well as those volunteers involved in all of the potential host bids. Venue and other conference details will be made available in the months to come.
Founded in 1947 and with 39 active geographic Regions, the International Biometric Society (IBS) is dedicated to the development and application of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences. These fields include agriculture, biomedical science, public health, ecology, environmental sciences, forestry, and related disciplines. The Society's first IBC was held in 1947, and has been held regularly since that time, usually biennially, and in a variety of global locations. For more information on the International Biometric Conference or other International Biometric Society programs, visit biometricsociety.org.