ABACBS 2025 Frequently Asked Questions 

What size should I make my poster?

Posters should be in A0 in portrait orientation.


What about social media?

We know the social media landscape has become increasingly fragmented, so here’s our plan to keep things simple:

  • Official event hashtag: #ABACBS2025 — 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. 

Is there a Welcome reception for ABACBS 2025?

Yes this will be held Monday evening at 5:30pm at the Adelaide Oval


Will there be poster and talk awards?

Main ones up for grabs will be

  • ABACBS 2025 Lightning Talk Award

  • ABACBS 2025 Outstanding Presentation Award

  • ABACBS 2025 People’s Choice Poster Award

  • ABACBS 2025 Outstanding Poster Award

The lightning talk will be by popular vote as will the people’s choice. The outstanding presentation and poster awards will be judged. In the interest of transparency this is the criteria we’ll be providing to judges


Clarity of Hypothesis / Problem – The research question or problem to be solved is clearly defined, logically framed, and supported by appropriate background or rationale.


Visual Design & Data Presentation – Figures and visual elements are clear, well-organised, and visually appealing. Legends, labels, and axis text should be legible and easy to interpret. Data are presented accurately and effectively to support conclusions.


Communication & Discussion – Presenter communicates clearly and confidently, explains the work in an accessible way, and engages thoughtfully in discussion. For presentations should be within the allocated time limit. For posters, the explanation should be concise (~2–3 minutes) while still covering the key message and findings.


Significance & Innovation – The work demonstrates novelty, creativity, potential impact in advancing bioinformatics/computational biology or an innovative application of bioinformatics to solve a problem.


Questions – Presenter responds to questions and demonstrates a sound understanding of the broader context of their work. It’s acceptable not to know every answer, but responses should show critical thinking and awareness of the field.


Tell me more about the conference venue

The conference is held at the Adelaide Oval with most activities held on the third floor. The venue is wheelchair accessible, with ramps located near all stairs and lifts located near all escalators. Upon arrival at the venue, our ABACBS volunteers will direct delegates to the western escalators and lifts to make their way to the third floor. There are unisex accessible toilets located near all male and female toilets. Delegates will have access to the grandstands overlooking the oval throughout the conference if they wish to step outside at any point. Please note that there is strictly no smoking or vaping permitted at the venue, including the outdoor areas. If required, please exit the venue and cross to the other side of War Memorial Drive before smoking or vaping.

You can find more information about getting to the Adelaide Oval here it is a short walk from the Adelaide train station in CBD over Riverbank Footbridge (~600-700m). The workshops are on at Flinders University Festival Plaza which is next to the train station. Car parking is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. There is limited ticketed on street car parking nearby to the Adelaide Oval. Parking can also be booked online. The map below shows the location of ABACBS 2025 and parking locations. The blue X marks the South Gate of the Adelaide Oval (where the registration desk will be). The Adelaide train station and ABACBS workshops location is also marked.

Please see the Adelaide Oval (https://www.adelaideoval.com.au) for detailed information about the venue, including. If you have any further questions or specific requirements, please contact us at conference@abacbs.org.


How much does it cost to REGISTER FOR for ABACBS 2025?

Below are an overview of the early bird rates (AUD), valid until 26 September. For the full list of options and combinations, see the link on the conference home page.

  • ABACBS Conference (2 days): $470 (members), $330 (students), or $580 (non-members)

  • ABACBS + COMBINE (3 days): $540 (members), $380 (students), or $640 (non-members)

  • COMBINE alone: $200 (members), $150 (students), or $250 (non-members)

  • EMCR Shark Tank alone: $100 (members), or $150 (non-members)

  • SBEI alone: $200 (members), $150 (students), or $250 (non-members)

We’ve worked hard to keep costs as low as possible. Running a conference of this size is a big undertaking, and our aim is to break even as any shortfall has to be covered by the society. Any surplus will be either be fed back to members through travel scholarships or back into the society to support our community.


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.


How do I submit an abstract?

Abstracts are closed for now but stay tuned. we hope to open again to allow for late breaking research submission.


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.


What is the EMCR Shark Tank?

The EMCR Shark Tank is a full-day event focused on developing pitching skills for researchers. Participants get tailored feedback on how to communicate their research ideas effectively to a variety of audiences. This event is organised by the ABACBS postdoc subcommittee to help researchers build their network while developing practical skills.


Will there be carer support or childcare options?

Yes. We’ve booked an extra room at the conference venue to serve as a carers’ room. If you plan to bring a partner, friend, or support person to help with childcare during the day, please let us know. Based on feedback from previous years, this flexible approach has worked best. We’re committed to supporting our community—if you need additional childcare support, please reach out to the organising committee so we can discuss options. See contact details on the conference home page


Will there be a virtual stream?

Yes. We’re partnering with the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) to deliver a virtual component via their platform. More details will be shared closer to the conference.


How can I ask another question?

Jump on over to the ABACBS slack (https://abacbs.slack.com) or email conference@abacbs.org