Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation, on whose land SBEI2026 will be held. We honour their enduring connection to land, waters and culture, and pay our respects to Elders past and present, extending that respect to all First Nations peoples attending and contributing to the ABACBS Conference and SBEI2026.

Welcome to SBEI2026

Welcome to SBEI2026, part of the Australian Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Society (ABACBS) Annual Conference. This event is proudly hosted by the ABACBS Professional Bioinformatics Community (APBC), a community dedicated to supporting and connecting bioinformatics professionals across Australia.

This year, SBEI stands for the Symposium on Bioinformatics Empowering Industry, bringing together researchers, technologists and industry leaders to explore the state of the field in bioinformatics across health, biotechnology, agriculture and scientific discovery.

Programme themes

• Population-Scale Bioinformatics
  Infrastructure, National Initiatives & the Australian Genomics Landscape
• Clinical Genomics in Practice
  Comprehensive Genomic Profiling, Regulatory Frameworks & Overcoming Clinical Bottlenecks
• Applied & Environmental Bioinformatics
  Synthetic Biology, Agri-Bio, Wastewater & Pathogen Surveillance
• Bioinformatics Engineering
  Tools, Pipelines, Scalability & the Future of Bioinformatics Infrastructure

We are excited you are part of SBEI2026, a community of professionals, innovators and partners shaping the future of bioinformatics in industry.

Preparing for SBEI

Registration

All speakers will be registered by the organising team, so you do not need to complete a separate registration or attendee form for SBEI. If you are also attending the main ABACBS Conference, 16–20 November, or any workshops, please register separately.

ABACBS registration portalOfficial SBEI2026 webpage

Before the event

• Check your name and affiliation on the official SBEI2026 webpage.
• Inform the organising team of dietary requirements, including allergies.
• Let the team know about accessibility or mobility assistance needs.
• Contact the organising team early about anything else that would make your participation more comfortable.

You should receive an email confirmation in the coming weeks that you have been registered for SBEI2026.

Key contacts

On-site logistics

• Venue:Lecture Theatre, Level 1, Building 16, 336–348 Swanston Street, corner of La Trobe Street, RMIT University City Campus, Melbourne VIC 3000.
• Arrival: Please arrive at least 30 minutes before your session.
• Check-in: Collect your badge and speaker lanyard at the registration desk.
• Venue Wi-Fi, catering and layout details will be provided on-site closer to the event.

RMIT directions and campus map

Public transport

Level 1 Lecture theatre is within Storey Hall building is on Swanston Street near the corner of La Trobe Street. Take a City Loop train to Melbourne Central or Flinders Street station, then walk or connect by tram along Swanston Street, routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67 or 72, or La Trobe Street, routes 24, 30 or 35.

During your session

Slide and presentation preparation

• Accepted formats: PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF in 16:9 aspect ratio.
• Upload deadline: 9 November 2026.
• Backup: Bring a USB backup copy of your slides.
• Presenting on your own laptop is not encouraged and is available only in exceptional circumstances arranged in advance.
• Readability: Use large, legible fonts over 18 pt and high-contrast colours.
• Multimedia: Embed videos and animations, or ensure they can play offline.

Session formats

• Keynotes: Two keynote presentations, Population-Scale Bioinformatics and Applied & Environmental Bioinformatics, each run for approximately 20 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions.
• Talks: Standard session talks are allocated 15 minutes; sponsor and industry talks are typically 7–10 minutes. Sessions will be kept to a strict schedule as much as possible.
• Q&A: Each of the four sessions closes with a moderated Q&A, 20–45 minutes depending on the session, combining pre-selected questions with audience participation.

Room set-up

• The room podium will have a presentation computer.
• Organisers will assist with set-up before your session.
• Arrive early to check your slides, particularly embedded media.

Audience profile, style and tone

SBEI attracts a multidisciplinary audience. Most attendees will have a solid technical background, although not everyone will be deeply familiar with biology or biomedical context.

• Avoid excessive domain-specific jargon.
• Focus on ideas, workflows and practical applications.
• Share challenges and failures as well as solutions.
• Be professional, open and approachable.
• Balance technical content with accessibility.
• Encourage curiosity and conversation.

On the day

Media, recording and consent

Sessions are streamed online for registered users. Sessions may also be photographed for ABACBS and SBEI promotional materials, including social media, websites and future event highlights. If you prefer not to be recorded or photographed, please let the organisers know so arrangements can be made.

Confidentiality and unpublished data

Speakers should clearly indicate any material that is confidential, commercially sensitive or unpublished. Attendees will be reminded to respect any restrictions on photography or redistribution of such content.

Promotion and social media

Tag @ABACBS and use #SBEI2026 on LinkedIn, X or Bluesky when sharing your talk or panel. Speakers are encouraged to share session details and insights ahead of time.

Official websiteABACBS on LinkedIn

Final notes

Thank you for being part of SBEI2026 and for contributing your time, experience and ideas to this year's programme.

We would love to hear your reflections, suggestions and honest feedback after the event. Most of all, we hope you enjoy the experience: have fun, meet new people, network, exchange ideas and discover new perspectives.

We also acknowledge and thank our sponsors and partners, including CSL, AGRF and Databricks, for their generous support.

Note: This is a live guide and will be updated with new information and logistical details up until the opening of the symposium.