Why 2027 is a "regional" year for microscopy
The two largest gatherings in the field run on long cycles. The 21st International Microscopy Congress (IMC21) took place in Liverpool from 31 August to 4 September 2026, and the 18th European Microscopy Congress (EMC 2028) is scheduled for 16–22 September 2028 at the Barcelona International Convention Center (CCIB). That leaves 2027 without a flagship European or world congress.
In practice, this makes 2027 a good year for meetings where early-career researchers get more speaking time and closer contact with instrument specialists: the biennial Multinational Congress on Microscopy, national and three-country conferences, and focused workshops and schools.
Main microscopy conferences in 2027 at a glance
The table below collects 2027 meetings listed in the European Microscopy Society (EMS) event announcements and the Microscopy Today meetings calendar. Always confirm dates on the organisers' own websites before booking travel.
| Meeting | Dates (2027) | Location | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| European EELS & EFTEM School | 9–12 February | Graz, Austria | Hands-on spectroscopy training |
| Women in Electron Microscopy (WeM 2027) | 8–10 March | Jülich, Germany | Networking and career development |
| Microscopy of Semi-Conducting Materials | 22–24 March | Cambridge, UK | Semiconductor and device characterisation |
| High Throughput Microscopy Conference | 6–9 April | Como, Italy | Automated imaging, screening, data pipelines |
| Top Analytica 6th Microscopy and Microanalysis Workshop | 14–16 April | Turku, Finland | Practical microanalysis |
| 20th French Microscopy Society Congress (with SSOM) | 28 June – 2 July | Grenoble, France | Broad materials and life science programme |
| Microscience Microscopy Congress (MMC 2027) | 5–8 July | Manchester, UK | Large exhibition, light and electron microscopy |
| Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M 2027) | 1–5 August | Pittsburgh, PA, USA | The largest North American meeting |
| Multinational Congress on Microscopy (MCM 2027) | 12–17 September | Trieste, Italy | Central and South-East European community |
| STM'27 – Scanning Tunneling Microscopy | 20–24 September | Stuttgart, Germany | Scanning probe specialists |
Event aggregators also list a Microscopy Conference 2027 in Dresden (29 August – 2 September). Its listing names Conventus Congress & Marketing as the organiser and microscopy-conference.de as the website; check there for the confirmed programme and venue.
MCM 2027 in Trieste: the closest European microscopy conference for the region
For researchers in Serbia and neighbouring countries, the Multinational Congress on Microscopy is the natural anchor of the year. It is a biennial meeting jointly organised by national societies from the region together with the EMS. The 17th edition (17MCM) was held in Portorož, Slovenia, in September 2025, hosted by the Slovene Society for Microscopy with the societies of Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Serbia, and attracted nearly 450 scientists, technologists and industry representatives.
The format is well suited to first conference presentations: plenary keynotes, parallel sessions for materials and life sciences, poster sessions and an industry exhibition, all on a scale where you can actually talk to invited speakers. Belgrade hosted the 14th edition in 2019; the MCM 2019 archive gives a good idea of the typical session structure. The 2027 congress is listed for 12–17 September 2027 in Trieste, with its own website at 18mcm.it.
Choosing the right electron microscopy conference for your research
Big is not always better. Match the meeting to what you need from it:
- Visibility for a first abstract: regional congresses such as MCM or national society meetings give students more oral slots.
- Instrument decisions: MMC and M&M host the largest vendor exhibitions, useful if your lab is planning a purchase.
- Deep technique training: schools such as the EELS & EFTEM School beat a large congress for learning a method properly.
- Niche communities: STM'27 or the semiconductor materials meeting put you in a room with your direct competitors and collaborators.
- Life science imaging: look at the life science sessions of MCM and MMC, and at high-throughput meetings if you work on screening.
Materials science vs life science tracks
Most multi-disciplinary congresses split into instrumentation and techniques, materials science and life science strands. If your work bridges them – for example correlative light and electron microscopy, cryo-methods or in-situ experiments – consider submitting to the methods track, where cross-disciplinary work is usually most welcome. The instrumentation and techniques sessions of MCM 2019 are a typical example of that strand.
Planning timeline for a 2027 microscopy conference
Exact deadlines are set by each organising committee, but the sequence is predictable. Working backwards from a September meeting:
- Autumn–winter before: choose one main and one back-up meeting; tell your supervisor or group leader so it enters the budget.
- When the call for abstracts opens: decide which results will be ready, and prepare figures early – microscopy abstracts are judged heavily on image quality.
- Before the abstract deadline: submit, and apply for any travel grants at the same time; many require an accepted or submitted abstract.
- After acceptance: register before the early-bird deadline and book accommodation, which near popular venues fills quickly.
- Final month: rehearse the talk or print the poster, and arrange meetings with speakers or vendors in advance.
Practical tip: build one strong dataset into two products – a short oral talk and a poster version. If your talk is moved to a poster session, you will be ready, and the figures can be reused in your next paper.
Funding your trip
Early-career researchers rarely pay the full cost themselves. Common options include:
- Scholarships from the European Microscopy Society, which has historically supported young scientists attending congresses such as MCM (see the EMS scholarships page from MCM 2019 for how such calls are structured).
- Student bursaries offered by national microscopy societies and by the congress organisers.
- Project budgets and institutional mobility funds.
- Volunteer or student-helper programmes, which sometimes include free registration.
Looking ahead: EMC 2028 and beyond
If your main results will mature only in 2028, it may be worth presenting preliminary work at a regional 2027 meeting and saving the full story for EMC 2028 in Barcelona. Feedback from a smaller audience often improves the final abstract, and contacts made in 2027 can turn into joint sessions or collaborations a year later.
Conclusion
Without a European or world congress, 2027 rewards a focused choice: MCM in Trieste for the regional community, MMC or M&M for scale and exhibitions, and specialised schools or symposia for depth. Pick the meeting that fits your research stage, plan backwards from the abstract deadline, apply for funding early – and use the year to prepare for EMC 2028.