Date: Tuesday 15 July, 11:30-13:00

Facilitator: Sophia McCully, Horizon Scanning and Foresight Manager at Nuffield Council on Bioethics (UK)

Microbiological research is advancing at an unprecedented pace, intersecting with synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and climate science. These developments bring new opportunities and responsibilities, making it essential to anticipate future trends and their broader impacts. FEMS MICRO 2025 presents an ideal setting to engage scientists by fostering a collaborative environment where researchers can critically examine the trajectory of their field. The Horizons Scanning Lab will provide a forward-looking perspective on emerging scientific, ethical, and policy challenges, equipping scientists with the tools to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of microbiology.

This session will equip participants with: 

• A strategic overview of key scientific and policy developments. 

• Ethical and societal considerations related to microbiology's expanding role in global health, climate action, and biotechnology. 

• Practical tools for embedding responsible research and innovation (RRI) principles 

This session will bring together microbiologists, ethicists, and policy experts to:

• Map out anticipated advancements in microbiology over the next decade. 

• Explore ethical and regulatory considerations, particularly in synthetic biology, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), microbiomes in medicine, environmental and climate microbiology, and the application of AI to research. 

• Identify career and funding opportunities linked to these emerging challenges. 

By engaging researchers in foresight and ethical reflection, this session will contribute to a more informed, anticipatory, and responsible microbiology community.  

Register here >

Date: Wednesday 16 July, 10:00-13:00

Facilitator: Gerrit Jan van 't veen, Fellow at We Are Changemakers (Netherlands)

Over the past 20 years, microbiology has become key to our understanding of human health. From the gut microbiome to phage therapies, our increasing knowledge of the power of microbes is reshaping how we understand, monitor, and enhance our human well-being.  

As we look 20 years into the future, we ask: How can microbiology continue to advance health in ethical, equitable, and safe ways?

Let’s co-create a future where microbiology helps us all thrive! 

Challenge: Imagine the year is 2045. What opportunities can microbiology offer to help everyone live healthier lives in harmony with the microbes in, on, and around us? How might everyday life change if microbiome health were prioritised? How can we shift from a model of treating illness to one of sustaining wellness, with microbes as active partners?

You are invited to shape a visionary future by contributing bold, inspiring, yet plausible ideas to enhance health at personal, community, and global levels. Through storytelling, sketching, prototyping, and discussion, your goal is to create visual concepts, scenarios, or systems that explore how microbiological innovation can:

• Prevent disease before it starts by nurturing balanced microbiomes and resilient immune systems. 

• Adapt to local cultures and ecosystems, respecting place-based knowledge and practices. 

• Balance cutting-edge technology with the wisdom of nature, integrating biotech with ecological principles. 

• Create environments that actively heal, using microbes to design restorative spaces for body and mind. 

• Enhance mental health through the Gut-Brain Axis, unlocking microbial links to emotion, cognition, and mood. 

• Ensure equitable access to microbiological solutions, making innovations available to all communities 

• Your blue-sky ideas! 

Mission: In this 3-hour workshop, you are invited to collaborate in visualising the future of microbiology and human health. Think big, think wild—but keep it grounded in science. What tools, spaces, or experiences might exist in 2045?  

During the workshop, you will work with others to develop an inspiring vision. Each team will create and work on its specific mission. Bring your creativity, curiosity, and wildest ideas.

Pre-work: We encourage those intending to register for the Embracing Microbes into the Future workshops to join us for a special preparatory training webinar as preparation for this work together. This webinar will be taking place at 15:00 CEST on Wednesday 25 June. You will be introduced to the methodologies, tools, and principles we will use in the workshops, allowing each team to work on their particular challenge in Milan more effectively.

Each event has limited seating for 60 registered attendees of FEMS MICRO Milan 2025. Please note you may only attend one of the two Embracing Microbes into the Future workshops.

Register here >

Date: Thursday 17 July, 10:00-13:00

Facilitator: Gerrit Jan van 't veen, Fellow at We Are Changemakers (Netherlands)

Over the past 20 years, microbiologists have been gathering increasingly compelling evidence of the role that microbes play in the overall health of the planet. From the carbon capture deep in the sea bed to the degradation of plastics, our increasing understanding of the power of microbes is reshaping how we understand, monitor, and enhance our human well-being.

As we look 20 years into the future, we ask: How can microbiology continue to advance planetary health in ethical, equitable, and safe ways?

Let’s co-create a future where microbiology helps us all thrive! 

Challenge: Imagine the year is 2045. What opportunities can microbiology offer to help planetary health thrive for all species on Earth?

How can microbes contribute to a circular and regenerative future? In what ways can microbes mitigate and reverse global soil degradation? You are invited to shape a visionary future by contributing bold, inspiring, yet plausible ideas to enhance planetary health at all levels. Through storytelling, sketching, prototyping, and discussion, your goal is to create visual concepts, scenarios, or systems that explore how microbiological innovation can: 

• Regenerate landscapes through enriched soil microbiomes that restore fertility and biodiversity. 

• Consume methane and degrade plastic, offering microbial solutions to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. 

• Enable climate-adaptive agriculture by supporting resilient crops and soil systems. 

• Capture carbon biologically, using cyanobacteria and other microbes to sequester atmospheric CO₂.

• Remediate human-made environmental damage, from oil spills to heavy metal contamination.

• Purify water naturally, harnessing microbes to remove toxins and pathogens from water sources.

• Create living construction materials, including self-healing concrete and microbial bricks.

• Your blue-sky ideas!

Mission: In this 3-hour workshop, you are invited to collaborate in visualising the future of microbiology and planetary health. Think big, think wild—but keep it grounded in science. What tools, spaces, or experiences might exist in 2045?

During the workshop, you will work with others to develop an inspiring vision. Each team will create and work on its specific mission. Bring your creativity, curiosity, and wildest ideas. 

Pre-work: We encourage those intending to register for the Embracing Microbes into the Future workshops to join us for a special preparatory training webinar as preparation for this work together. This webinar will be taking place at 15:00 CEST on Wednesday 25 June. You will be introduced to the methodologies, tools, and principles we will use in the workshops, allowing each team to work on their particular challenge in Milan more effectively.

Each event has limited seating for 60 registered attendees of FEMS MICRO Milan 2025. Please note you may only attend one of the two Embracing Microbes into the Future workshops.

Register here >