The 8^th Annual Conference of the Hellenic Scientific Society MICROBIOKOSMOS, entitled “Microbial Communities as Growth Engines for Greece”, was organized with great success on April 18-20 2019 at the premises of the New Conference Center of FORTH/ICE-HT, with the participation of more than 200 researchers from Greece and Cyprus, including a large number of invited speakers from Greece and abroad.  Chair of the Organizing committee was Dr. Maria Klapa, Principal Researcher of FORTH/ICE-HT with Co-Chair Assoc. Professor Georgios Tsiamis, Dept of Environmental Engineering, University of Patras. FORTH/ICE-HT undertook the administrative and technical support of the Conference.

The main objective of the Conference, which is organized every two years, is to provide the forum for researchers in Greece and Cyprus to present their high-quality research in the area of microbial biotechnology with applications in ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY, AGRICULTURE, FOOD and NUTRITION and in the DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES and their use as MODELS FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF NEW MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. Special sessions were also organized to present current collaborations and discuss the potential of the interaction of research laboratories with industry. Presentations were also made by representatives of National Research Infrastructures that have recently started operating in Greece and can provide access to new technologies to the members of MICROBIOKOSMOS.