The 2026 Conference on Beneficial Microbes will be co-organized with the International Symbiosis Society. The conference will provide a forum for the exchange of the latest conceptual and technological developments in the fast-moving field of beneficial host-microbe interactions. By bringing together US and international researchers across multiple disciplines (microbiology, immunology, developmental biology, neurobiology, physiology, nutrition, genomics, ecology, systems biology, evolutionary biology and clinical science), the conference will continue its 20-year tradition to examine the central role of microbes across biology. We encourage established and new investigators and trainees to attend the meeting and submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations. Most talks will be selected from abstract submissions! We look forward to seeing you in Madison, Wisconsin.