2026 Streptococcal Diseases GRC/GRS

About This Grant

SUMMARY This R13 application requests funds to partially support the 2026 Streptococcal Biology Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). This will be the 4th iteration of the GRC, which has been highly successful in its prior years, consistently rated as “High-Performing” by the GRC Evaluation Committee. This will also be the 3rd meeting of the GRS, whose purpose is to foster development of the next generation of investigators and invite their active participation and integration into the broader research community. Both meetings will be held at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco in Lucca, Italy, between August 1- 2 (GRS) and August 2-6 (GRC) of 2026. The 2026 GRC Chairs are Drs. José Lemos (University of Florida) and Kimberly Kline (University of Geneva) , who served as Co-Vice Chairs in 2024. Drs. Brek Duekorp (University of Colorado) and Melanie Hamon (Institute Pasteur) and Postdoctoral fellows Jessica Mendonça (University of Tennessee) and Ronni da Silva (Nanyang Technological University) will Co-Chair the GRC and GRS, respectively. The GRC/GRS program encompasses a wide range of exciting topics among important pathogens from the genera Streptococcus and Enterococcus. For both GRS and GRC, invited and abstract-selected speakers will discuss the most current and cutting-edge research in their fields, addressing topics that range from fundamental biology, clinical findings, genetics, genomics, virulence regulation, host-pathogen interactions, microbial communities, antimicrobial resistance, and therapeutic development. The major goal of this meeting is to bring together the world’s leading scientists and the most promising early-career investigators and trainees in a collegial and supportive environment. The specific strategies include but are not restricted to (i) provide a forum for the presentation of unpublished, cutting-edge research followed by formal and informal discussions; (ii) invite investigators focusing on diverse streptococcal and enterococcal pathogenic species and provide them with a forum to cross the boundaries of their own work; and (iii) ensure the development and integration of early- career investigators into the broader research community. The collegial atmosphere will include organized oral and poster sessions and opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, providing a welcoming setting for scientists from different disciplines to exchange ideas and foster cross-disciplinary collaborations among peers and the next generation of investigators. The proposed activities will provide an opportunity not currently offered to this field in any other global venue, bringing together established and emerging leaders in the streptococcal/enterococcal biology field in a format designed for the free exchange of research results and ideas. In the short term, this will greatly strengthen investigators’ ability worldwide to address critical challenges in streptococcal and enterococcal biology and diseases, while in the long term it will ensure continuity of knowledge through the development of new leaders in the field.