International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics 2026

We are delighted to bring ISRFG26 to London at the historic Royal Society.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we are pleased to invite you to London to participate in the 23^rd International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics (ISRFG 2026) , to be held 08 - 11 September, 2026.

Rice  is the most important food crop in the world – feeding ½ the planet. As  the world’s population approaches 10 billion by 2050, we must do all we  can to develop new varieties that are more nutritious, climate  resilient, and require fewer inputs (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides,  water).

To  help meet this future demand, rice scientists around the globe united  in a $200M USD project to sequence the rice genome – the International  Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) – which was completed in November  of 2004 – and was the first reference genome for any crop plant. Over the past 20+ years this landmark accomplishment has led to thousands of  novel discoveries and insights that have positively impacted the rice  farmer’s ability to grow rice sustainably and bring a premium market  price.

As we deal with inevitable man-made climate change, growing rice is becoming a viable option in an increasing number of countries. As the breadth of rice-growing countries widens we are delighted to bring ISRFG26 to the UK, a country which is performing an increased amount of rice research. Furthermore, UK researchers have a strong history of collaborations with colleagues in the traditional rice-growing areas.     

The 2026 meeting will take place at the historic Royal Society in Central London, a location that has hosted scientific events since its inaugural lecture by Sir Christopher Wren in 1660.

The 2026 meeting will host keynote, plenary and concurrent sessions alongside a poster session and local visit. The  format of the meeting will be three days of lectures, workshops, and a poster session. There will be a final fourth day visit to a scietifically relevant location in London (TBC).

ISRFG26 will be a great opportunity to  showcase rice research in emerging rice-growing countries whilst bringing together collaborators at a historic venue in London.

ISRFG26 is being organised by the UKRI-funded OryzaNet network in collaboration with the Association of Applied Biologists, a scientific society that was founded in London in 1904 and supports researchers who are involved in many subjects area that aim to improve agricultural productivity.