MDPI is excited to host the Antibiotics 2026: Advances in Antimicrobial Action and Resistance conference. Taking place in Barcelona, Spain, the in-person event will run from 11 to 14 May 2026, bringing together industry professionals in the field of antimicrobials.

With important registration deadlines approaching, this article provides all the details you need to know about this conference.

What is the purpose of Antibiotics 2026?

The Antibiotics conference will bring together researchers, industry professionals, and experts from around the globe to share the latest advancements, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations in the field.

The event programme is designed to offer an engaging platform for discussing cutting-edge research, emerging challenges and future directions in the antimicrobials discipline.

Schedule overview

The conference will host sessions on:

• Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms
• Antimicrobials, antimicrobial resistance, and One Health
• Ethnopharmacology in antimicrobial research and treatment
• Conventional and novel approaches in the discovery of new antimicrobial agents
• Innovation in antimicrobial stewardship and optimised clinical strategies

The above sessions will be delivered by a mix of keynote and invited speakers:

• Mariana Castanheira – Element Materials Technology, JMI Laboratories, USA
• Timothy R. Walsh – Department of Biology, University of Oxford, UK, and Chief Scientific Advisor, ICARS
• Jean-Michel Bolla – INSERM and UMR-MD1, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aix-Marseille University, France
• Dr. Efstathios Giaouris – Univeristy of Aegean, Lemnos, Greece
• Catherine Lefay – Institut de Chimie Radicalaire, Aix-Marseille University, France
• Dr. Walter Luyten – Walter Luyten Lab, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Belgium
• Dr. Luísa Peixe – Vice-Director of Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO), Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto, Portugal
• Dr. Patric Nordmann – Molecular and Medical Microbiology Unity, Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
• Dr. Adnane Remmal – Faculty of Science, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco
• Dr. Evelina Tacconelli – ID-CARE, University of Verona, Italy, and Chief Scientific Officer, ECRAID
• Dr. Carmen Torres Manrique – Department of Agriculture and Food, Leader of One Health UR group, University of La Rioja, Spain
• Markus Weingarth – Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, Chemistry Department, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Additionally, there will be a conference dinner held at the prestigious Catalonia Boulevard in the heart of Barcelona on 13 May. You can reserve your seat and food preferences during the event’s registration process. Please note that seating at the dinner is limited, and reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Event awards

MDPI is pleased to offer two awards for participations of Antibiotics 2026. Sponsored by the journal Antibiotics, the following awards will be presented at the conference:

• Best Oral Presentation Award
• Best Poster Presentation Award

Participating in Antibiotics 2026

Registration for the Antibiotics conference will be open until 4 May 2026 – please note that the number of participants is limited.

For attendees who have submitted an abstract to present at the event, the covering author must register by 29 March 2026. Abstracts without completed registration by this date will be withdrawn.

Attendees also have the exciting opportunity to contribute a full manuscript to the Joint Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Action and Resistance in the journal Antibiotics, with a 20% discount on publication fees.

Due to exceptionally high demand, the conference is now accepting submissions for consideration as poster presentations for a limited time only. For a final opportunity to share your work at Antibiotics 2026, email antibiotics2026@mdpi.com to express your interest.

To find out more details about the upcoming conference and how to get involved, you can visit the homepage on Sciforum. Keep an eye on our conferences blog page to stay up to date with any future conferences that MDPI will be involved in.