The Belgian Society for Toxicology and Ecotoxicology (BelTox) and the Belgian Environmental Mutagenicity Society (BEMS) are pleased to announce their 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting (AM26) in Brussels.
Date: Monday 7th December 2026
Location: Auditorium BEL.Brussels • Tour & Taxis
This year’s theme focuses on the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in toxicology, ecotoxicology, and health/environmental risk assessment.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
- Thomas Steger-Hartmann (Bayer AG):Discussing the VICT3R project, which aims to drastically reduce animal testing by implementing “Virtual Control Groups.”
- Marc Teunis (University of Utrecht):Presenting the ONTOX project, a generic strategy using non-animal methods (NAMs) and tailored exposure data to improve human risk assessment.
- Jian Jiang (VUB):Highlighting specific contributions to the ONTOX
- Lidwina Gerner (SCAHT):Introducing AI4AOP, an initiative using AI to translate massive mechanistic toxicology databases into structured Adverse Outcome Pathway frameworks.
Next to the keynote presentations, a demo/networking opportunity will be organized where AI tools will be showcased and can be tested by participants.
Pending Topics & Highlights:
The program will also feature sessions on the BIGPICTURE IMI (digitizing 3 million pathology slides for AI analysis), the regulatory and ethical implications of AI in the field, and BEMS-led discussions on AI in mutagenicity screening.
By tradition, we also include the Young Scientist competition where early career scientists get the opportunity to present their work on (eco)toxicology in a poster or oral presentation. More information on registration and abstract submission will be provided soon.
Young Scientist Competition for PhD Students
The Annual Meeting includes a dedicated Oral Presentation and Poster Session that will specifically focus on the research of early career scientists in diverse fields of toxicology and ecotoxicology. Please note that topics should not necessarily be linked to the general theme of the meeting, ALL submissions from the broader field of toxicology and ecotoxicology are more than welcome!
If you would like to participate and compete for the best Oral Presentation and/or best Poster, please submit an abstract for a poster and/or oral presentation by October 30st, 2026 via the link provided below. A jury of BelTox-BEMS scientists will select abstracts for four platform presentations (10’ plus 5’ of questions), and the other abstracts will be retained for poster presentations.
On the day of the Annual Meeting, the oral presentations and posters will be evaluated by a jury composed of members of the BelTox-BEMS Steering Committees and invited speakers. The best two Oral Presentations and the best two Posters will receive a prize (€ 200 for the best, and €100 for the second-best presentation/poster).
Poster Session open to all Participants
If you are not an early career scientist or PhD student, you can also submit an abstract to present your work during the Poster Session at the Annual Meeting. Topics should not necessarily be linked to the general theme of the meeting; you can submit any abstract linked to the field of toxicology or ecotoxicology. The submission process is the same as for the YSC (see link below).
Guidelines for writing the abstract
- The body of the abstract should not exceed 2,500 characters (including spaces)
- Keep the title to a maximum of 200 characters (including spaces)
- Keep abbreviations and acronyms to a minimum and fully define at first reference
- Do not include citations, tables or figures
NOTE: By submitting your abstract, you grant permission to BelTox-BEMS to publish it in the book of abstracts that will be made available to all participants. The slides of the four selected oral presentations will also be published on the BelTox website for the BelTox members only.
Important deadlines
- Registration is open
- June 15, 2026: Abstract submission open
- October 30, 2026: deadline for abstract submission
- November 13, 2026: Information on selection of abstracts for oral presentation
- December 7, 2026: BelTox-BEMS annual meeting, Tour & Taxis, Brussels
Submit your abstract here: https://forms.gle/kNzaSxYJR6LKksAQA
Prices
- BelTox member = 125€
- Non-BelTox member = 250 €
- PhD & MSc student = 50 €
- BEMS member = 125€