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Registrations will close on 31st of July!

The deadline for abstract submission has passed. We have notified researchers if there submission was succesful expect confirmation of the final programme early August.

Global engagement travel grant applications have closed. Six grantees from Africa, Asia and central America have accepted a travel award. 

Cichlid Science is the only global conference dedicated exclusively to cichlid research, bringing together scientists from around the world to advance our understanding of the evolution, ecology, behaviour, and genomics of cichlid fishes. Organised every few years, it is a unique forum for researchers working across a wide range of topics, from speciation and sexual selection to trophic ecology, functional morphology, developmental biology, genomics, and conservation.

Previous editions have been held across Europe since 2010, most recently in Cambridge, UK in 2022, and previously in Brussels/Leuven, Belgium in 2012. The 2026 edition marks a welcome return to Belgium, hosted by the University of Antwerp from 2–4 September 2026.

Researchers from all career stages will present their work. We are also committed to fostering equitable and inclusive collaboration across regions worldwide. We particularly encourage participation from scientists based in areas where cichlid diversity is greatest, and invite you to learn more about our Global Engagement Travel Grant.  This year, we are proud to have awarded travel grants to 6 researchers from the Global South to attend in person in Antwerp. For those unable to travel, we are hosting a dedicated session of pre-recorded flash talks — researchers working in the Global South are warmly invited to participate, no travel required. We will also offer live online participation via webinar; online registration is free for researchers with a primary affiliation in the Global South, and €50 for students or €80 for a standard online registration. See Registration & Submission page for more info.

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