Welcome to International ME Conference Week


Dear Friends and Supporters,

Welcome to International ME Conference Week 2026 - and to what is, for Invest in ME Research, a year of particular significance. Twenty years ago this charity was formed with a single, clear purpose: to energise biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and to build the foundations that would make lasting progress possible. Two decades on, those foundations are evident - in the research networks, the fellowships, the clinical trials, the European collaborations, and the next generation of researchers now entering the field.

The theme of this year's conference week - "20 Years of Investing in ME Research to Discover ME - In Pursuit of the Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis" - reflects that the science is advancing, and that two decades of collaborative work is beginning to pay some dividends that could finally lead to delivering the diagnostics and treatments that millions of people with ME have waited far too long for.

20 Years of Invest in ME Research We are pleased to say that 2026 is a year in which the work of this charity and its collaborators is bearing fruit in ways that go beyond our annual conference week. Two significant developments are the direct result of foundations laid over many years by this charity and its supporters - one offering a major step forward for standardising clinical research; the other representing a landmark moment for pan-European ME research funding - and we look forward to sharing the true story behind these developments when the time is right.

It has not always been an easy twenty years. The foundations described above - the networks, the fellowships, the collaborations, the clinical research - continue to be ignored or unrecognised by those with the means to build upon them rather than reinvent, and limited resources still are not being directed where they are most needed. We can only continue to advocate for sound policies that accelerate progress rather than circular thinking that continues to waste resources and delay it for patients.

This year's conference week brings together researchers, clinicians, early career scientists and patient advocates from more than twenty countries. Our fifteenth Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium (#BRMEC15) and eighteenth International ME Conference (#IIMEC18) reflect the breadth and depth of international scientific engagement that our annual gatherings have helped to foster. We are also proud to arrange and host another Young EMERG workshop - a reminder that investing in the next generation of ME researchers is one of the most important things we can do.

We are grateful for the generous support of our conference week sponsors - the Irish ME Trust, Quadram Institute Bioscience, and Terra Biological LLC - whose commitment helps make these events possible.

We welcome you to this conference week with gratitude for your support, admiration for your commitment, and confidence that together we will continue to move this field forward.

Thank you for being part of our event. We wish you a productive and inspiring week.

Kathleen McCall
Chairman Invest in ME Research

Our Conference Week Sponsors

Conference Week Information:

International ME Conferences and Colloquiums Since 2006

Our Past Conference Events

Here are details of all of the previous Invest in ME Research International ME Conferences and Colloquiums that the charity has arranged and hosted since 2006.
The conferences provide the latest research and clinical information about ME and allows for the creation or resumption of unique networking opportunities with some of the most knowledgeable and experienced authorities on ME in the world.

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Videos from past conferences

We have videos from all presentations in all conferences available. These are not just educational but contain a historical record of research progress over the years. The education of healthcare staff must reflect the latest knowledge about the pathogenesis of ME which high quality biomedical research is providing. The presenters at the CPD-accredited Invest in ME Research International ME Conferences have represented the world's most current knowledgebase regarding this disease - providing the latest research and clinical information about ME and a unique location for networking with some of the most knowledgeable and experienced authorities on ME in the world. These videos provide useful information for researchers, clinicians and patients as well as providing a historical record of research into ME.

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Our Past Colloquiums

The Invest in ME Research Biomedical Research into ME (BRMEC) Colloquiums are closed research meetings organised by the charity to encourage biomedical research into ME and international collaboration amongst researchers. This has been one of the main objectives of the charity. Invest in ME Research began arranging public biomedical research conferences in 2006 and have continued them ever since - mostly funded by the charity but with help from some wonderful supporters and some good friends. The Invest in ME Research International Biomedical Research into ME Colloquiums began in 2011 as a way of bringing together researchers from around the world in a round-table discussion of ME research and ideas. Over the years this has broadened into sharing of experiences, data and plans for future research and international collaboration. A culmination of much of this effort was the initiation of The European ME Research Group (EMERG) concept which formed in October 2015 in London in an attempt to set up a strategy of European collaboration in ME research.

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Young Researchers

To encourage new and young and early career researchers into the field of ME research the charity initiated the Thinking the Future research meetings - with a focus on international collaboration.
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An international family of researchers working together has been facilitated by the Invest in ME Research BRMEC* Biomedical Research into ME Colloquiums held annually in London, UK. To ensure that a foundation of biomedical research into ME can be sustained and to encourage new ideas from new areas then we cannot rely just on this family of researchers that has been built up from all parts of the world. We need to draw in knowledge and expertise from other areas. Importantly, we also need to encourage early career researchers – and young researchers.
Following the pandemic, in 2023 the charity restarted the young/ecr European network - Young EMERG.
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Young EMERG is now an entity that can help attract more young researchers into research into ME and assist in building capacity in the field. YE will also foster European and international collaboration and create new idea and awareness - all objectives of IiMER.

Our Conference Journals

Our Conference Journals
For each conference we produce an edition of the Journal of IiMER.
Containing news, articles and conference presentation abstracts.

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