Abstract submission is requested for poster and oral contributions to the annual meeting of the Bioinformatics Italian Society (BITS). 

Contributions on the following topics are welcome:

• AI, Models, and Tools
• Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Metagenomics
• Pharmaceutical and Toxicology
• Proteins and Proteomics
• Systems Biology and Multi-Omics
• Translational Bioinformatics: Clinics, agriculture, environment, food
• Other applications

 In addition to these topics, contributions are welcome for the Special session: Sustainable bioinformatics: infrastructure, interoperability, and data sharing

The meeting program will host also the Round table on Prospective of AI and LLM for bioinformatics.

In addition, the First International Biohackathon of BITS will take place on the eve of the conference, June 10th. Moreover, an ELIXIR training activity related to Nextflow will take place on June 10th (whole day) and June 11th (morning only).

You can check all the details and submit your abstract on the submission page.

Special session: Sustainable bioinformatics: infrastructure, interoperability, and data sharing

Bioinformatics is an essential field driving discoveries in genomics, transcriptomics, and precision medicine. However, as computational analyses become more sophisticated and datasets grow, the energy demands of bioinformatics workflows also increase. Large-scale sequencing projects, machine learning applications, and high-throughput data processing contribute to significant computational footprints, necessitating sustainable solutions. Optimising bioinformatics infrastructure, enhancing interoperability, and promoting efficient data-sharing practices are crucial for reducing redundant computations and lowering resource consumption. Researchers can maintain high analytical standards while minimising environmental impact by integrating energy-efficient algorithms, leveraging cloud-based or high-performance computing (HPC) resources responsibly, and reusing existing data repositories.
Recent advancements in sustainable computing include the development of low-power hardware, algorithmic optimisations that reduce runtime and memory usage, and workflow automation strategies that enhance computational efficiency. Additionally, collaborative initiatives promoting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles reduce duplication of efforts and maximise resource utilisation.
This session welcomes contributions on sustainable bioinformatics, including energy-efficient computational methods, scalable data analysis workflows, responsible data-sharing strategies, and innovative approaches to reducing the carbon footprint of large-scale bioinformatics research. Contributions to the sustainable use of LLMs are especially welcome.

Round table on Prospective of AI and LLM for bioinformatics

In just a few short years, AI has reshaped the way we do science — from AlphaFold’s breakthroughs in protein structure prediction to newly emerging foundation models that promise significant advances in how we understand and engineer biology. Yet this progress also raises concerns: Are we truly uncovering hidden connections within biological systems, or simply automating pattern matching on data we barely comprehend? How do we ensure that the rapid pace of AI-driven insights does not outstrip our capacity for rigorous validation and reproducible science? And what are the ethical implications as we delegate increasing responsibility to these energy-hungry systems?
Join us for a thoughtful discussion on the transformative potential and inherent challenges of AI in biology, as we explore its role in analyzing data, automating tasks, and supporting reasoning. 

Young BITS-RSG-InfoLife CINI Symposium

Co-organized with RSG-Italy, the Italian Regional Student Group of ISCB, and the CINI InfoLife young group, the Young BITS-RSG-InfoLife CINI Symposium provides a supportive and stimulating forum in which undergraduate, master and PhD students, as well as young researchers, have the opportunity to present and discuss their research with other members of the Italian Bioinformatics community.

First International Biohackathon of BITS

The “First International Biohackathon of BITS”, a dynamic, team-based bioinformatics challenge will take place in collaboration with the BITS 2025 conference in Naples and the HPC4AI computing center of the University of Turin, organized by CINI Young-InfoLife, RSG-Italy, and Young BITS. For all the details, visit the event page.
 

Introduction to Nextflow - a BITS2025 training by ELIXIR-IT

In collaboration with Elixir-IT, an introductory training course on Nextflow will be held on June 10th and in the morning of 11th June. The course will teach you what Nextflow is, and how to develop your own pipelines with Nextflow. The first part of the course covers the core components of the Nextflow language and is specially targeted to newcomers. After this course, you will have learned enough detail to be able to develop simple but fully functional pipelines. It also covers key elements of pipeline design, development and configuration practices. The second part of the course explores the more advanced features of the Nextflow language and runtime. You will learn how to use them to write efficient and scalable data-intensive workflows. Further information and registration are available on this webpage, please note that the number of participants is limited.
 

Abstract selection for oral and poster presentations

The abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee and accepted for oral or poster presentation, or rejected in case they do not match the scientific standards of the conference. Each abstract will be reviewed by two or three anonymous referees.
We encourage the authors to use the maximum space available in the submission to describe at best their work and results. Accepted abstracts will be collected in the conference proceedings.

Presentation of selected contributions requires early registration to the conference of the presenting author after the acceptance notification. Each participant can submit up to one abstract for oral communication and one poster.

Call for Travel Grants

Eligibility
Researchers without a permanent position and submitting an abstract to the conference as first, last or presenter author may apply to the BITS2025 Travel Grant program.

Evaluation
Travel Grants will be awarded based on the scores assigned by the Scientific Committee to the submitted abstracts. Only abstracts with an average score of at least 3 out of 5 will be eligible for consideration. Each research group may have only one attendee awarded a travel grant, and it will be the highest-scoring applicant from that group. In the initial round of grant assignments, priority will be given to applications submitted by researchers under 35 years of age and BITS members. If there are remaining grants after this round, a second round will consider applications from all other BITS members. Finally, if grants are still available, a last round will consider applications from non-BITS members who have applied for membership. Within each round, if there are applicants with the same score, priority will be given to researchers who have participated in previous BITS meetings and have not previously received a BITS Travel Grant.

Travel Grants Award
Travel Grant will be credited to the bank account after the conference. Selected candidates have to provide: the attendance certification, their scientific contribution and a declaration of sustained costs, with the specific statement that these are not reimbursed by other sources. The winners will receive a grant amounting to € 300.00. Reimbursements must be asked to tesoriere[at]bioinformatics.it. 

The travel grant request must be submitted by the following link