The „Microsymposium on Small RNA Biology“ is a three day international conference that brings together young scientists, junior and senior group leaders, and company representatives from all over the world to present and discuss their latest findings in the exciting field of small RNAs. The Microsymposium was founded in 2005 and has established itself as the major small RNA meeting in Europe. It is organized by the three research institutions IMBA, IMP, and GMI, as well as by the RNA community of the Vienna BioCenter. 

In all three eukaryotic kingdoms, small regulatory RNAs play a key role in the silencing of gene expression at the post-transcriptional and the transcriptional level. They have central functions in the repression of viruses and transposons and they play essential roles in coordinating organismal development, physiological processes and human diseases, such as cancer.

To strengthen the focus on the new generation of scientists, the Microsymposium invites—besides established leaders in the field—selected postdoctoral researchers as well as ten PhD students (selected from submitted poster abstracts) as speakers. This allows the up-and-coming scientists to present their projects and results to a highly qualified, engaged and dynamic audience and is a major distinguishing factor from other conferences.

The Microsymposium is entirely financed by biotech companies, scientific societies, leading journals, the city of Vienna, and the research institutions IMBA, IMP, and GMI. These generous contributions make the Microsymposium a registration-free meeting, which attracts in particular students and postdocs from all over the world.