# Meeting Report of the Second Symposium of the Belgian Society for Viruses of Microbes and Launch of the Phage Valley

## TL;DR

The second symposium of the Belgian Society for Viruses of Microbes brought together researchers to discuss phage ecology, biology, and applications, while launching the Phage Valley initiative.

## Contribution

The launch of the Phage Valley concept highlights Belgium's strong phage research community and triple helix collaboration model.

## Key findings

- The symposium featured 141 participants from 10 countries, showcasing international interest in phage research.
- The Phage Valley initiative emphasizes Belgium's high concentration of phage researchers and successful academic-industry-government partnerships.
- The event included 21 oral presentations and 30 posters on phage ecology, biology, and applications.

## Abstract

The second symposium of the Belgian Society for Viruses of Microbes (BSVoM) took place on 8 September 2023 at the University of Liège with 141 participants from 10 countries. The meeting program covered three thematic sessions opened by international keynote speakers: two sessions were devoted to “Fundamental research in phage ecology and biology” and the third one to the “Present and future applications of phages”. During this one day symposium, four invited keynote lectures, nine selected talks and eight student pitches were given along with thirty presented posters. The president of the Belgian Society for Viruses of Microbes, Prof. Yves Briers, took advantage of this symposium to launch the Phage Valley concept that will put the spotlight on the exceptionally high density of researchers investigating viruses of microbes as well as the successful triple helix approach between academia, industry and government in Belgium.