The overall theme of the FoodWal symposium is the “Development of innovative approaches and products with industrial potential to boost the quality and sustainability of food systems, with a focus on three topics: alternative proteins, microbiome and functional ingredients.”
Presentations can take three different forms:
Please note that abstracts for posters or oral presentations must be submitted before October 15, 2026 11:59 PM (CET).
Important Dates
| October 15, 2026 | Abstract Submission Deadline |
| October 31, 2026 | Notification of Reviewers’ decision |
| November 9, 2026 | Deadline for accepted authors to register and confirm attendance |
| November 13, 2026 | Last day to register |
| November 27, 2026 | Final Program Available |
| December 9, 2026 | Thematic session “Building sustainable alternative protein value chains: from protein sources to the development of healthy food products” and General Public Conference |
| December 10, 2026 | Thematic sessions “Microbiome and microbiotic research: innovation in nutrition for an enhanced health” and “Functional ingredients and bioactive compounds: food science and biotechnology at the service of health” |
| December 11; 2026 | For senior researchers: workshop “Building international collaborations” and lab visits |
Guidelines for abstract submission
- Abstracts must be written in English (UK).
- Abstracts must be submitted using this dedicated form.
- Abstracts must include a concise title, all co-authors and their affiliations, and from 3 to 6 keywords.
- Abstracts (main text) should not exceed 2,500 characters, including spaces.
- Please structure your scientific abstract with the following items: Introduction, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions. For abstract dealing with technical approaches and industrial strategies, this structure is optional.
- The presenting author must be available to physically present at the conference in Namur
- on December 9, 2026: for the “alternative proteins” thematic session,
- on Decembre 10, 2026: for the “microbiome” and “functional ingredients” thematic sessions.
- The presenting author must register by the deadline indicated in the abstract review outcome email. In the absence of registration, the abstract will be withdrawn from the program.
- The text of the abstract, along with the names and affiliations, poster and/or additional documents as requested, will be published on the conference website and in the abstract document, and this will not raise any copyright issues.
- Pay attention : If you wish to submit multiple abstracts, you must complete the form several times. One form for one abstract. For example: if you want to present both a poster and a scientific talk, you will need to fill out the abstract submission form once for the poster and once for the scientific presentation.
- Additionally, the abstract submission form does not replace the registration form, you must also complete the registration form here.
Guidelines for oral presentation
- Technical presentations held during the thematic sessions should not exceed 10 minutes.
- The PowerPoint and the presentation must be in English (UK).
- We recommend using the widescreen (16:9) screen size.
Guidelines for poster presentation
- The posters must be presented in vertical A0 format (841 mm x 1189 mm).
- We offer the opportunity to pitch your poster with one static slide, during the “Flash Poster” sessions. The pitch should not exceed 1 minute and is not a summary of the poster, but rather a teaser that encourages participants to go and see it.