The group photo from the first ICG in 2006, taken at the West Lake in Hangzhou, featuring two Nobel Prize winners, the main leaders of the 'International Human Genome Project', and prominent figures from the genomics community of various countries
From left to right: Yang Huanming (BGI, China), Gu Xuefan (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China), William James Kent (University of California, Santa Cruz, USA), Maynard Olson (University of Washington, USA), David Haussler (University of California, Santa Cruz, USA), David Bentley (Solexa, UK), Mark Guyer (National Institutes of Health, USA), Stephen W. Scherer (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK), Jane Rogers (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK), Richard Durbin (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK), Jean Weissenbach (French National Sequencing Center), Francis Collins (National Institutes of Health, USA), James Watson (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA, Nobel laureate), Helmut Bloecker (German Biotechnology Research Center), John Sulston (Wellcome Sanger Institute, UK, Nobel laureate), Gane Ka-Shu Wong (University of Washington, USA), and Wang Jian (BGI, China).
Since global experts in the "Human Genome Project" gathered around West Lake in Hangzhou in 2006, over the past 20 years, the International Conference on Genomics (ICG) has brought together the top minds in the global life sciences and omics fields. It has witnessed the remarkable transformation of global omics research and biotech industry. At present, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is empowering omics research, helping to uncover the mysteries of life and tackle health challenges.
In October 2025, marking 20 years since the inception of ICG, we uphold the spirit of "Owned by All, Done by All, Shared by All," inherited from the Human Genome Project. With a focus on omics and AI, we return to Hangzhou, the birthplace of ICG, to ignite the torch of the 20th International Conference on Genomics (ICG-20). This will be the grandest ICG in its 20-year history and a spectacular celebration commemorating its 20th anniversary.
I. Conference Information
1. Conference Dates: October 23 - 26, 2025
2. Conference Location: Hangzhou, China
October 23-24: Xixi Hotel
October 25: Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine
October 26: Zhejiang Lab
3. Conference Theme: The Future of Omics and AI
4. Conference Scale: Around 300 participants
5. Conference Organizers: BGI Group, BGI-Research, Zhejiang Lab, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital (Zhejiang University School of Medicine), State Key Laboratory of Genome and Multi-omics Technologies, GigaScience Press
6. Conference Agenda (Ongoing Updates)：
7. Distinguished International Speakers
George Church
An academician of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. A renowned geneticist and pioneer in synthetic biology, celebrated for contributions to genome sequencing, gene editing, and anti-aging research. Named one of TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People" in 2017.
Stephen Obrien
Professor at the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center at Nova Southeastern University. An academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a legendary figure in the American scientific community, and the Director of the Genomic Diversity Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), since 1986.
Harris A. Lewin
An academician of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. A distinguished evolutionary geneticist and Professor of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California, Davis. Recipient of the 2011 Wolf Prize in Agriculture. Head/Director of the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), an initiative aimed at sequencing, cataloging, and characterizing the genomes of approximately 1.5 million known eukaryotic species on Earth within a decade.
Roland Eils
An academician of the German National Academy of Sciences. A Professor at the Intelligent Medicine Institute of Fudan University and Founding Director of the Digital Health Center at the Berlin Institute of Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Possesses long-term research expertise in biomedical big data and artificial intelligence, with a focus on developing predictive models for chronic diseases. CEO of the European Health Data Alliance and developer of multiple bioinformatics tools (with over 2 million global downloads). Leader of the German GAIA-X Health Data Cloud Infrastructure Project.
Hans Lehrach
An academician of the German National Academy of Sciences and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). Initiator of the German Genome Project and recognized as one of the greatest pioneers and geneticists in the field of genomics. Currently serves as the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.
Antoine Danchin
An academician of the French Academy of Sciences and an internationally renowned expert in molecular biology and bioinformatics. An early contributor to the French Genome Project and former Chair of the Scientific Committee at the Institut Pasteur. Translator of the French edition of What Is Life.
Walter Bodmer
Emeritus Professor and Principal Investigator of the Laboratory at the University of Oxford, UK. A human geneticist, member of the Royal Society (UK), and a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (US). Former Director of the Cancer and Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford.
Michael James C. Crabbe
Emeritus Professor of Wolfson College, University of Oxford. President of the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI). Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Royal Society of Biology (UK).
Mohamed Hassan
President of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences. Fellow of the Royal Society (UK). President of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Founding Executive Director of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP).
Mathias Uhlén
Professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) and President of the European Federation of Biotechnology. Renowned for significant contributions to protein science and antibody engineering. Leader of the Human Protein Atlas initiative, a project dedicated to mapping the expression and localization of human proteins in normal tissues, cancer cells, and cell lines since 2003.
Marc Van Montagu
Chairperson of the International Plant Biotechnology Outreach Association (VIB-IPBO). A pioneer in plant biotechnology and an advocate for sustainable agricultural development. Awarded the 2013 World Food Prize (widely regarded as the "Nobel Prize of Agriculture") for groundbreaking achievements in genetically modified crops. Recipient of the 2022 GCHERA World Agriculture Prize for lifelong contributions to plant biotechnology.
Vassilis Klissouras
Emeritus Professor of Ergophysiology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and Emeritus Professor at both the University of Athens and McGill University. A founding figure of modern exercise physiology, particularly renowned for significant contributions to Olympic science. A long-term researcher in genomics and exercise science, and the author of the first English-language textbook Human Physiology, initially published in 1973 and revised through 14 editions to date.
ICG-20 has confirmed over 50 international distinguished speakers from more than 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, Singapore, etc. Invitations to prominent domestic speakers are currently in progress.
II. Conference Registration
Regular Participants: 2,000 RMB
Students / Postdocs: 1,000 RMB
Registration Website: http://icg.bio
Registration Deadline: October 20
Payment Method: On-site payment with the confirmation email received after successful registration. Bank transfer and QR code payment are accepted. The fee includes conference materials, tea breaks, and lunch.
III. Call for Conference Presentations/Poster Submissions
Poster Submissions: Young scholars and students are given priority. Outstanding posters will be awarded prizes and recommended to partner journals.
Contact Email: lizihao@genomics.cn
Deadline: October 10, 2025
IV. Sponsorship Opportunities and Conference Exhibition Invitation
The 20th International Conference on Genomics (ICG-20) offers a variety of sponsorship and exhibition packages designed to meet your unique branding, technology demonstration, and networking needs. We warmly invite forward-thinking enterprises, institutions, and partners from around the world to take immediate action and join us as global sponsors of ICG-20.
Click the link to download the ICG-20 sponsorship proposal.
Contact for Sponsorship:
Chen Junlin: +86 134 2430 3094, chenjunlin@genomics.cn
Lin Jieyi: +86 135 1095 1585, linjieyi@genomics.cn
V. Contact Us
For more information regarding registration, exhibition, and participation, please contact the conference organizing committee via email: icg@genomics.cn
Genetic technology lights up the future. We warmly look forward to sharing this scientific and intellectual feast with you in Hangzhou!
The final agenda and the list of proposed guests are subject to the official website http://icg.bio.