Results of the IV Russian Congress on MedicalMicrobiology and Infectious Diseases (RKMII)
Results of the IV Russian Congress on Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (RKMII)
February 26–27, 2026 – Moscow became a center of attraction for the specialists who every day stand on the frontlines of infection control. Over two days, the IV Russian Congress on Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases with international participation welcomed 2,173 participants and experts from 19 countries.
"The Congress has become more than just an annual professional event for us — it is a major scientific and intellectual celebration, uniting all industry representatives interested in the development of the new specialty of ‘Medical Microbiology’," said Tatiana Valerievna Priputnevich, Chief Freelance Specialist in Medical Microbiology at the Russian Ministry of Health, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor.
Organizers
The Congress was organized by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the "National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology named after Academician V.I. Kulakov" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, the Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education (RMANPO), the Association of Medical Microbiologists (AMM), with participation of the Association of Bacteriologists and the Association of Specialists and Organizations of Laboratory Service "Federation of Laboratory Medicine."
Expert Committee Sessions
The Congress opened with a key industry event — a joint public session of the Russian Ministry of Health’s expert committees on medical microbiology, clinical microbiology, and antibiotic resistance. The session was chaired by Tatiana Valerievna Priputnevich and Roman Sergeevich Kozlov, the Ministry’s chief freelance specialists.
Ceremonial Opening. Plenary Session
The opening ceremony brought together representatives of federal authorities, the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading Russian specialists, and international experts.
Honored guests were introduced by Gennady Tikhonovich Sukhikh, Director of FSBI “Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology” of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor.
Andrey Nikolaevich Plutnitsky, Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, conveyed greetings from Minister of Health Mikhail Albertovich Murashko to all participants.
"As global challenges grow more complex, medical microbiology has evolved beyond a narrowly laboratory-focused specialty and is now rightly considered one of the fundamental pillars of public health protection. In nearly all areas of medical practice, up to 40% of treatment outcomes depend on the quality and speed of microbiological diagnostics," the Minister emphasized.
The participants of the Congress were also warmly welcomed by distinguished international guests.
When addressing the Congress guests, Aziz Alper Biten, Doctor of Medical Sciences, PhD in Medical Microbiology, member of the Turkish Society for Microbiology and Director for EU and Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Turkey, highlighted the importance of international collaboration and scientific exchange. "The Microbiologists’ Congress inspires new ideas and strengthens ties between countries," he noted. According to Biten, cooperation between Russia and Turkey in medical microbiology has huge potential for development in both scientific and technological areas.
At the Congress, Aziz Alper Biten met with Oleg Olegovich Salagay, Deputy Minister of Health of Russia, emphasizing the Congress’s role in strengthening international collaboration.
The participants were also warmly congratulated by Altay Alikhanovich Amanbayev, Director of the Almaty Branch of the Republican State Enterprise on the Right of Economic Use “National Center for Expertise” of the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Control, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Plenary Session Highlights
On February 26, 2026, two important agreements were signed: a Memorandum of Cooperation between FSBI “Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology” of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia and the Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; a Letter of Intent for Cooperation between the Scientific Research Institute of Systems Biology and Medicine of Rospotrebnadzor and FSBI “Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology” of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russia.
The Congress also inaugurated a wonderful new tradition: honoring outstanding microbiologists for their achievements and successes.
World-Wide
One of the main features of the Congress was the significantly increased international participation: the number of foreign speakers more than doubled. Moscow hosted experts from 18 foreign countries, including those from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Near-abroad countries were represented by specialists from Abkhazia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and South Ossetia.
The Congress became a unique platform for cross-cultural knowledge exchange and for creating a vivid picture of contemporary global challenges. Here, the experience of leading scientific schools intersected with local practices, fundamental research, and applied clinical work from different corners of the world.
According to international guests, such platforms allow the formation of a common scientific language and enable collaborative efforts to address global challenges that know no national borders.
The growing influence of the Congress in the global scientific community poses new, even more ambitious tasks for the organizing committee in anticipation of the fifth jubilee Congress, scheduled for 2027.
Scientific Program
The scientific and educational program of the IV Russian Congress on Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases brought together 250 speakers — leading Russian and international experts. The work was conducted simultaneously in five conference halls, hosting more than 30 sessions dedicated to scientific, practical, and organizational issues in the field of infectious diseases and related areas.
The main topic of 2026 was the impact of advanced technologies and digitalization on the development of microbiological diagnostics and the treatment of infectious diseases.
Over two days, experts discussed the integration of medical microbiology into clinical practice, approaches to creating personalized medicines based on genetic data, the role of the microbiota in maintaining human health, and modern strategies for microbiological control.
All-Russian Student Olympiad
The future of medical microbiology is being shaped at the Congress! One of the key directions of the IV Russian Congress on Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases was working with young specialists and future scientists.
Within the framework of the Congress, two major events were held for aspiring microbiologists: the IV All-Russian Student Olympiad in Medical Microbiology named after Z.V. Ermolyeva and the All-Russian Video Contest “Secrets of the Microcosm: How It All Began” for secondary school students.
A poster session was a separate part of the program: contest works were displayed in the exhibition area.
Fifteen expert participants of the Congress took part in a pitch session on the first day of the event on the main stage of the exhibition.
Exhibition
Alongside with the events of the scientific program, the largest exhibition of manufacturers of diagnostic equipment and materials was held.
In 2026, 40 leading Russian companies presented their recent developments at the exhibition.
As Tatiana Valerievna Priputnevich noted: “Such integration of science and practice provides specialists with a unique opportunity to evaluate advanced technological solutions that are already shaping the future of medicine today and are being effectively implemented in practice.”
In 2026, the partners of the IV Congress were:
General Partner — MIRUS MEDICAL
Registration Partner — DNA-Technology
Congress Partners — HOLDING YUNONA, Vector-Best, Algimed
Olympiad Partner — GALEN
Contest Partner — CLEANDEZ
Nowadays, medical microbiology is the foundation of the healthcare system.
The IV RKMII became an important component of this foundation, a landmark industry event widely recognized internationally, united by the idea of developing a new and extremely important medical specialty — “Medical Microbiology.”