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17<meta property="og:title" content="About BOSC"><meta property="og:description" content="What is BOSC? 18The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference promotes and facilitates the open source development of bioinformatics tools and open science. 19Since it launched in 2000, BOSC has been part of ISMB every year except for 2018 and 2020, when it partnered with the Galaxy Community Conference. 20BOSC 2027 will be part of ISMB/ECCB 2027 in Copenhagen, Denmark. 21 22BOSC aims to: 23 24 25 26Inform the research community of important developments in open source bioinformatics and open science 27Provide a focused environment for developers and users to interact and share ideas about open source approaches in bioinformatics 28Make connections between participants that could enhance the open source ecosystem and lead to collaborations 29Promote open science, with its focus on sharing data and tools, transparency, reproducibility, and data provenance 30 31 32 33"><meta property="og:image" content="https://www.open-bio.org/bosc_logo_square.png"><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.open-bio.org/events/bosc/about/"><meta property="og:type" content="website"><meta property="og:site_name" content="Open Bioinformatics Foundation"><meta name=twitter:title content="About BOSC"><meta name=twitter:description content="What is BOSC? 34The Bioinformatics Open Source Conference promotes and facilitates the open source development of bioinformatics tools and open science. 35Since it launched in 2000, BOSC has been part of â¦"><meta name=twitter:image content="https://www.open-bio.org/obf_logo_icon-circle-tr.png"><meta name=twitter:card content="summary_large_image"><meta name=generator content="Hugo 0.155.2"><link rel=alternate href=https://www.open-bio.org/feed.xml type=application/rss+xml title="Open Bioinformatics Foundation"><link rel=stylesheet href=https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/katex.min.css integrity=sha384-3UiQGuEI4TTMaFmGIZumfRPtfKQ3trwQE2JgosJxCnGmQpL/lJdjpcHkaaFwHlcI crossorigin=anonymous><link rel=stylesheet href=https://use.fontawesome.com/releases/v6.6.0/css/all.css integrity=sha384-h/hnnw1Bi4nbpD6kE7nYfCXzovi622sY5WBxww8ARKwpdLj5kUWjRuyiXaD1U2JT crossorigin=anonymous><link rel=stylesheet href=https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/[email protected]/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css integrity=sha384-HSMxcRTRxnN+Bdg0JdbxYKrThecOKuH5zCYotlSAcp1+c8xmyTe9GYg1l9a69psu crossorigin=anonymous><link rel=stylesheet href=https://www.open-bio.org/css/main.css><link rel=stylesheet href=https://www.open-bio.org/css/syntax.css><link rel=stylesheet href=https://www.open-bio.org/css/codeblock.css><link rel=stylesheet href=https://www.open-bio.org/css/custom.css><link rel=apple-touch-icon sizes=180x180 href=/apple-touch-icon.png><link rel=icon type=image/png sizes=32x32 href=/favicon-32x32.png><link rel=icon type=image/png sizes=16x16 href=/favicon-16x16.png><link rel=manifest href=/site.webmanifest></head><body><nav class="navbar navbar-default navbar-fixed-top navbar-custom"><div class=container-fluid><div class=navbar-header><button type=button class=navbar-toggle data-toggle=collapse data-target=#main-navbar> 36<span class=sr-only>Toggle navigation</span> 37<span class=icon-bar></span> 38<span class=icon-bar></span> 39<span class=icon-bar></span> 40</button> 41<a class=navbar-brand href=https://www.open-bio.org/>Open Bioinformatics Foundation</a></div><div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id=main-navbar><ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right"><li class=navlinks-container><a class=navlinks-parent role=button tabindex=0>BOSC</a><div class=navlinks-children><a href=/events/bosc-2026/>BOSC 2026</a> 42<a href=/events/bosc-2026/submit/>Submit an abstract</a> 43<a href=/events/bosc-2026/bosc-2026-keynotes/>Keynotes</a> 44<a href=/events/bosc-2026/bosc-2026-schedule/>Schedule (NEW)</a> 45<a href=/events/bosc-2026/panels/>Panels</a> 46<a href=/events/bosc/collaborationfest/>CollaborationFest</a> 47<a href=/events/bosc/sponsors/>Sponsors</a> 48<a href=/category/bosc/>BOSC News</a> 49<a href=/events/bosc/about/>About BOSC</a></div></li><li class=navlinks-container><a class=navlinks-parent role=button tabindex=0>OBF</a><div class=navlinks-children><a href=/about>About OBF</a> 50<a href=/board>Board</a> 51<a href=/projects>Projects</a> 52<a href=/event-awards/>OBF Event Awards</a> 53<a href=/get-involved>Get Involved</a> 54<a href=/obf-dei/>Diversity, Equity & Inclusion</a> 55<a href=/donate>Donate</a></div></li><li><a title=News href=/blog>News</a></li></ul></div><div class=avatar-container><div class=avatar-img-border><a title="Open Bioinformatics Foundation" href=https://www.open-bio.org/events/bosc/><img class=avatar-img src=https://www.open-bio.org/bosc_logo_square.png alt="Open Bioinformatics Foundation"></a></div></div></div></nav><header class=header-section><div class="intro-header no-img"><div class=container><div class=row><div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 col-md-10 col-md-offset-1"><div class=page-heading><h1>
55About BOSC</h1><hr class=small></div></div></div></div></div></header><div class=container role=main><div class=row><div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 col-md-10 col-md-offset-1"><article role=main class=blog-post><h1 id=what-is-bosc>What is BOSC?</h1><p>The <strong>B</strong>ioinformatics <strong>O</strong>pen <strong>S</strong>ource <strong>C</strong>onference promotes and facilitates the <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/open_source>open source</a> development of <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bioinformatics>bioinformatics</a> tools and open science.</p><p>Since it launched in 2000, BOSC has been part of ISMB every year except for 2018 and 2020, when it partnered with the Galaxy Community Conference.</p><p>BOSC 2027 will be part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2027/home>ISMB/ECCB 2027</a> in Copenhagen, Denmark.</p><p><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/codefest-some-people.jpg alt></p><h3 id=bosc-aims-to>BOSC aims to:</h3><div class=splitbox><div class=left><ul><li>Inform the research community of important developments in open source bioinformatics and open science</li><li>Provide a focused environment for developers and users to interact and share ideas about open source approaches in bioinformatics</li><li>Make connections between participants that could enhance the open source ecosystem and lead to collaborations</li><li>Promote open science, with its focus on sharing data and tools, transparency, reproducibility, and data provenance</li></ul></div><div class=right><p><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jason-at-mic-cropped-1.jpeg alt="Jason Williams at BOSC 2024"></p></div><div style=clear:both></div></div><h3 id=previous-boscs>Previous BOSCs</h3><ul><li><a href=/events/bosc-2026/>BOSC 2026</a> took place July 14-15 in Washington, DC, USA, as part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismb2026/home>ISMB 2026</a>.</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2025/>BOSC 2025</a> took place July 21-22, 2025 in Liverpool, UK (as part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2025/home>ISMB/ECCB 2025</a>).</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2024/>BOSC 2024</a> The 25th annual BOSC was held July 15-16, 2024, as part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2024>ISMB 2024</a>, in person in Montréal, Canada, and online.</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2023/>BOSC 2023</a> took place July 26-27, 2023 as part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2023>ISMB/ECCB 2023</a>, in person in Lyon, France, and online.</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2022/>BOSC 2022</a> took place July 13-14, 2022, as part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismb2022>ISMB 2022</a>, in person in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, and also online.</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2021/>BOSC 2021</a>, part of <a href=https://www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2021>ISMB/ECCB 2021 online</a>, took place July 29-30, 2021.</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2020/>BOSC 2020</a> online (as part of Bioinformatics Community Conference, <a href=https://bcc2020.github.io/>BCC2020</a>)</li><li><a href=/events/bosc-2019/>BOSC 2019</a> Basel, Switzerland (as part of ISMB/ECCB 2019)</li></ul><div class=splitbox><div class=left><ul><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2018>BOSC 2018</a> Portland, Oregon (with the Galaxy Community Conference as <a href=/2018/07/27/gccbosc-2018-post-meeting-report/>GCCBOSC 2018</a>)</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2017>BOSC 2017</a> Prague, Czech Republic</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2016>BOSC 2016</a> Orlando, FL, USA</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2015>BOSC 2015</a> Dublin, Ireland</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2014>BOSC 2014</a> Boston, MA USA</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2013>BOSC 2013</a> Berlin, Germany</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2012>BOSC 2012</a> Long Beach, CA, USA</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2011>BOSC 2011</a> Vienna, Austria</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2010>BOSC 2010</a> Boston, MA USA</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2009>BOSC 2009</a> Stockholm, Sweden</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2008>BOSC 2008</a> Toronto, Ontario, Canada</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2007>BOSC 2007</a> Vienna, Austria</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2006>BOSC 2006</a> Fortaleza, Brasil</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2005>BOSC 2005</a> Detroit, MI USA</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2004>BOSC 2004</a> Glasgow, UK</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2003>BOSC 2003</a> Brisbane, Australia</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2002>BOSC 2002</a> Edmonton, Canada</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2001>BOSC 2001</a> Copenhagen, Denmark</li><li><a href=/wiki/BOSC_2000>BOSC 2000</a> San Diego, CA USA</li></ul><p></div><div class=right><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Marcin-talking-to-Susannah-Tringe.jpg alt="Marcin Joachimiak and
55Susannah Tringe at BOSC 2024"></p></div><div style=clear:both></div></div><h3 id=collaborationfest>CollaborationFest</h3><p>In recent years, the BOSC meetings have been preceded or followed by a two-day <a href=/events/bosc/collaborationfest/>CollaborationFest</a>, an informal collaborative work event. Initially called CodeFest, the event was renamed CollaborationFest in 2018 to reflect the fact that it’s not just about coding.</p><p><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/BOSC-audience-with-Jessica-1.jpeg alt="Part of the audience of BOSC 2024"></p><h2 id=get-involved>Get involved</h2><p>There are many ways to get involved with the conference:</p><h3 id=attend>Attend</h3><div class=splitbox><div class=left><p>There’s no conference without attendees! Your presence is crucial to the success of the event, and we’re always happy to see new faces. We encourage everyone to attend the main meeting and/or CollaborationFest, interact with other attendees, and post about their experience. And tell your colleagues and friends who aren’t there that they should attend next year!</p></div><div class=right><p><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sehrish-Kanwal-poster-1-1.jpg alt></p></div><div style=clear:both></div></div><h3 id=present-your-work>Present your work</h3><p>Our focus is on open source work and communities. Code presented at BOSC must be open and properly licensed. If your work is more about training materials than code, we want your materials to be open and licensed so others can benefit from it!</p><p>We try to provide a platform to everyone who wants to present appropriate work. We have “long” talks (typically 17 minutes + 3 minutes for questions), short/“lightning” talks (5 minutes), and posters.</p><p><a href=/events/bosc-2026/submit/ class="btn btn-lg btn-primary">Submit an abstract</a></p><h3 id=review-abstracts>Review abstracts</h3><div class=splitbox><div class=left><p><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Idowu-Olawoye-presenting.jpeg alt="Idowu Olawoye presenting at BOSC 2024"></p></div><div class=right><p>Conference abstracts are reviewed by volunteers who express their interest and have appropriate experience. We encourage reviewers to be constructive in their comments, and some choose to sign their reviews. Reviewers are typically assigned about 6-8 abstracts to review. 56We acknowledge our reviewers on the conference website.</p><p><a href=https://github.com/OBF/bosc_materials/blob/master/BOSC_review_process.md target=_new class="btn btn-lg btn-primary">More about the review process</a></p></div><div style=clear:both></div></div><h3 id=join-the-organizing-committee>Join the Organizing Committee</h3><p>The organizing committee does most of the work to make BOSC a successful meeting. Committee members help write communications to reviewers, participants, and attendees; decide on the program; design conference materials; find dinner locations; chair sessions during the conference; and more! The workload gets heavy in two waves: first when abstracts are being reviewed and the program is being put together, and again as the conference gets closer. Most organizing committee members start out by becoming abstract reviewers.</p><p><img src=/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BOSC-roundtable-2021-Jul-29-1-1.jpeg alt></p><h3 id=sponsor-bosc-andor-collaborationfest>Sponsor BOSC and/or CollaborationFest</h3><p>The Open Bioinformatics Foundation welcomes sponsorships to help support the BOSC and <a href=/events/bosc/collaborationfest/>CollaborationFest</a> events. Please see the <a href=/events/bosc/sponsors/>Sponsors</a> page for more information.</p></article></div></div></div><div class=page-meta></div><footer><div class=container><div class=row><div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 col-md-10 col-md-offset-1"><ul class="list-inline text-center footer-links"><h1>Follow BOSC ð</h1><li><a href=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/bosc-announce target=_new><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 57<img src=/img/mailinglist.svg class="fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=http://f1000research.com/collections/BOSC target=_new><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 58<img src=/img/f1000.jpg class="fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></li><li><a href=https://join.slack.com/t/obf-bosc/shared_invite/zt-n5ur1gsj-z2C~69_4lYTFPg5tbWA8Ew target=_new><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 59<img src=/img/129_slack-icon.6fe86e28d6.jpg class="fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14344023/ target=_new><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 60<img src=/img/linkedin-icon.png class="fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=http://youtube.com/c/OBFBOSC target=_new><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 61<img src=/img/youtube-square.png class="fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=https://bsky.app/profile/bosc.bsky.social target=_new><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 62<img src=/img/bluesky-square-logo.jpg class="fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li></ul><hr><h1 class=text-center>Follow OBF</h1></div></div><div class=row><div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 col-md-10 col-md-offset-1"><ul class="list-inline text-center footer-links"><li><a href=mailto:[email protected] title="Email me"><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 63<i class="fas fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=https://github.com/obf title=GitHub><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 64<i class="fab fa-github fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=https://join.slack.com/t/open-bio/shared_invite/zt-1pnswao9y-8igcckVxBXhQHCMweHt_NA title=Slack><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 65<i class="fab fa-slack fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9539620/ title=LinkedIn><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 66<i class="fab fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a rel=me href=https://genomic.social/@openbio title=Mastodon><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 67<i class="fab fa-mastodon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li><li><a href=https://bsky.app/profile/openbio.bsky.social title=Bluesky><span class="fa-stack fa-lg"><i class="fas fa-circle fa-stack-2x"></i> 68<i class="fab fa-bluesky fa-stack-1x fa-inverse"></i></span></a></li></ul><p class="credits copyright text-muted">Open Bioinformatics Foundation 69 • © 702026 71 • 72<a href=https://www.open-bio.org/>Open Bioinformatics Foundation</a><br><a href=https://www.open-bio.org/code-of-conduct/>Code of Conduct</a> • 73<a href=https://github.com/OBF/obf-docs/blob/master/OBF%20Bylaws.md>Bylaws</a></p><p class="credits theme-by text-muted"><a href=https://gohugo.io>Hugo v0.155.2</a> powered • Theme <a href=https://github.com/halogenica/beautifulhugo>
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