INTERNATIONAL WHEAT CONGRESS - CALL

CALL FOR HOST COUNTRY PROPOSALS - 5th International Wheat Congress, 2028

On behalf of the International Organising Committee (IOC) we are pleased to open the call to host the 5th International Wheat Congress (IWC) to be held in 2028.

The First International Wheat Congress (1st IWC) held July 21-29, 2019 at Saskatoon, Canada, was an overwhelming success with just over 900 registered delegates from 55 countries. This was followed by the 2nd IWC in Beijing which was largely virtual due to COVID restrictions. The third International Wheat Congress (3rd IWC) took place in Perth, Australia, from September 22-27, 2024, with over 800 registrants. During the event, the winning bid to host the 4th IWC in 2026 was announced, being Bologna, Italy, the new host.

In order to allow engagement from the wheat research community in selecting the host for future International Wheat Congresses, a two-stage process was implemented by the IOC. In the first stage, expressions of interest in hosting the congress are sought. The IOC will then shortlist the strongest proposals that meet the selection criteria outlined below. In the second stage, the shortlisted bids will be asked to present their case to the IOC. The IOC will then consult with the research community and then select their preferred location.

The IOC and the Wheat Initiative (WI) recognise the significant lead-time that is required for preparing the bids to host the Congress and then for the selected host to organise such a large congress. Therefore, we are launching the call for interest now. The WI will facilitate the process on behalf of the IOC.

The process to select the next host country is as follows:

Institutions or organisations interested in hosting the 2028 – 5th IWC must apply using the application (Annex A). Applications will be accepted until Friday 28th February, 2025, and should be sent to the Wheat Initiative wheat.initiative(a)julius-kuehn.de
The application must be accompanied with a cover letter signed by an authorised representative of the applying institution confirming their support.
The IOC will ensure applications are complete and select the strongest for presentation at a full meeting of the IOC. The IOC may seek clarification of some aspects of the bids.
The institutions or organisations selected will be asked to make a 5 minute presentation of their proposal to the IOC. Presentation can be made via video link in April.
The host country will be selected based on the IOC vote. IOC delegates will have access to applications from February to April 2025 (dates to be confirmed),
All institutions and organisations bidding will be informed of results in written by June 2025.

The IOC and the WI are looking forward to receiving your applications to host the 5th International Wheat Congress in 2028.

Sincerely Yours,

Wheat Initiative

International Wheat Congress IOC