Theme of ICBO 2026¶
The International Conference on Biological and Biomedical Ontology (ICBO) is a premier annual conference series covering the development and application of ontologies for biological and medical domains.
The emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) is fundamentally altering the landscape of biomedical research, knowledge integration, and scientific communication. However, the rapid acceleration of data generation does not inherently lead to improved scientific understanding. As AI systems increasingly mediate the synthesis of knowledge, the requirements for semantic rigor, ontological grounding, and data trustworthiness become more paramount.
ICBO 2026 invites contributions exploring the critical role of ontologies and semantic technologies (including formal semantics based Knowledge Graph) in developing trustworthy, interpretable, and AI-ready ecosystems. We welcome research across the domains of biology, medicine, health, behavioral science, environmental health, and food systems.
While GenAI offers powerful capabilities for data processing and synthesis, it serves as a complement to, not a replacement for, formal semantics, logical consistency, and community-curated knowledge structures.
Important Dates at a Glance¶
| Milestone | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Workshop & Tutorial Proposals | March 15, 2026 |
| Direct-to-Journal Track | April 15, 2026 |
| Main Conference Papers | May 1, 2026 |
| Posters & Software Demos | June 1, 2026 |
| Conference | July 15–17, 2026 |
Call for Submissions & All Deadlines
Topics of Interest¶
Domains of Interest¶
Submissions are encouraged within, but not limited to:
- Biomedical and biological research
- Clinical and public health data integration
- Physical and mental wellness and behavioral science
- Environmental health, food systems, and sustainability
- Regulatory science and policy-making
Community¶
Contact Information¶
Please direct all questions to Asiyah Yu Lin — ontology.world@gmail.com