Brisbane will host the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2023), set to take place at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in July 2023.

IAS is the world’s largest and most influential HIV Sciences conference and holding it in Queensland’s capital will present a global focus for Australia’s evidence led approach to HIV, which is leading the world in the minimisation of infection rates.

Organisers are forecasting more than 6,000 members of the international research community at the forefront of HIV science will attend the five-day event at the BCEC, injecting a $36.8 million contribution to Queensland’s economic recovery.

The Conference is set to amplify the role of science in the areas of infectious diseases and viral medicine in Australia, with a number of scientists from the nation’s top research institutes involved in the COVID -19 Pandemic, playing an active role in the bid to secure the HIV Sciences Conference for Brisbane.

HIV and COVID -19 intersect, with key elements of Australia’s HIV response utilised in the country’s fight against COVID-19. IAS 2023 enables Australia’s key learnings in this area to be shared on a global scale.

Hosting the conference in Australia would be an accelerator for the country to reach its goal of achieving the virtual elimination of HIV transmission by 2025. It will also focus attention on the HIV epidemic in the Asia Pacific region, bringing an important spotlight to the region’s most vulnerable communities.

BCEC general manager, Kym Guesdon said the Centre has a strong track record of supporting collaboration and scientific exchange through its highly successful Convention Advocates Partnership.

“Our team works closely with our Advocates among whom are many eminent scientists and academics, to secure conferences of this calibre,” Guedson said.

“We are honoured to host what is the world’s foremost meeting on HIV research at our venue and congratulate the collaborative effort of the Centre’s International Team along with our scientific colleagues and convention partners in securing this hero event for Brisbane and Queensland.”

The team at BCEC, together with local host organisation Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM), submitted the successful bid to host the 2023 Conference, with strong support from the Queensland Government, through Queensland Health and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), Tourism Australia and Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA).