CONFERENCE ON THE EVOLUTIONARY ROLE OF STRUCTURAL VARIATION !!!!8th - 10th of July 2026, Vila do Conde, Portugal!!!!! Dear colleagues, The ESEB Special Topic Network on "Structural variants in evolution-STRiVE" was established in 2025 and brings together researchers from across the globe to study how structural variants, ranging from transposable elements to large chromosomal rearrangements such as inversions or fusions and fissions, shape genome evolution, adaptation, and speciation. Through collaborative research, standardised methods, seminars, meetings, and training initiatives, we aim to bridge communities and unlock the diversity of structural variants and their evolutionary implications across the Tree of Life both from an empirical and theoretical perspective. The Trends in Biodiversity and Evolution (TiBE) conference is an annual meeting organized by BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, Portugal, providing a platform for senior researchers, as well as post-graduate and graduate students, to present and discuss the latest developments in evolutionary biology. We are organizing a joint conference "Trends in Biodiversity and Evolution: the evolutionary role of structural genomic variation" (TiBE-STRiVE)" that will feature cutting-edge research presentations, foster interdisciplinary discussions, and initiate collaborative projects spanning the breadth of structural variant research. This will be the kick-off conference of the STRiVE network (https://structuralvariantsstn.github.io/). IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Venue-Location: Quinta do Crasto, Vairao, Vila do Conde, Portugal Dates: 8th to 10th of July, 2026 Registration and abstract submission open on the 10th of February 2026 for STRiVE members, and on the 1st of March for everyone else. Talks are granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Website, links registration and abstract submission forms and more information will be sent by Monday the 9th March. INVITED SPEAKERS: Mark Kirkpatrick, Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA Joana Meier, Cambridge University & Welcome Sanger Institute, UK Two additional early career speakers will be invited to present a talk based on the quality their abstracts MAIN ORGANIZERS: Rui Faria, Aurora Ruiz Herrera and Marina Rafajlovic Other members of the organizing and scientific committee: Marius Roesti, Petr Neguyen, Kay Lucek, Maren Wellenreuther, Jenn Coughlan, Zach Gompert, Claire Merot, Benjamin Dauphin Local organizing committee; Pierre Barry (CIBIO, U. Porto), Ralph Merrifield (CIBIO, U. Porto), Susana Almeida (U. Algarve), Jo?o Carvalho (CIBIO, U. Porto), Leonor Bezerra (CIBIO, U. Lisbon) On behalf of the organization and STRiVE, Rui Faria Rui Faria, PhD 1. Researcher and SEAGEN Group Leader CIBIO, Centro de Investiga??o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen?ticos, InBIO Laborat?rio Associado BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning Campus de Vair?o Rua Padre Armando Quintas, n? 7 4485-661, Vair?o, Portugal 2. Invited Assistant Professor, Department of Biology Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre s/n 4169-007, Porto, Portugal Webpages: Littorina Research Community https://rmigueldefaria.wixsite.com/farialab-1 https://sites.google.com/biopolis.pt/littorina/winklewatch ruifaria@cibio.up.pt (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)