ICAR-The International Conference on
Arabidopsis Research
The first international Arabidopsis conference was held in 1965 in Göttingen, Germany. Interest in using Arabidopsis was somewhat limited until the late 1970s/early 1980s when several researchers in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands began undertaking experiments and mutant screens. A major breakthrough in the 1990s- a successful and relatively simple genetic transformation by agrobacterium and floral dip- helped to catapult the field of Arabidopsis genetics forward. Combined with the multi-national collaboration to sequence the Arabidopsis genome, Arabidopsis was firmly established as the model reference flowering plant by the late 1990s.
See the Arabidopsis thaliana history timeline: 1873-2024 for major milestones
ICAR, a key component to the success of the worldwide Arabidopsis community, has proven to be a highly effective venue for creating and enhancing networks and collaboration. Many scientists, including those trained in other organisms, were inspired to use Arabidopsis in their studies, training, and outreach. The ICAR became an exciting gathering to share the latest cutting-edge research, resources, techniques, and tools using the reference plant. ICAR has also proven to be an extremely effective venue for exposing early career scientists to the field and for encouraging inter-generational interactions.
The community has convened at the ICAR annually since 1995.
ICAR currently ranges in size from ~450-1500 attendees, and its location rotates globally on a three year cycle between North America, Europe, and the Austral-Asia/Pacific Rim.
The meetings are organized by local community volunteers
NAASC organizes North American ICARs and has awarded participation funding since 2004:
Travel funds to 500+ early career scholars to participate in all ICARs
Full-funding participation awards to 150+ Inclusivity Scholars Program Cohort members
Next ICAR: ICAR 2027- Madison, USA
Support ICAR by becoming a sponsor, exhibitor, or advertiser
ICAR 2027 will
Convene the community to share cutting-edge research using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and its applications to understanding many agriculturally important plant species
Include a session on translating knowledge from Arabidopsis into important crop species
Serve as a key gathering point for trainees at all career stages, including students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career investigators seeking connections and career opportunities
Return to Madison, its historical site, for the first time since 2011!
To be announced…
18 invited speakers in 6 plenary sessions
Application call for the ~27 community-proposed & led mini-symposia: apply Sept-mid November, 2026
Did you know… the 2027 community awardees selected in 3 categories will be invited to give plenary presentations at ICAR 2027?
Nominate byOctober 31, 2026. Information here.
For information see the ICAR 2027 page and sign-up for ICAR information below
Past ICARs
April 1965, Gottingen, Germany
September 1976, Frankfurt, Germany
April 1987, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
June 1990, Vienna, Austria
August 1993, Columbus, Ohio, USA NAASC organized
June 1995, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
June 1996, Norwich, UK- organized by the UK community
June 1997, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
June 1998, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
July 1999, Melbourne, Australia-organized by the Australian community
June 2000, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
June 2001, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
June 2002, Seville, Spain-organized by the Spanish community
June 2003, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
July 2004, Berlin, Germany-organized by the German community
June 2005, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
June 2006, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
July 2007, Beijing, China NAASC organized
July 2008, Montreal, Canada NAASC organized
June 2009, Edinburgh, UK-organized by the UK community
June 2010, Yokohama, Japan-organized by the Japanese community
June 2011, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
July 2012, Vienna, Austria-organized by the Austrian community
June 2013, Sydney, Australia-organized by the Australian community
July 2014, Vancouver, Canada NAASC organized
July 2015, Paris, France-organized by the French community
June 2016, Gyeongju, South Korea-organized by the Korean community
June 2017, St. Louis, Missouri, USA NAASC organized
June 2018, Turku, Finland-organized by the Finnish community
June 2019, Wuhan, China-organized by the Chinese community
June 2021, Virtual NAASC organized
June 2022, Belfast, Northern Ireland-organized by the UK community
June 2023, Chiba, Japan-organized by the Japanese community
July 2024, UC San Diego, USA NAASC organized.Program,Abstract book
June 2025, Ghent, Belgium-organized by the Belgian community
June, 2026, Singapore- organized by the Singaporean community
July 2027, Madison, Wisconsin, USA NAASC organized
ICAR 2017 St. Louis Weed Stampede
Coffee for the Weed Stampeders (2017)
