Thank you to all those who attended and participated in the 2010 XIIth International Congress of Parasitology (ICOPA). The XIIth congress was held in Melbourne, Australia, from 15-20th August 2010 at the new Exhibition and Convention Centre and was a great sucess.

Parasites have an enormous impact not only in the environment but also on human and animal health. This conference will be an important forum for the dissemination and discussion of new findings in this rapidly expanding field. The theme of the congress is “Understanding the global impact of parasites-from genomes to function and disease” around which we are developing an exciting scientific program that will provide a dynamic platform for the vibrant and fruitful exchange of your new findings, research questions and state-of-the-art techniques. We are confident the diversity of themes that will be covered in this conference will encourage positive collaborations and abstracts will be solicited on all topics that span the enormous range of parasitology. The conference will provide the scientific depth required by including a range of Plenary talks that will complement a larger number of oral presentations in parallel thematic sessions. The poster sessions will be a particularly important aspect of ICOPA XII with poster presentations grouped by themes each day throughout the conference period and thematic oral sessions for selected posters. There will be several social programs around the poster displays to encourage discussion and collaborations. Competitive travel awards for students and postdoctoral scientists from developing countries are offered.

Alan Cowman, Chair ICOPA XII