ISME hosted a virtual conference #UnityInDiversity on 11 - 12 November 2020, meant to fill the void left when ISME18 in South Africa had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. #UnityInDiversity was fully virtual, interactive, free for everybody to attend, with a program of invited talks by top microbial ecologists from around the world! 

Invited speakers from over 15 countries around the world lined up for the conference. During the meeting, participants had the opportunity to interact with the invited speakers in small breakout groups. Currently the talks will be available online as teaching resources or for people who missed parts of the meeting. All registrants have been sent the link to these videos and this link will be available for six weeks after the meeting, until 1 January. Members of the ISME society also have access to the talks, without the time limit.