“RNA is a building block to all precision medicine – targeted treatments tailored to individual patients – and could help solve some of our biggest health challenges,” said NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, who advocated to host the conference, known as RNA 2028, in Sydney.
“This is a significant moment for RNA research and innovation in NSW and Australia, bringing the world’s leading minds together with our own, just as NSW emerges as a global leader in RNA research and manufacturing.”
The five-day meeting, to be held May 30 to June 4, 2028 at ICC Sydney, was won through a collaboration between RNA scientists from Sydney and Canberra and BESydney.
The conference is expected to attract 1,200 delegates, including scientists, health clinicians and those innovating in the RNA field, and inject $5.1 million into the New South Wales economy.
“Securing this meeting for Sydney is a significant milestone for Australia’s scientific community, reflecting the depth and importance of Australian RNA research,” said Professor of RNA Biology at UNSW, John Mattick AO, who is also a BESydney Global Ambassador and led the bid for RNA 2028.
“RNA biology and technology is at the forefront of advances in the understanding of genetic information, complex animal and plant traits and diseases, genetic engineering and the development of new therapies.”
The 2028 meeting will be the first time the event is held in Australia.
The conference has support from Australia’s national business events subvention fund, managed by Tourism Australia.
“The decision to award RNA 2028 to Sydney reflects the NSW Government’s long-term investment in building a world-class RNA ecosystem,” said the state’s innovation, science and technology minister, Anoulack Chanthivong.
“Hosting the world’s leading researchers, clinicians and industry partners will put NSW on the global stage, showcasing the expertise and innovation that are driving breakthroughs in RNA medicine.
“This is an opportunity to attract investment, strengthen international partnerships and accelerate the development of new therapies that improve lives, while creating jobs and growing NSW’s biotech sector.”
BESydney’s CEO, Amanda Lampe, called the win “a powerful endorsement of Sydney’s standing as a global centre for RNA science”.
“Business events like this do far more than fill hotel rooms, they connect our researchers with the best in the world, attract investment and accelerate the discoveries that will shape the future of healthcare,” she said.
