Microorganisms know no borders, and neither should the conversations that shape our understanding of them. In this spirit, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) launched Microbial Quorum in July 2025, an initiative aimed at fostering region-specific scientific dialogue and strengthening international collaborations in microbial sciences. The inaugural sessions were hosted in collaboration with two premier CSIR institutions: CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR–IGIB) in New Delhi and CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR–CCMB) in Hyderabad.

On July 11, Dr Anirban Mahapatra, Editorial Director of ASM Journals, along with Dr Aditi Jain, ASM’s Scientific Partnerships Manager (India), were hosted by Profs. Bhupesh Taneja, Sheetal Gandotra and other faculty members at CSIR–IGIB, Dr Mahapatra’s talk, “The Microbial Century,” set the tone for this scientific series by reflecting on the influence of microbes in shaping the future of science and society, and India’s vital role in steering that future. 

The second session, held on July 28 at CSIR-CCMB, was hosted by Drs Sriram Varahan, Vinay Nandicoori and Manjula Reddy. Dr Mahapatra spoke on “The Coming Microbial Revolution,” highlighting the emerging directions in microbiology and its growing relevance across sectors.

Both visits included productive interactions with the faculty and students. ASM extended its sincere appreciation to the teams at CSIR–IGIB and CSIR–CCMB for their warm hospitality and for enabling such meaningful scientific engagement.