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Short answer
CROI is the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, an annual scientific meeting for basic scientists and clinical investigators working on human retroviruses and associated diseases. It has been held since 1993 and is run by the CROI Foundation with the International Antiviral Society-USA (IAS-USA). This guide covers what it is, how abstracts are reviewed, and the prior-publication rules researchers should check before submitting (source: CROI website, read 2026-11-08).
What is CROI?
CROI describes itself as a forum for basic scientists and clinical investigators to present and discuss work on the epidemiology and biology of human retroviruses and associated diseases. Its scope has widened beyond HIV to include hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2 (including long COVID) and mpox. Where an abstract is a short structured summary of research submitted for conference review, see the dictionary entry for conference abstract.
Who runs it and who attends
The meeting is organised by the CROI Foundation together with IAS-USA, based in San Francisco. Per the conference’s own About page, attendance is open to researchers and clinical educators who are actively involved in the field, and press space is limited. Dates and venue for the next meeting are published on the official site’s important-dates page; check it directly rather than relying on third-party listings.
How abstracts are reviewed
- Evaluation. Abstracts are evaluated by the Scientific Program Committee and additional reviewers on relevance, rigor and distinct contribution. Each abstract is scored independently by 5 to 10 experts.
- Formats. Accepted work is presented as an Oral Abstract, a Themed Discussion or a Poster. Session and symposium proposals are not submitted as abstracts.
- Authors. Up to 15 authors plus one research group may be listed, and authors should meet ICMJE authorship criteria.
- Late-breakers. A separate late-breaker window exists with no extensions and a stated high threshold of scientific merit. For the 2027 meeting, general abstracts were open from 27 August to 1 October 2026 and late-breakers from 1 December 2026 to 19 January 2027, 11:59 PM Pacific time.
Peer review at a conference differs from journal peer review: the output is a program decision about a short abstract, not a reviewed full article.
Prior publication and preprint rules
Information gain for authors: CROI’s submission guidelines set explicit disclosure rules that differ from many meetings. The table summarises them (source: CROI abstract guidelines and submission page, read 2026-11-08).
| Situation | What the CROI guidelines say |
|---|---|
| Data already published or presented elsewhere | CROI does not generally accept such data. |
| Stated exceptions | Published after 1 January of the conference year; presented at a venue with under 400 attendees or not HIV-focused; or substantial new data added. |
| Preprints | Not considered published for this purpose. |
| Other dissemination | Strong preference that it happens simultaneously with or after CROI. |
| Non-disclosure of prior release | May lead to removal of the abstract. |
| Copyright | Authors assign copyright of the abstract content, not the data, to CROI. |
CROI also publishes an embargo and press release policy. If your funder, journal or institution has its own embargo terms, read both before releasing a preprint or press material.
Using the CROI archives
The conference site hosts an abstracts and ePoster archive. Separately, croiwebcasts.org holds recorded plenaries, symposia, workshops and oral abstracts with slides, video and MP3 audio; at the time of reading it listed an archive spanning 2014 to 2026 with filters including CME eligibility, and some content requires login. Treat conference abstracts as preliminary and check whether a peer-reviewed paper has followed before citing results.
Common misunderstandings
- It is not only about HIV. The stated scope now includes hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2 and mpox.
- A preprint does not block submission. Per the guidelines, preprints are not counted as prior publication, though other disclosure rules still apply.
- It is not the same as IDWeek. IDWeek is a different infectious diseases meeting; see our IDWeek guide.
FAQ
What does CROI stand for?
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
Who organises CROI?
The CROI Foundation, together with the International Antiviral Society-USA (IAS-USA).
Can I submit data I already presented elsewhere?
Generally no, subject to the exceptions in the table above. Disclose any prior release when submitting.
Are CROI sessions available online?
Many recorded sessions are on croiwebcasts.org; some content requires login.
Sources
- CROI Conference, About: croiconference.org/about (read 2026-11-08)
- CROI Conference, Abstract Guidelines and Submission: croiconference.org/abstract-guidelines-and-submission (read 2026-11-08)
- CROI Webcasts: croiwebcasts.org (read 2026-11-08)
