The International Conference on Vertex Algebra, Category Theory and Related Topics was held at the Chern Institute of Mathematics (CIM), Nankai University from July 12 to July 16, 2026. The Organizing Committee comprises scholars including Professor Chengming Bai (Nankai University), Professor Chongying Dong (University of California, Santa Cruz), Professor Cuibo Jiang (Shanghai Jiaotong University), Professor Li Ren (Sichuan University) and Professor Feng Xu (University of California, Riverside). Supported by CIM, the Conference gathered over 60 scholars from universities and research institutions across China, as well as the United States, Australia, Croatia, Germany and Japan.

A total of 20 academic talks were delivered at the Conference by invited speakers, focusing on the latest advancements of frontier topics such as vertex operator algebras, modular tensor categories, fusion categories, quantum vertex algebras, conformal field theory, automorphic forms, BKM Lie algebras and topological quantum field theory. The Conference provided a great opportunity for experts and scholars to exchange ideas and insights, and further promoted the development of relevant research fields.