Welcome to the Sustainable Conferencing Initiative’s website

In-person interactions at conferences provide unparalleled opportunities for biologists to collaborate and connect.

The events of 2020 have changed the way we work as the whole world transitioned online. A major impact on the biological community was not only the closure of labs, but the cancellation of major international conferences and meetings.

However, before the pandemic struck, the academic community was already assessing the merits of virtual and hybrid conferencing. There is an urgent need to find new ways of interacting with each other that are greener and more accessible than traditional conference models.

“I have become increasingly worried about the impact of conferences on the environment, and now there are other reasons not to travel internationally. We are all aware of how important conferences are to bring people together, so we have a problem.”

Dr Sally Lowell, a member of the Board of Directors

Now is the time to rethink scientific conferences. 

As the pandemic crisis has continued, scientists have experienced a number of successful remote conferences. Many aspects work well, but it remains a challenge to capture the many social benefits and scientific interactions that happen in-person.

We now need to experiment with different formats to continue successful virtual collaborations. We also need to learn how to adapt virtual conference technologies to support hybrid or hub conferences. What we learn this year by going digital will create new opportunities to share research in a more sustainable way.

The Sustainable Conferencing Initiative will support biologists to continue to communicate productively while minimising their impact on the environment. 

Why has the Initiative been created? 

With so much uncertainty surrounding the future of international travel and large gatherings, now is the time to trial and develop successful virtual conferencing formats. 

“There are lots of innovative ideas out there and the Sustainable Conferencing Initiative will provide a central hub of information, advice, technical solutions and funding to help overcome existing barriers to sustainable conferencing”

Dr Sally Lowell, a member of the Board of Directors

Conference organisers have already taken important steps towards more sustainable conferencing. To become ‘greener’ still, many face a number of logistical and financial barriers: 

Lack of resources

With no central source of information available, conference organisers often struggle to find out about additional sustainable changes they can make. 

Lack of funding schemes 

A lack of available financial support raises concerns about the additional cost of new technology or alternative ways of travel. 

Lack of experience

With no tried-and-tested case studies, organisers face uncertainty about unreliable technology, unsuccessful formats and poor attendance. 

The Company of Biologists Sustainable Conferencing Initiative will help overcome these barriers and support sustainable science communication.