Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
21 April:
The Covid-19 pandemic and associated challenges globally have had significant consequences for the EAA: for its members, its conference organisers in 2020, and for its conference organisers in the coming three years.
It has become clear that the EAA Annual Meeting cannot be held onsite in Budapest in 2020. Since we released our last statement, there has been intensive discussion within the EAA Executive Board and the Secretariat as well as with the Budapest team, their partners, and our other future local conference organisers about possible solutions.
We all are convinced that 2020 cannot and will not be a “lost” year in the life of EAA. Also, because members need EAA as a platform and partner especially in challenging times.
The practicalities of a virtual Annual Meeting in 2020 are being actively examined. At the request of the Budapest team, it has been agreed that the EAA Annual Meeting 2022 would be held in Budapest with the same spirit of developing our networking and supporting our colleagues.
Therefore, our plans are as follows:
- 2020 EAA Annual Meeting virtual (details to be announced soon)
- 2021 EAA Annual Meeting in Kiel (8-11 September; stays as planned)
- 2022 EAA Annual Meeting in Budapest (dates to be confirmed; moved from 2020)
- 2023 EAA Annual Meeting in Belfast (30 August - 2 September; moved from 2022 - we extend our sincere thanks to the Belfast team for their flexibility and their efforts in this regard!)
Specific plans for the virtual meeting in the last week of August 2020 are not yet in place – it is too early. However, we expect to be able to communicate details about it in a few weeks from now. The plan is to keep the scientific programme as planned, including the motto, themes and most, if not all, of the sessions and individual contributions. The Scientific Committee has generously offered to continue its work, and the session organisers will be contacted immediately.
We will provide information on refunds of the 2020 Budapest Annual Meeting registration fees paid. The practicalities of this will be made clear in a forthcoming statement which will be issued at the earliest opportunity.
In the meantime, we hope all our members stay as safe and well as possible, and continue their work and their research as best they can.
On behalf of all EAA members, we wish to acknowledge the amount of work undertaken by the Budapest local organising committee and their partners so far. We extend our heartfelt thanks and our solidarity to them, understanding the scale of the disappointment and the significance of their offer to continue the work of the 2020 Scientific Committee’s – and to consider doing it all again in 2022!
We see this crisis as a chance to explore new ways of coming together.
We will keep you informed!
On behalf of EAA Executive Board
Salud,
Felipe Criado-Boado
President of the EAA