Scientific conferences: virtual yet equitable
The problems with current format of the scientific conferences are comprehensively enumerated (Sarabipour et al., 2020). Sarabipour and colleagues argue that “the current organization of many conferences leads to practices that exclude researchers on a wide range of factors including, but not limited to, gender, ethnic, socioeconomic, health and geographical backgrounds, and career stage”; while they present a major environmental risk to the planet (Sarabipour et al., 2020). COVID-19 travel restrictions resulted in many conferences to move online. This resulted in a widely appreciated positive impact in enhancing the equity and accessibility to a vast community of researchers with lack of time and resources to attend a conference in-person.
While there are benefits to attending face-to-face meetings and conferences, many of those benefits could also be obtained in a virtual setting. Additionally, a virtual event broadens the number and diversity of the attendees thereby providing a more equitable means of science dissemination (Klaveren, 2010). The cost and time required to attend a conference in-person is a major barrier for trainees and early career investigators (Malloy, 2020). Moreover, even when the funds are available, researchers tend to go to conferences with immediate relevance to their field of work. Providing virtual online platforms in parallel with the in-person meeting will greatly enhance the participation while also reducing the carbon footprint related to air travel (Weissgerber et al., 2020). Several highly successful examples have been held during the COVID-19 lockdown Cognitive Neuroscience Society; The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and American Society of Nutrition annual conference resulting in participation far-exceeding the most optimistic estimates for the in-person event. Crucially, as the scientific endeavour is without border, the science dissemination should also not be limited to borders. Online platforms will considerably increase participation from trainees and scientists in low and middle-income countries and hence moving towards higher equity.
To ensure that graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career investigators are not disproportionally impacted by cancellation of in-person meetings, the events should move online if feasible and give due recognition to the researchers (Weissgerber et al., 2020). Examples have emerged where the conferences are held via zoom, pre-recorded talks, and live-streaming on YouTube. To ensure an efficient and authentic experience in virtual events, it is recommended to provide instructions on how to navigate the online platform; allocate time and space for informal networking; and create an environment where the participants can enjoy the complete experience of the conference (Klaveren, 2010).