NEWS on EACD / IAACD 2025 – OVERVIEW – January 2024
Dear committee members,
we want to wish you a happy and healthy new year.
At this occasion, we want to share some information on our plans so far.
Just a short overview about some recent activities and next tasks:
- We hope that everybody has received and shared the Save the date Flyer. Please do share this within your community. Also, please include a banner (ideally with a hyperlink to our website) in your email signature and, if possible, on your website. This is a great way to advertise our meeting. In addition, we do recommend to include the banner at the end of all your PowerPoint presentations, which will be another great way to raise awareness. The banners and the flyer are attached along with this email.
- The „hottest“ activity at the moment is the start of weekly presentation of video clips from the visiting project „International Voices on Childhood-onset disabilities“ on our website on 10th January (Wed). Caregivers, persons with lived experiences, stakeholders and professionals from 12 countries have been visited and recorded last year. They will talk about the situation in their countries, their stories, challenges, wishes etc. Background information will be given in addition on our social media. Please share this information and the link within your networks: https://eacd-iaacd2025.org/networking-and-communication/international-voices/
- Scientific committee: After slowing down our process last year in order not to collide with the preparation of the EACD meeting in Bruges 2024, we have now to speed up this year.
Based on the issues raised by family, user and stakeholder committee and the visiting project, we revised our top themes accordingly. This will be the basis of our calls for abstracts and of our selection of the keynote speakers this year. Further, a number of activities have to be prepared and worked on this year. These are:
- February: call for symposia (pre-conference, focused symposia)
- February to April, selection of the majority of keynote speakers
- June / July 2024, review of the symposia being submitted
- June to August 2024, calls for abstracts (oral, poster, instructional courses/workshops)
- September/October 2024, major review of the more than 700 abstracts to be expected
- Side activities (Opening, Social Event, Gala Dinner, Pre-conference organisation) will be fixed.
- Family, user and stakeholder committee: They will also support the abstract review process. In addition, they will prepare an „Action Day“ during congress time (e.g. Saturday), together with stakeholder organisations of the German supporting network.
- German Supporting Network Committee will further prepare a program for a German congress day / additional track.
- Social Media and Communication Committee will realize an effective communication strategy. Everyone is welcome to support
- Finances and Partner Committee: after the first mailing to partners in autumn, a booklet for partners is currently developed and will be presented to all committee members for distribution and contact.
We will be happy to receive your feedback at any time and will keep you informed from now on a regular basis.
Rainer Blank, President EACD / IAACD 2025