Interested in hosting a PCST conference?
The PCST Network is inviting bids to host its 2027 conference.
The next two PCST Network conferences will take place in:
- Aberdeen, UK, May, 2025
- Shanghai, China, 2027
The deadline for submitting bids has been extended to the 29 April 2025.
Please send your proposal to: Fabien Medvecky, Secretary, PCST Scientific Committee, secretary@pcst.network
Bids will be considered at the meeting of the PCST Scientific Committee in Aberdeen, Scotland at the conference in May 2025. Presentations to the Scientific Committee will take place on the 26 May 2025. Groups submitting a bid will be invited to make a presentation and answer questions at this meeting.
A copy of the guidelines for conference organisers is available on request.
Recent conferences have been held in:
- 2023 Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 2020+1 Virtual
- 2018 Dunedin, New Zealand
- 2016 Istanbul, Turkey
- 2014 Salvador, Brazil
- 2012 Florence, Italy
- 2010 New Delhi, India
- 2008 Malmo-Copenhagen, Sweden-Denmark
- 2006 Seoul, Korea
Submitting a bid
Bids to host a conference are normally called at least six months in advance of the meeting that will award the conference. A call to host is posted on the PCST website and an announcement sent to the PCST discussion list.
All bidding groups should be prepared to meet the Scientific Committee at the conference, to describe their bid and answer questions.
The bid documents should be lodged with the secretary of the PCST Network five weeks before the meeting they are considered.
What should be in the bid documentation
Organisations bidding to host the conference should address the following matters in their documentation:
- Demonstrate that the bid enjoys wide support from science organisations in the proposed host country. Bids should be accompanied by supportive letters from organisations such as government bodies, universities, associations of science writers, science academies, industry and community groups.
- Demonstrate the capacity and experience of the local organisers to run a major international event, including support for conference logistics (this could involve working with a conference planning team or organisation), setting up a web site to publicise the event, arranging venues, helping develop the program and organising attractive social events.
- Have confirmed an accessible venue(s) that can sufficiently accommodate 350-700 delegates and have the capacity for breakout spaces at the conference. PCST usually has 8 parallel sessions during the conference.
- Present a draft budget outlining the main costs and the anticipated income for the conference. What will be the major expenses? What will be the main sources of income? What will be the estimated registration fees?
- Explain how delegates from developing countries will be supported to participate in the conference. PCST conferences offer reduced registration fees for people from Global South countries or disadvantaged communities. The bidding team will need to be prepared to answer questions about how they might raise funds to support bursaries for the conference.
- Include interesting and attractive social events during the conference, and tourist opportunities before and after the conference.
Responsibilities of the bidding group
The bidding group has responsibility for all logistical and physical arrangements for the conference. It bears sole responsibility for all financial aspects of the conference.
The responsible organisation will:
- Provide the venue and conference catering, take registrations, organise the secretariat, arrange a social program and publicity.
- Collect all income (registration fees, sponsorship), pay all conference expenses and retain all profits and underwrite the conference.
- Pay a registration fee of $US10 to the PCST Network for every paying registrant for the conference.
- Support the attendance of members of the PCST Scientific Committee at the conference by providing each member of the Committee with complementary conference registration and one night of accommodation.
- Provide a delegate contact list where delegates have opted to share this information.
- Elect a Local Organising Committee (LOC) to plan and manage the conference. This should include some representatives from the science communication community.
The Local Organising Committee will:
- Nominate a person to serve on the Program Subcommittee of the PCST Scientific Committee.
- Set the conference date (in consultation with the Scientific Committee).
- Work with the Scientific Committee to draw up detailed plans for the management of the conference, including a schedule, and present this to the Scientific Committee for approval.
- Publicise the conference.
- Organise the conference venue and catering and hire a conference organiser (or an alternative system) to manage conference registrations and accommodation.
- Establish and manage a website to publicise the conference, take registrations and provide information on hotels and associated events and activities.
- Suggest plenary speakers for consideration by the Program Subcommittee.
- Manage arrangements with sponsors.
A copy of the guidelines for conference organisers is available on request.
Responsibilities of Programme Committee of the PCST
The Programme Committee is elected by the Scientific Committee as soon as possible after the previous conference. It is responsible for the intellectual direction of the conference.
The Programme Committee will:
- Draft an outline of the Programme and the formats of discussions at the conference.
- Draft the themes for the conference.
- Within the general schedule for the conference, nominate a timetable for the submission and review of abstracts.
- Establish a section on the PCST website that allows people to submit abstracts for consideration.
- Draw up the call for abstracts.
- Select plenary speakers (in consultation with the Local Organising Committee).
- Manage the review of abstracts.
- Draw up the final programme for the conference.
- Advise people who submitted abstracts if their proposal was successful.
- Allocate chairs for conference sessions.
The Programme Committee will consult with the full Scientific Committee on a regular basis.
Responsibilities of PCST Scientific Committee
The Scientific Committee is responsible for selecting the conference host. It will consult with and advise the Program Committee and the Local Organising Committee.
The Scientific Committee will:
- Select the host country.
- Advise and assist the Local Organising Committee on all aspects of the conference.
- Work with the Local Organising Committee to draw up detailed plans for the management of the conference, including confirming the conference themes and a schedule.
- Elect a Program Committee to draft the call for abstracts, consider plenary speakers and draft the final conference program, as set out in the PCST by-laws.
- Suggest plenary speakers to the Program Committee.
- Help publicise the conference, including the calls for abstracts and registrations.
- Review abstracts that have been submitted to the conference
- Organise the AGM and Scientific Committee meetings at the conference.
- Put in place a code of conduct and complaints procedure for the conference and process any subsequent complaints according to the code of conduct.
Further details will soon be available in the PCST Conference Manual.
Language
The conference will take place in English with other languages and/or translation services provided where appropriate.