Dear all,

as promised two weeks ago, here is an update on the current situation of ELS 2020. Thank you all for your patience.

  1. Given the evolution of the world-wide situation with regard to the COVID pandemic, it will come as no surprise that we have to cancel the Zurich event.
  2. I have consequently closed the registrations, and I will proceed with full refunding this afternoon. Note owever that it will take some time for the money to get back to your accounts.
  3. In the meantime, the reviewing process has continued as usual, and I'm happy to announce that thanks to the authors, the PC, and under the supervision of Ioanna, we now have a preliminary programme online! At least, this will already give you a taste of what we have this year.
  4. A fallback solution is still under consideration, so stay tuned for updates. What I can tell you right now is this: a fully online event is very unlikely. More likely would be a semi-interactive online event, with the broadcasting of pre-recorded talks and a real-time channel for interaction. We have not completely ruled out the possibility of just postponing the physical event, but that solution is not very probable. Finally, if we go for an online event, I will make sure that it will be free and open for anyone to "attend".

So, this is what I can tell you right now. Finally, I also want to extend my warmest thanks to all the persons who showed their support (notably financial, which is critical), by staying optimistic and registering anyway, hoping for the best. This means a lot.

Stay safe!