ESOF2020 Trieste FAQs

ESOF (EuroScience Open Forum) is the largest interdisciplinary science meeting in Europe. It is dedicated to scientific research and innovation and offers a unique framework for interaction and debate for scientists, innovators, policy makers, business people and the general public.

EuroScience and the Fondazione Internazionale Trieste announce that the 2020 edition of the EuroScience Open Forum will be rescheduled to take place from 2 to 6 September in Trieste (Italy). The ESOF event, originally planned to take place from 5 to 9 July, has been postponed as a consequence of the Coronavirus pandemic and the exceptional safety and prevention measures undertaken in Italy and in other countries around the world.

The motto of the 2020 edition is “Science for freedom, freedom for science”, while the other concept we want to communicate is “Open knowledge, fair future”.

ESOF is an interdisciplinary forum, which seeks to showcase the full spectrum of scientific breakthroughs from a broad range of disciplines, including human sciences, as well as science in culture and poetry.

ESOF2020 will be held in the Trieste Convention Center located in the Old Port of Trieste. The Congress Center will incorporate two buildings (hall 27 and Hall 28) connected by a bridge where the sessions of the Programme and the exhibition of the sponsors and that of the Science in the city Festival will be held inside. There will be networking areas, such as inside the cafeteria of the Convention Center and in the lounge area, always in compliance with the rules of social distancing (Covid-19 safety prevention measures).

The forum sessions will be held in English. Most of the Science in the City festival activities like the science shows and cafes will be in English and Italian, some theatre shows and exhibitions will be proposed in other languages too.

No, but the registration rates are reduced for EuroScience members. You can become a EuroScience member here or please visit our table for fees here

ESOF delegates typically include scientists, academics, early career researchers, innovators, educators, business people, journalists, and policy makers, from more than 90 countries.

Yes, there will be a big exhibition in the Halls 27 and 28, with lounge and recharge areas for electronic devices. In the hall 28 there will be also an area B2B for Business meets Science meetings, for more click here. 

Yes, there will be networking opportunities inside Hall 28 in the foyer and inside hall 27 in the Cafetteria.

Registrations for ESOF2020 are open and you may register only via our online registration platform here.

Online registration is open until August 24^th, 2020.  From August 25^th, 2020 the onsite registration fee will be available.

→ Please note that due to the new Covid-19 security protocols, on-line registrations are recommended.

The on-line registration form will be available through the congress web site (esof.eu) for application till the beginning of the event, and during the congress days.

Absolutely. We are offering an "early-bird" registration fee for 350€ on full delegate fees, for those who register before July 15^th, 2020. Starting from July 16^th , 2020 the “regular” fee will be applied.

Yes, students are allowed to register at a discounted fee. Discounted fees are also available for young and post-docs, EuroScience members or non members.

As proof of status, we require to upload the student card for students and the identity card for young (up to 35y.o.). 

There are several possibilities. Details can be found here.

Please proceed with your registration, you will have to flag the Visa button and proceed with the payment. Afterwards you will be contacted by our PCO to complete the process. In case your Visa request would be declined, you will be entirely refunded. For more information, please contact us at registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

PHYSICAL PARTICIPATION for Delegate, Young/post doc, Reduced CEE Countries

This registration fee includes full access to the physical conference in Trieste and online access to all content also post-conference on demand.
PHYSICAL PARTICIPATION for Students/School Teachers

This registration fee includes full access to the physical conference in Trieste.

Additional post-conference on demand access is NOT INCLUDED. To get access to the ESOF library, please, select also the specific option in the registration form.

Your conference registration includes also the following Social Events:

Opening Ceremony | Wednesday afternoon, 2 September at Porto Vecchio

ESOF Concert | Saturday evening, 5 September at Porto Vecchio

Closing Ceremony | Sunday afternoon, 6 September at Porto Vecchio

Please, for safety reasons the seats of the social events of the ESOF2020 programme are limited and will be allocated on a first come first-served basis. So please, you can also pre-select the option inside the registration form.

Please, note that delegate with the full physical registration will get access to all the social events, instead of delegate with daily registration will get access only to the social event of that day.

ONLINE PARTICIPATION for Delegate, Young/post doc, Reduced CEE Countries

The online registration fees include access to all live content (live sessions during the forum, awards, special and highlighted sessions).

Additional post-conference on-demand access is NOT INCLUDED. To get access to the ESOF library, please select also the specific option in the registration form.

ONLINE PARTICIPATION for Students/School Teachers

The online registration fees include access to live content only.

Additional post-conference on-demand access is NOT INCLUDED. To get access to the ESOF library, please select also the specific option in the registration form.

Yes, one-day conference registration is available for ESOF2020.

Please note that your registration is valid only for physical participation in Trieste and for sessions and events on that day and badges will be actively checked throughout the conference to ensure that participants have registered properly. Each participant can only buy 1 daily registration. There is no “early-bird” discount available for one day passes, although there are discounted fees for CEE delegates and EuroScience members.

Additional post-conference on-demand access is NOT INCLUDED in the daily fees. To get access to the ESOF library please select also the specific option in the registration form.

Yes, all delegates are welcome to bring family and friends to Trieste. However, if any family or friends wish to access the conference venue or attend any sessions, they will have to register at the normal rates.  Everyone is welcome to participate to the Science in the city Festival exhibition and shows and the entrance will be for free inside the Convention Center.

Tickets only for social events are not available. In order to attend the Opening Ceremony, the ESOF Concert and the Closing Ceremony you will need to have a full conference badge. Those holding a one-day badge can only attend the social event happening on that day.

Participants wanting to attend a single session must have at least a one-day registration; for security reasons ESOF cannot allow unregistered attendees to come to sessions or other conference events.

Coffee, tea and food will be available to purchase separately onsite at the food and beverage area.

Please send the list of delegates that will be part of your group at registrationESOF2020@oic.it, you will afterwards receive an email telling you how to proceed.

By following the above process, you will also have a group discount: every 5 delegates 1 will be free. It is also possible to require one invoice for all the group registrations.

Please contact sponsorESOF2020@oic.it, which will provide you all the information.

Sessions are open. You do not need to reserve your seat or sign up for any of the sessions. You should also make use of the conference app in order to plan your way around the event, but you do not need to pre-schedule or sign-up for any individual sessions.

Due to new rules for COVID-19 protocol, all the meeting rooms will have a reduced number of seats, reservations will not be possible and attendees can access physical sessions until seats will be available on a first come first served basis.

A few days before the ESOF Conference you will receive an email with your badge attached, please print it and show it at the entrance of the ESOF2020 conference.  The name badge acts as the entrance ticket for the ESOF2020 conference. 
If you didn’t receive your confirmation email, please contact us at registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

Certificates will be sent after the congress to everyone who collected the badge.

If you have any special requirements due to a disability, we will do our very best to accommodate any requests, so please contact the ESOF2020 registrationESOF2020@oic.it for assistance.

The name badge acts as the entrance ticket for the congress.

If a badge is lost or forgotten, ask to the Registration Desk at your arrival to reprint the badge

All payments can be made by credit card. On site payments by cash will be allowed within the limits applied by the Italian law (€2.000 from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2021).

Cheques are not allowed.

Payment is required to complete your online registration procedure. So, you will be asked to pay at the moment of your registration. Please refer to registration fees and conditions here.

You will be able to register also onsite during ESOF2020.

However, any registrations and so any payment done during the conference will be at late/on site fee.

You are paying a Value Added Tax (VAT) on the congress registration fee because, according to the EU VAT Directive, VAT must be charged in the country hosting the Congress.

• Up to and including July 15, 2020 the paid amount will be refunded with a deduction of 30% as penalty charge.
• From July 16 to August 24, 2020 included: the paid amount will be refunded with a deduction of 70% as penalty charge.
• From August 25, 2020: No refund will be possible for cancellations. 

Anyone unable to attend the congress for whatever reason after paying, and/or unable to transfer the registration fee to another person, must cancel his/her registration.

The registration fee will be refunded if the request is received prior the above cancellation deadline dates.

Name changes incur a handling fee of € 50,00 per registration. The fees will be added to the outstanding invoice.

Please contact our PCO at registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

Please contact our PCO at registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

Please contact our PCO at registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

Please contact our PCO at registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

Please continue to check our website for updates on our 2020 line-up of keynotes, speakers and sessions. A full conference schedule will be available on our website soon.

Yes, there will be an ESOF2020 app which will be launched soon. The app will include programme, speakers’ list, exhibitors’ map and social events details. It will also allow delegates to build their own personal timetable from the programme.

Trieste is willing to host a sustainable ESOF, so conference materials will include a pocket conference schedule and the full programme will also be uploaded on the ESOF2020 app and on the conference website.

ESOF includes a variety of sessions: plenary, keynote, general and highlighted sessions. For more details please refer to the updates on our website.

The sessions will last between 45 and 90 minutes. Workshops may vary, so please refer to our website.

Not automatically. All session organisers and speakers’ registration fees are waived, but everyone must register via the online platform to attend the conference.

OIC (our PCO) will send you an email with the dedicated link for free registration.

If you have not received it yet, please contact registrationESOF2020@oic.it.

Please refer to our website here where you can always check the last update of the ESOF Programme.

Session organisers are responsible for communicating session details with speakers, and ensuring their registration and participation in the conference. Organisers are also responsible for the general management, preparation and organisation of the session. Guidance on this will be provided by facultyESOF2020@oic.it. Organisers must also notify the local team of any changes to the session. For more information please contact us at facultyESOF2020@oic.it.

Session organisers will be issued with instructions by emails from facultyESOF2020@oic.it  . These will include a presentation guide with best practice for session organisers, speakers and moderators and details of how to request any required equipment.

Organisers should email directly to the Scientific Programme Team at rytis.paskauskas@esof.eu and in c.c to facultyESOF2020@oic.it. Let us know that one of your speakers has withdrawn. If necessary, the programme team will be able to provide guidance on a replacement speaker. All replacement speakers will be accepted at the discretion of the Scientific local team.

Changes to session content are no longer permitted, but any issues can be discussed with the Scientific local team. Please email to Rytis.paskauskas@esof.eu, that will provide you all the information.

As a session organiser, if you are withdrawing your session or transferring organisational duties to another person, you should email ESOF at rytis.paskauskas@esof.eu and in c.c to facultyESOF2020@oic.it.  If you are a session speaker, you should inform your session organiser immediately to maximise the time for them to find a suitable replacement.

Exhibition will be in Hall 27 and Hall 28, following the preliminary opening hours here below

HALL 27

• SATURDAY 29 AUGUST 2020: from 18.00 to 20.00
• SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020: from 10.00 to 20.00
• MONDAY 31 AUGUST 2020: from 10.00 to 20.00
• TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 10.00 to 20.00
• WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 18.00

HALL 28

• WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5 2020: from 8.30 to 20.00
• SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2020: from 8.30 to 18.00

If you wish to be part of the Exhibition at ESOF2020 please email us at partnerships@esof.eu.

Partnership opportunities are limited, so act today. If you wish to be a partner at ESOF2020 please visit the ‘Become a Partner’ page on our website for more information or write an email to partherships@esof.eu.

Advertising opportunities are open to all. If you would like to advertise in the ESOF2020 programme please contact us at partherships@esof.eu for more information

No, registration does not include accommodation. It is responsibility of the delegate to arrange their own accommodation.

Participants can book accommodation via Hotels.com

For more information on hotel accommodation, please contact: registrationESOF2020@oic.it

Yes, you can book your own accommodation.

Before booking your flights please refer to the following airports:

Trieste Airport (TRS) is just 30 minutes from the city centre.

Most international flights land in Venice - Marco Polo airport (VCE) well connected to Trieste, it takes about 1,5 hours to arrive to Trieste.

Even Treviso - Antonio Canova airport (TSF) is close by.

Please click here to know more.