Preview of the ERS Lung Science Conference 2023 and Sleep and Breathing Conference 2023

Here we provide a preview of the main topics to be addressed in the 2023 Lung Science Conference (LSC) and the Sleep and Breathing Conference, which this year will both have a hybrid format. The LSC is organised by the European Respiratory Society (ERS), while the Sleep and Breathing Conference is organised by ERS and the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS). Both conferences offer early career members (ECMs) the opportunity to network with peers from across the globe, present their work and participate in many activities that will contribute to boost their career in the respiratory field.

The ERS LSC 2023

The 21st ERS LSC will take place on 9–12 March 2023, in Estoril (Portugal) and online. The LSC is the ideal platform for early career respiratory professionals to hear the latest basic and translational respiratory science, network with worldwide renowned respiratory experts and share cutting-edge research. The LSC 2023 will focus on the hot-topic of “Post-viral lung diseases – from basic immunology to clinical phenotypes and therapy” and will focus on the host-response to viral infections, the technological advances to study acute and chronic lung infections, and translation to therapy. The conference programme can be found here: https://www.ersnet.org/events/lung-science-conference-2023/programme/.

The conference programme was developed by an expert committee consisting of Silke Meiners (ERS Conferences and Seminars Director), Hamida Hammad, Michael Holtzman, Gisli Jenkins and Niki Ubags (Chair of the ECM committee (ECMC) until 2022). As in the past, the LSC programme also includes a career development session organised by the ERS ECMC, which is targeted towards early career respiratory professionals, and will take place on Saturday afternoon. The topic of this year's session will be “Early-Career delegates session – Successfully funding your future research” and it will include talks on “ERS fellowship opportunities: your first personal research grant”; “Preparation of a lay summary and interaction with patient representatives for your grant application”; “How to convincingly defend your research proposal?”; and “Equity, diversity and inclusion statements”. Following the presentations, there will be a round table where early career professionals will have the opportunity to share their experiences, ask questions directly to key panellists and reflect on their journey of successfully securing future research, all followed by a social event to continue networking, ask/answer any remaining questions and discuss respiratory challenges in an informal setting.

In addition to the ECM session, the LSC offers the great opportunity for early-stage professionals to share their research as a thematic poster or an oral presentation, based on the quality of the submitted abstract. Moreover, the five best abstracts submitted by ECMs will be selected for an oral presentation during the prestigious Young Investigator Session and the best presentation will receive the William MacNee Award. Those ECMs who applied for and are successful in securing a bursary will be invited to a lunch discussion with an assigned mentor with whom they will be able to discuss particular aspects of respiratory research and/or clinical careers.

Delegates attending the conference, both in person and online, will benefit from a comprehensive programme as well as access to invaluable mentorship opportunities, but only in-person delegates will be able to participate in the mentorship lunch, two poster sessions, the onsite exhibition, a pre-dinner talk, and in-person networking activities.

The LSC offers unique opportunities for early career respiratory professionals to present their research findings, network with peers and experts in their field, and be guided and mentored an ERS leadership panel in an approachable environment. Additionally, several ERS officers and ECMC representatives will be participating in and moderating the sessions at the LSC 2023 and will be happy to tell you more about how to get involved in the ERS activities. We look forward to welcoming you in Estoril for the 21st LSC in March 2023!

Preview of the Sleep and Breathing Conference 2023

This year's ERS/ESRS Sleep and Breathing Conference will take place on 20–22 April 2023 in Prague (Czech Republic) and online, and will focus on professional development and education in sleep disorders. The most innovative aspects and evidence about sleep disordered breathing will be discussed from a research, translational and clinical perspective. The conference will cover a broad thematic spectrum on adult and paediatric sleep medicine with oral presentations, round tables and skills workshops, ranging from sleep diagnostics to the physiopathology, clinical and prognostic implications of different types of sleep apnoea and hypoventilation syndromes and their therapeutic approach, to the impact of hypersomnolence and chronobiology. Moreover, the most innovative therapeutic options for neuromuscular diseases will be presented. In other sessions, the conference will provide an overview of the even wider relationship between sleep medicine and other internal medicine disciplines, and the impact of e-health and telemedicine on the future of medical practice. The conference programme is available at: https://sleepandbreathing.org/programme.

The Sleep and Breathing Conference 2023 provides an exceptional opportunity to interact and boost your network with sleep medicine experts in a stimulating and open environment promoting the development of evidence-based knowledge in basic, translational and clinical research as well as medical practice. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Prague!

Final remarks

This paper has provided information on some of the ERS activities available to the respiratory community during the 2023 LSC and Sleep and Breathing Conference. Keep up to date with the latest events and activities by following us on Twitter (@EuroRespSoc and @EarlyCareerERS) and Facebook (EuropeanRespiratorySociety and ERS Early Career Members group).