Three researchers awarded $10,000 each for organizing international conferences in Montréal

^{Yesterday, the Scientific Director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et Culture, Louise Poissant, and the President of the Palais des congrès de Montréal Ambassadors Club, Prof. Hany Moustapha, announced the winners of} the Soutien à l’organisation de congrès internationaux awards, a competition jointly organized by the Ambassadors Club and the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) recognizing the work of researchers involved in organizing international scientific conferences. The recipients of the three $10,000 prize are:

• Thierry Karsenti of Université de Montréal
  7^e Colloque international en education: Current and future challenges of teacher training and the teaching profession
• Louise Potvin of Université de Montréal
  24^th IUHPE World Conference on Health Promotion and Education: Policies for health, well-being and equity
• Naglaa Shoukry of Université de Montréal
  27^th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses (HCV2020)

The ceremony took place during the annual exchange forum the FRQ jointly organizes with the Palais des congrès de Montréal. This fifth edition of the forum, whose focus was “the conferences of tomorrow,” drew nearly 120 participants, who explored the most promising trends pertaining to the organization, activities, and communication and marketing of scientific conferences.

Scientific conferences play a determining role in the dissemination and exchange of knowledge, and they evolve in lockstep with technology and societal values. It is important that we address new practices and trends, in order to maximize the experience for those organizing and attending these events.

It matters that we recognize the colossal effort of researchers who choose to get involved in the process of bringing scientific conferences to their city, and also acknowledge the present-day expectations of those attending them. By making the conferences of tomorrow the theme of this year’s annual forum, the FRQ is showing that it is in sync with the Palais, which is currently focused on creating the convention centre of the future.