ICES expert group meetings have taken place online since March 2020 when restrictions were introduced worldwide to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. As
travel restrictions begin to lift, the majority of ICES expert group meetings will
continue to take place online until 31 December 2021.
However, four pilot meetings will run in hybrid mode at ICES Secretariat in Copenhagen. These test meetings aim to be equally effective for physical and remote participation. The first such meeting is taking place already this week, when Working Group on Common Ecosystem Reference Points (WGCERP) meets in Copenhagen 2–4 November. The experience of the test meetings will help to inform work planning for 2022.
Expert group meetings outside ICES Headquarters are also possible but must follow the respective national and host institutional guidelines as well as enabling remote participation to accommodate participants who are unable to travel.
ICES continues to monitor and be responsive to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, and if necessary, the organization will resume running meetings in full online mode.
