Bringing together African & European research communities with an inclusive astronomy conference

We report on an international scientific conference, where we brought together African and European academic astronomers. This aimed to bridge the gap between those in position of privilege, with ease of access to international events (i.e., the typical experience of academics in Western institutions), with those historically excluded (affecting the majority of African scientists/institutions). We describe how we designed the conference around cutting-edge research problems, but with a parallel focus on building networking and professional relationships. Significant effort went into: (1) ensuring a diversity of participants; (2) practically and financially supporting those who may never have attended an international conference and; (3) creating an inclusive and supportive environment through a careful programme of activities, both before and during the event. Maintaining scientific integrity was a core commitment throughout. We summarise successes, challenges and lessons learnt from organising this conference. We also present feedback obtained from participants immediately after the conference, and a discussion of some longer-term impacts, which we identified around 1 year later. We found an overall achievement of our objectives, and multiple longer-term benefits. With this report we provide some key recommendations for groups, from any research field, who may wish to lead similar initiatives.

💡 Research Summary

This paper presents a comprehensive report on the design, execution, and outcomes of an international astronomy conference titled “AGN Populations Across Continents and Cosmic Time,” held in July 2024. The primary objective was to bridge the gap between privileged European astronomers, who typically have easy access to international forums, and historically excluded African astronomers, by fostering cutting-edge scientific dialogue alongside meaningful networking and professional relationship building.

The conference was centered on the timely scientific theme of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), intentionally highlighting research utilizing facilities based in Africa, such as Square Kilometre Array (SKA) pathfinder telescopes. The organizers implemented a meticulously planned strategy focusing on three pillars: ensuring participant diversity, providing comprehensive practical and financial support to under-resourced researchers, and creating an inclusive environment through structured activities before and during the event.

A key innovation was the participant selection process. Instead of relying solely on traditional abstract submissions, the application included three pathways: a standard scientific abstract, a proposal for a collaborative research project, and a statement of interest. This approach lowered barriers for early-career researchers, particularly from under-represented regions. Selection involved blind scoring by a geographically diverse Scientific Organising Committee (SOC), followed by a positive action adjustment (score uplift) for applications from African institutions to counteract systemic disadvantages in mentorship and support. This resulted in 107 participants, 43% of whom were affiliated with or originated from African institutions.

Substantial effort was devoted to logistical and financial support. Thirty-eight fully-funded participants, primarily from Africa, received pre-booked travel and accommodation, coverage of visa costs, travel insurance, all meals, and even on-site poster printing. The organizing team proactively managed complex logistics, such as booking flights before visa issuance to control costs, acknowledging the significant hurdles faced by many attendees.

The conference program balanced scientific sessions with dedicated networking events, small-group lunches, and a clear code of conduct to ensure a supportive atmosphere. Feedback collected immediately after the event and in a follow-up survey approximately one year later indicated significant success. Reported long-term benefits included expanded professional networks, initiation of new research collaborations, increased motivation, and enhanced international visibility for African researchers.

In conclusion, the conference successfully integrated high scientific standards with explicit equity and development goals. The paper offers key recommendations for similar initiatives: allowing for long lead times, creating multiple application categories to enhance diversity, ensuring diverse representation in organizing committees, providing complete and flexible financial support, and deliberately designing the program to balance scientific content with social integration. This model demonstrates that intentional, carefully-structured efforts can effectively foster more inclusive and equitable global scientific communities.