Dear BAICE members and colleagues

It is with great regret that we inform you of our decision to cancel BAICE 2020.

Our biennial conference was due to be held between 23rd-25th September, at the University of Edinburgh. Due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic, and uncertainty over freedom of movement in the coming months, we have decided it is not safe, ethical or feasible to go ahead.

If you have already registered for the conference, we will be in touch in the coming days to coordinate your refund.

None of us can predict what academia will look like in September. Our current plan is to hold a much smaller, one-day event where we combine our AGM with an activity such as a keynote lecture or a workshop. This will give our members the chance to connect and engage with each other. This will be delivered in person or online, depending on government and WHO advice at the time. We will be in touch with more information about this soon, but first we are going to pause and give our committees (all of whom are volunteers) a chance to recalibrate and adjust to balancing new ways of working with increased and increasingly complex caring responsibilities.

The BAICE conference is the highlight of the BAICE calendar. We appreciate that it is a much-valued and enjoyed opportunity for our academic community to meet people, share ideas and to challenge our thinking. This year’s conference theme of ‘Partnerships in International Education’ was chosen for its relevance and timeliness. But in this unprecedented context, cooperation and collaboration will be more important than ever to support the learning of children and adults all over the world. We will endeavour to provide a space to reflect on this as soon as we can.

We thank you for your understanding and continued support of BAICE.
We hope you are safe and well,

The BAICE Executive