07 April (Updated 17 July) 2020

Dear all,

   Following very careful consideration over the past number of weeks, and significant consultation with the ICRS 2020 Scientific Programme Committee, we regret to inform you that the ICRS Board of Directors has taken a decision to cancel both the main ICRS2020 Symposium and the associated Satellite Symposium on Cannabinoids and Chronic Pain – originally scheduled for July 4 - 9 in Galway, Ireland – due to the COVID-19 crisis.  

   Postponement to later this year was deemed not feasible due to the dynamic and uncertain nature of the COVID-19 crisis, and the consequent difficulties of selecting a new date with any degree of confidence.  

   This very difficult decision was not taken lightly, but is in keeping with our recent COVID-19 statements whereby the health and well-being of our membership and delegates takes precedence over all other considerations.

REIMBURSEMENT

  If you had already registered for this year’s Symposium, you've received full reimbursement of registration fees.  No funds for registration were taken from the bank accounts of trainees who applied for ICRS Trainee Travel Awards.
 
   FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD ALREADY BOOKED ACCOMMODATIONS IN GALWAY for this year’s Symposium, we strongly advise you to look carefully at the cancellation policy linked to your accommodations booking.

GO WEST BOOKINGS

   IF YOU BOOKED ACCOMMODATIONS via the Go West booking site, Go West has confirmed that they have issued full reimbursements – without the need for you to take any further action.  

    IF YOU ALREADY MADE TRAVEL RESERVATIONS, please contact your travel provider directly. 

2020 CONFERENCE ALTERNATIVE

   The Board of Directors decided against organizing a substantial virtual/online conference, due to logistical challenges, concerns around security of unpublished data, and a strong sense that this would be a poor substitute for the face-to-face collaborative discussions and social engagement that are such a central part of ICRS Symposia.

   We are pleased, however, to let you know that we are providing a virtual Symposium, comprised of three recorded one-hour lectures from each of our 2020 awardees – Dr. George Kunos (Lifetime Achievement Awardee), Dr. Yossi Tam (William A. Devane Young Investigator Awardee) and Dr. Daniela Parolaro (Mechoulam Awardee).  We are very grateful to these three awardees for agreeing to provide these recorded lectures which promise to be of the highest calibre, for the benefit of our Membership. These presentations also provide a mechanism to recognize and profile the outstanding achievements of these three cannabinoid scientists.  

  All ICRS Members, Symposium registrants, and ICRS2020 abstract authors and co-authors have been sent the password to our ICRS2020 VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM.

   In addition, the ICRS Scientific Programme Committee has completed the peer-review process for all submitted abstracts and ICRS Trainee Travel Award applications submitted by the deadlines set.  We communicated the outcome of these review processes to all authors, applicants, and awardees.  Although the ICRS2020 Symposium was cancelled and there will not be any published abstract proceedings or programme, the number of abstracts received was at record levels and we feel it is important to acknowledge the effort authors have made in submitting abstracts and trainee award applications.  We recognize it may be valuable for authors’ careers and CVs (particularly trainees in the final year of their studies or contracts) to be informed that their abstract was peer-reviewed and met the criteria for acceptance.   For the same reason, we also wish to acknowledge Trainee Travel Award recipients, all of whom received an award letter and certificate and are listed below.

   Communication of this information to authors does not preclude submission of the same abstract to a future ICRS meeting, including ICRS2021 which will take place as planned in Jerusalem, Israel.

   We are also pleased to let you know that the Board voted to hold the ICRS2022 meeting in Galway, Ireland.

   Finally, we would like to thank all of the members of the Board of Directors, the Scientific Programme Committee and the National University of Ireland Galway for very valuable input, advice and support in reaching the decisions communicated herein.   Further, a sincere word of thanks to all of the Members of ICRS, all ICRS2020 registrants, abstract authors, and our kind sponsors, for your patience and support over the past weeks and months, as we have navigated this unprecedented and challenging situation.

Yours sincerely,

David Finn, Ph.D.

President

Melanie Kelly, Ph.D
Executive Director

Jason Schechter, Ph.D.

Managing Director
International Cannabinoid Research Society