RSECon26 will go ahead at The Wave at the University of Sheffield as planned. The trustees and the RSECon26 steering committee have been monitoring the dispute between UCU and the University of Sheffield and weighing our options. This was a difficult and finely balanced decision, and we set out our reasoning below. Hopefully, this brings clarity so everyone can plan accordingly. We are grateful to all who investigated alternatives, and to the 163 community members who responded to our survey.

We understand that many people will be disappointed or upset with this decision, and we want to support your individual choices regarding the boycott:

• Refunds: We are extending the deadline to 20 July for full refunds of in-person tickets (remote is 31 July as it stands) for anyone who chooses not to attend.
• Speaker Accommodations: We respect the decision of any speaker, interactive session or satellite event leader who wishes to withdraw. We ask that any speaker or session organiser wishing to withdraw please contact the organising committee no later than 13 July.

Questions or concerns about this decision should go to the trustees at [email protected], not the conference committee.

The community told us it wants the conference. 45% of respondents wanted the conference to go ahead as planned, even with the boycott call, 20% said we should not proceed as planned, and the rest were undecided. There was also a strong, principled voice of support for the UCU action, which we took very seriously.

We examined the alternatives thoroughly, starting with finding another venue in Sheffield. We assessed two in detail: Magna Science Centre and Cutlers’ Hall. Gross costs would have been similar to The Wave, but both raised accessibility and logistics concerns and would have made it more difficult for us to deliver on existing commitments to satellites, partners, or sponsors.

We also weighed the practical burden of a move. Everyone involved in organising RSECon26 is a volunteer, ten months into planning, and relocating at this stage would have meant re-planning the programme, logistics and supplier arrangements in a matter of months. Our assessment, with input from the steering and logistics teams, was that this could not be done at short notice without serious risk of burnout for those involved.

Moving outside Sheffield was not realistic, and postponing, cancelling or going fully online carried the same financial loss (see below) while serving the community far less well. For many RSEs, particularly those outside academia, RSECon is a rare opportunity to present work, exchange knowledge and build networks. Losing it would do real harm.

Our deposits and contracts with the University of Sheffield are non-refundable and not covered by our event insurance. If we moved, cancelled or postponed, we would still pay conference costs totalling approximately £50,000 and receive nothing from the university in return. It would take roughly three years of successful conferences, alongside reduced activity across the Society’s other activities, to rebuild our finances to where they stand today. A loss on that scale would compromise everything the Society does: our working groups and special interest groups, the events & initiatives scheme, event sponsorship, the mentoring scheme, the infrastructure that supports community events, and our plans to grow support for the community. We have a duty to manage the Society’s resources responsibly and to protect its ability to deliver for the community, and that duty weighed heavily in this decision.

We unreservedly support our members’ and the wider community’s right to strike and condemn any punitive action taken beyond the withholding of wages for strike days. If you would like to support colleagues at Sheffield, you can contribute to their solidarity fund.

We also recognise that the issues behind this dispute – pay, job security and the treatment of staff – bear directly on many RSEs’ working lives. The Society commits to engaging in discussion on how to better support RSE as a profession, and will include dedicated activity on this in the RSECon26 programme.

Thank you for your patience and your ongoing commitment to our community during this challenging time. Please be assured that the trustees and conference committee will continue to work to deliver a successful RSECon and look forward to welcoming the community to Sheffield in September.