The Sleep and Breathing Conference: a long-standing and unique ERS/ESRS educational activity

Extract The Sleep and Breathing Conference results from a long-standing and fruitful collaboration between the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS). The aim of the Sleep and Breathing Conference is primarily educational, with a focus on clinical respiratory sleep medicine and major non-respiratory topics, covering both adult and paediatric issues. The first conference was held in 2011 in Prague, and since then it has taken place every 2 years in a different European city (Prague, Berlin, Barcelona, Marseille, Antwerp) with the exception of the 2021 edition, which was held online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2023, the format has been hybrid (with both on-site and online participation). The Sleep and Breathing Conference lasts 3 days; in 2025 a masterclass on the upper airways was also offered as an additional programme to participants on the day before the start of the conference. The eighth edition of the Sleep and Breathing Conference in Antwerp in April 2025 had a record high participation of 1144 attendees (over 800 on-site) from 71 countries.