Session types in the ERS Congress programme

Including the ALERT sessions (Abstracts Leading to Evolution in Respiratory Medicine Trials), these formats showcase important and very late-breaking clinical trial data from all respiratory disease areas. Presenters, session chairs and viewers will take part in lively discussions on the presented trials.

Abstract authors present their research in poster format in these sessions. The sessions cover all areas of respiratory medicine and science, and discussion of new data is encouraged.

In these sessions, abstracts authors present their key findings to live audiences. The sessions are moderated by experts and there is opportunity for discussion of all abstracts presented.

These interactive sessions feature well-documented clinical cases that are of interest to respiratory health professionals. Attendees are asked to give their opinions during the session by casting votes at each step of the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

These interactive sessions cover eight key areas of respiratory medicine. A panel of experts is put to the test against the audience to diagnose real-life clinical cases. Each session is led by two discussants who will present the cases, and who are the only people in the room with the details of the cases. They will prompt lively discussions about the presented cases, while the panel and audience answer multiple-choice questions. The audience can also send their own questions throughout the session. The aim is to give the audience an opportunity to study real-life clinical cases, to learn and exchange ideas with a panel of respiratory experts, and to analyse the various diagnostic and therapeutic options.

Lecture-based sessions within these Saturday programmes cover the latest findings and best practices for paediatricians, as well as primary care and integrated respiratory care specialists​.

Featuring presentations of official ERS clinical practice guidelines that are prepared by experts and cover a range of topics in respiratory medicine.

Hot topic sessions cover the latest developments in key respiratory topics or areas of interest to respiratory professionals.

In these one-hour long sessions, renowned experts present on key respiratory medicine topics or areas of interest to respiratory professionals. These sessions are supported by industry sponsors.

In these sessions, researchers present their recently published high-impact articles from the European Respiratory Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet.

To recognise the global reach of the ERS Congress, we are pleased to be able to offer a number of sessions in languages other than English.

These 1.5–hour long sessions are created to cover a range of niche topics in respiratory medicine.

Respiratory experts and leaders from other medical disciplines come together to discuss and present the links between both speciality areas.

State-of-the-art sessions cover eight key topics in the respiratory field and feature high-quality presentations delivered by world-leading clinical experts. Following these sessions, delegates will have the most up-to-date, clear and practical take-home knowledge relating to diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

In these 1.5–hour long sessions, four renowned experts present on key respiratory medicine topics or areas of interest to respiratory professionals.

These popular sessions provide an overview of the most significant publications and discoveries of the year on a range of topics.

These studio sessions will gather two experts discussing with moderators the most innovative topics related to the ERS Congress 2025 theme Respiratory health around the globe.

Short sessions where experts will deeply discuss the most important topics covered in this year’s ERS Congress programme.

Short sessions where experts will discuss the EU-funded projects where ERS and European Lung Foundation (ELF) collaborate on. These projects address different aspects in the translational process and how observations in the clinic, laboratory or community turns into interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public.

Expert interviews are held in the studio where onsite and online participants can join the experts in a discussion. Two expert interviews are presented in each session, with a live question and answer session led by moderators, who will collect questions from the onsite and online audience via the Congress app.

Short sessions where patients and patient representatives will discuss with experts important aspects related to:

• Global access to mental health support ​
• Inequality in pulmonary rehabilitation: barriers to global access for all​
• Bridging the communication gap
• Family burden: the forgotten Caregivers?​

Short sessions where two experts present and discuss together the pros and cons of different topics related to respiratory medicine.

Skills labs organised in the studio are available for online and onsite participants. In these sessions experts will demonstrate techniques and provide explanations on some hands-on skills in different disciplines of respiratory medicine.

The academies of adult and paediatric respiratory medicine are interactive case-based sessions in which participants will take part in group tasks led by the faculty. These sessions will cover major fields of respiratory medicine based on the HERMES syllabus.

Registrations for these sessions are additional to the congress registration fee.

Postgraduate courses are sessions where medical practitioners will have the opportunity to align their current procedures with the latest clinical best practice. These lecture-based sessions, organised onsite on Saturday, include dedicated time for interaction between participants and faculty. Participants will put knowledge into practice by taking part in group tasks led by top level faculty. Registration for these courses is additional to the congress registration fee.

Skills workshops are designed to allow participants to gain practical skills in different disciplines of respiratory medicine. These sessions revolve around workstations and use interactive demonstrations, case discussions, and hands-on training instead of traditional presentations and lectures. The maximum number of participants is 32 per skills workshop. Registration for these workshops is additional to the congress registration fee.

ERS members are invited to join these interactive meetings on Tuesday afternoon to get the latest updates from their Assembly, including information on funding opportunities, upcoming deadlines and ongoing projects.

These sessions will involve pre-recorded procedures with an expert presenting each procedure live to the Congress session participants.

The aim of the session is to describe and show various endoscopic techniques with live commentary and an expert-led question and answer session.

This year, 40 abstract authors will be selected to join this programme to support them in their ERS and respiratory medicine careers. The programme consists of support prior to the Congress, and a one-day training session, where NEXT candidates will gain skills in presenting, chairing, leadership, manuscript writing and publishing, time management and work life balance. The candidates will also get to network with ERS leadership during a mentoring lunch.

The five best presenters from the NEXT programme will be invited to present during the science slam. Each presenter will have ten minutes to present their project in an entertaining way, followed by an audience vote. The winning presenter will then be interviewed on-stage, and there will be a Q&A session with the audience.

The OSCE examination is the final part of a three-part thoracic ultrasound training programme offered by ERS. This examination is exclusively available to participants who passed Part 1 and Part 2 of this training programme. Upon completion of the OSCE examination, successful participants will be awarded the ERS certificate of completion for the full thoracic ultrasound training programme.

After two successful editions at ERS Congress 2023 and 2024, this year’s Congress will see the return of the Wednesday special programme, featuring topics such as:

• Advancing gender equity in respiratory medicine
• How to maximise the impact of your research project outcomes?
• What can ERN-LUNG offer for the future?
• Primary prevention for healthy lungs
• Co-design and patient involvement in respiratory innovation
• International Respiratory Coalitions Networking Breakfast
• ERS and planetary health: striving for sustainability