SORMAS Annual Conference 2023

The journey towards sustainability in open-source digital pandemic preparedness

18.-19. October 2023  |  betahaus Berlin

SORMAS Annual Conference 2023

The journey towards sustainability in open-source digital pandemic preparedness

18.-19. October 2023  |  betahaus Berlin

Summary

As the COVID-19 pandemic has officially come to an end, many learnings have been gathered in the area of digital Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR). The experience has demonstrated the value of open-source digital tools for PPR, but it has also raised questions including its interoperability and sustainability. 

The number of countries using SORMAS has increased exponentially in the past years with even more countries requesting support with the deployment of the system. To address these needs, the SORMAS Foundation was established in 2022 with the main goals of ensuring the quality standards and sustainability of SORMAS as a Global Good, as well as supporting countries with its implementation. 

With the objectives of 1) providing updates on the current status of the SORMAS Foundation and SORMAS developments; 2) strengthening the SORMAS community and fostering exchange between members; and 3) collectively discussing the SORMAS development roadmap, the first Annual SORMAS Conference will take place in Berlin, Germany, (Betahaus Berlin, Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 23) on the 18th and 19th of October 2023. 

The conference will include keynote speakers and panellists from the areas of PPR and open source, country SORMAS presentations and unconference sessions for the participants to discuss topics that are relevant to them and the SORMAS community.  

The preliminary agenda for the conference can be found below. 

Preliminary Agenda

SORMAS Annual Conference 2023

Date

Wednesday, 18.10.2023 13:00 / 1PM
- Thursday, 19.10.2023 17:00 / 5PM

Location

betahaus | Berlin Kreuzberg - Coworking & Event Spaces

Rudi-Dutschke-Straße 23, Berlin, DE

The location has limited accessibility. If you need assistance, please let us know. We will do our very best to make it possible for you to participate.

Are you part of a non-profit organisation yourself? Contact us to receive generous discounts on the participation fee. We support each other!

Tickets can only be bought online at eventfrog.de

We do not sell tickets on any other platform.
Please inform us if you notice any fraudulent offers.

FAQs

Are travel and accommodation costs covered by the SORMAS Foundation?

Unfortunately we are currently not able to cover travel and accomodation costs.

How can I get an invitation letter for my visa?

Please fill out the form on the right. You will then receive an official invitation letter for your visa by e-mail.

Is this a hybrid event?

This event is exclusively presence-based. We would like to offer our participants an excellent networking opportunity and promote the exchange among each other.

I want to donate for the event (earmarked). Is that possible?

Yes. Thank you, please feel free to contact us in the form on the right.

Is there a discount for non-profit organizations?

Are you a non-profit organization? Reach out for a discount in the form on the right. We support each other!

Is there disabled access?

The location has limited accessibility. If you need assistance, please let us know in the form on the right. We will do our very best to make it possible for you to participate.

Is there a dress code?

No, please come as you feel comfortable.

Where can I buy tickets?

Tickets can only be bought online at eventfrog.de. You will be redirected to it on our website. We do not sell tickets on any other platform. Please inform us if you notice any fraudulent offers.

Why can only three tickets be bought at once?

We have introduced this limitation because only a limited number of tickets is available. Therefore, we had to limit the maximum number of participants per organization to three. Please contact us via the form on the right if this is a problem for you. We will surely find a solution.

Why do I need to pay?

We are a non-profit organization. Therefore, we have to cover our costs and finance this event through ticket sales.

Contact us

Annual Conference Contact

FAQs

Are travel and accommodation costs covered by the SORMAS Foundation?

Unfortunately we are currently not able to cover travel and accomodation costs.

How can I get an invitation letter for my visa?

Please fill out the form on the right. You will then receive an official invitation letter for your visa by e-mail.

Is this a hybrid event?

This event is exclusively presence-based. We would like to offer our participants an excellent networking opportunity and promote the exchange among each other.

I want to donate for the event (earmarked). Is that possible?

Yes. Thank you, please feel free to contact us in the form on the right.

Is there a discount for non-profit organizations?

Are you a non-profit organization? Reach out for a discount in the form on the right. We support each other!

Is there disabled access?

The location has limited accessibility. If you need assistance, please let us know in the form on the right. We will do our very best to make it possible for you to participate.

Is there a dress code?

No, please come as you feel comfortable.

Where can I buy tickets?

Tickets can only be bought online at eventfrog.de. You will be redirected to it on our website. We do not sell tickets on any other platform. Please inform us if you notice any fraudulent offers.

Why can only three tickets be bought at once?

We have introduced this limitation because only a limited number of tickets is available. Therefore, we had to limit the maximum number of participants per organization to three. Please contact us via the form on the right if this is a problem for you. We will surely find a solution.

Why do I need to pay?

We are a non-profit organization. Therefore, we have to cover our costs and finance this event through ticket sales.

Contact us

Annual Conference Contact

Time

Day 1 - 18th October - Wednesday

13:00 – 14:00

Welcome & participant and team introduction
Icebreaker activity

Presentation: SORMAS Foundation current status

Speaker: SORMAS Foundation Team (Jan & Pilar)

14:00 – 14:45

Keynote: Relevance of open-source tools in Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR)  

Speaker: Representative from WHO Hub for Epidemic Intelligence, Berlin

14:45 – 15:30

Panel discussion- Open-source tools for Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR)– should Global Goods be the focus?

Guiding points:
• Which role do open-source tools play in epidemic/pandemic prepared-ness?
• Experiences from the COVID pandemic and learnings for the next epi-demic/pandemic
• Relevance of Global Goods in epidemic/pandemic preparedness? – why Global Goods? What are the advantages/disadvantages?
• Stakeholders’ role in fostering Global Goods

Panellists:
• Representative from African and European institutions (specific infor-mation to be released soon)

Moderator: SORMAS Foundation Team

15:30 – 15:45

Coffee Break

15:45 – 17:00

Unconference Session

Topic: What would you like to see in SORMAS 2.0?

An interactive Miro board will be prepared in advance and shared with the conference participants so that they can provide the ideas that they would like to discuss during the unconference. During the unconference, the topics will be gathered and voted. The two most voted topics will be selected, and the group will be divided into two groups for discussion. At the end of the session, both groups will present their findings to all participants.

Moderator: SORMAS Foundation Team

Time

Day 1 - 18th October - Wednesday

09:00 – 09:30

Welcome & Recap from Day 1

Moderator: SORMAS Foundation Team

09:30 – 10:15

Keynote: Role of the community in the sustainability of open-source projects

Speaker: Representative from OpenMRS and OpenHIE – confirmed

10:15 – 11:00

Panel discussion –Sustainability of open-source projects – what is the best model?

Guiding points:
• Potential business models for open-source projects (SaaS, public funding, etc.)
• Role of the community for the sustainability of open-source projects
• Moving from short to long funding? Project funding versus core funding)
• Relevance of a multi-stakeholder approach

Panellists:
• Representatives from funding organisations and open source organisations

Moderator: SORMAS Foundation Team

11:00 – 11:30

Presentations: SORMAS experiences in countries

Country presentation 3
Q&A

11:30 – 12:30

Lunch Break

Meals will be served.
Vegetarian and vegan options available.

12:30 – 13:00

Country presentation 2
Q&A

13:00-13:30

Country presentation 3
Q&A

13:30 – 14:00

Coffee Break

14:00-14:30

Dynamic Activity

14:30 – 17:00

Unconference Session

Topic: What are your ideas for the sustainability of SORMAS in countries?

An interactive Miro board will be prepared in advance and shared with the conference participants so that they can provide the ideas that they would like to discuss during the unconference. During the unconference, the topics will be gathered and voted. The two most voted topics will be selected, and the group will be divided into two groups for discussion. At the end of the session, both groups will present their findings to all participants.

Moderator: SORMAS Foundation Team