Code of Conduct

Diversity, equality and inclusion at [BC]² 

The [BC]² Basel Computational Biology Conference is the key computational biology event in Switzerland: scientists working in a broad range of disciplines are coming together, physically and virtually, to share their latest activities, start new collaborations and friendships - freely and openly!

To provide an environment in which all attendees and presenters feel safe and respected, we thus remind all participants to: 

• Treat each other with respect, regardless of nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, etc.; harassment or intimidation in any form (emails, social media, in person), as well as the use of potentially offensive images or language in presentations, do not belong at [BC]².
  
  
• Pay attention when using social media! The use of Twitter (@bc2conference, #bc2basel) and other social media is allowed during the conference, however, presenters may ask during their presentation to not have their research project shared on social media. Please respect their decision and ask for sharing permission from the presenter if nothing has been indicated.
  
  For presenters: If you do not wish to have your talk or poster shared, please make this clear on your poster or during the presentation. Here is a handy symbol:
  
  
• Quickly report any incident or inappropriate behaviour you are witnessing or are involved in that goes against this Code of Conduct. Reports should be addressed to the organizers (bc2@sib.swiss) who will loop in relevant people such as SIB’s Diversity Working Group. 

By bringing together scientists in the fields of computational biology and bioinformatics, [BC]² also allows the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion (see box). Several actions were undertaken to ensure that [BC]² is open to all researchers independent of their nationality, career stage or gender and that equal opportunity is provided in our committees, among the speakers, and for participants at large:

• Promoting diversity: The scientific committee strives to ensure a good balance of female and male scientists, career stages and origin among the keynote and invited speakers, session chairs - and presenters of oral and poster presentations (i.e. from submitted abstracts).
  
  
• Facilitating exchanges: 
  • The possibility of participating virtually is provided to all participants, enabling scientists from low- and middle-income countries to join [BC]² at reduced costs and organizational efforts (e.g. visa), and reducing the environmental impact associated with long-distance flights. 
  • To specifically allow early career scientists to interact with and benefit from the senior expertise of invited speakers, dedicated networking activities will be organized.
    
    
• Childcare support: Based on their needs, we will try our best to find a solution for participants with children. Restrooms for expectant mothers and parents with infants are available at the conference centre. Please contact us for further information.
  
  
• [BC]² will publish post-meeting statistics on the gender and backgrounds of the attendees. 

Your feedback on the different aspects of the conference, including diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity, will be sought in the post-conference survey: let us know your thoughts to help us improve future meetings!