Professor Arida begins: “Scientists fly a lot’

Bert van Wei, professor of transport policy at TU Delft, thinks the timing is also right. “The corona crisis has taught us that we can keep society going without flying too much. Many conferences can easily be held digitally,” he told EditieNL.

Profit

There are even advantages. “People who don’t want or can’t travel can also attend. Also much cheaper, because there are no airfare and accommodation costs. The rest of the money can be returned for scientific research.”

Negative

But there are also downsides to online conferencing. “A lot of people like to go somewhere. People often add a weekend to see the city. They combine it with a special trip. You also lose personal contact, presentations, or inspiring each other.”

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