(New) Call for Bids to Host ESSLLI 2028

The Association for Logic, Language and Information (FoLLI) and the ESSLLI Standing Committee invite bids to host the 39th European Summer School in Logic, Language and Information (ESSLLI 2028), a two-week school held in July/August 2028.

As a first step, we ask for a short, non-binding expression of interest by 1 November 2026. A brief email is enough, naming the proposed site, the likely organising team and tentative dates. Send it to Jakub Szymanik (jakub.szymanik at gmail.com).

Important dates

1 November 2026: expressions of interest
1 December 2026: preliminary proposals due
15 January 2027: Standing Committee feedback
28 February 2027: final proposals due
March 2027: site selected at the ESSLLI Standing Committee meeting
August 2027: progress report from the organising and programme committees at ESSLLI 2027 in Tartu
July/August 2028: 39th ESSLLI

Selection procedure

Based on the preliminary proposals, promising bidders will be asked for additional information for the final selection. The ESSLLI Standing Committee, in consultation with the FoLLI Management Board, selects the site, the organising committee (OC) and the programme committee (PC), and supervises the subsequent organisation. The OC is responsible for all practical matters. The scientific programme is selected by the PC.

Organisers are supported throughout by the Standing Committee. Detailed OC and PC guides are available on request, and we are happy to share recent successful proposals and to discuss a draft at any stage.

Preliminary proposals

A preliminary proposal should identify a target site, dates, and an organising team with a chair responsible for the overall organisation. It should include at least:

Location: accessibility, school venue, accommodation and facilities
Proposed dates and organising team
Endorsement by the hosting organisation
The local Language, Logic and Computation community
Meeting and accommodation venues; audiovisual equipment
Catering and reception facilities; social programme opportunities
Budget estimates

Please note that ESSLLI schools are financially self-supporting and rely mainly on participant fees and sponsorship. The OC guide gives details, and we are happy to advise.

Assessment criteria (unordered)

Experience of the organising team, including involvement in previous ESSLLIs
Local endorsement
Appropriateness of the proposed dates
Accessibility and attractiveness of the site
Adequacy of campus facilities for the anticipated number of participants
Accommodation and food services in a range of price categories, close to the venue
Adequacy of budget projections
Geographical balance with respect to the last decade: Tartu (2027), Prague (2026), Bochum (2025), Leuven (2024), Ljubljana (2023), Galway (2022), virtual (2021), Riga (2019), Sofia (2018)

About ESSLLI

ESSLLI has run annually since 1989 under the auspices of FoLLI. It focuses on the interfaces between linguistics, logic, and computation. Each edition offers about 50 foundational, introductory, and advanced courses, plus workshops, and attracts around 400 participants from around the world.

The programme also includes public evening lectures, among them the Dick Oehrle Memorial Lecture, supported by the Oehrle endowment with the LSA and FoLLI. There is a student-run Student Session with proceedings published by Springer, and the presentation of FoLLI's E.W. Beth Dissertation Prize.

More information: https://www.esslli.eu · http://www.folli.org

Jakub Szymanik
Chair, ESSLLI Standing Committee