ESRS Newsletter January 2026

As we are slowly returning to our desks after the holiday period, on behalf of the ESRS Board and staff, I would like to wish you a very happy New Year and extend our warmest wishes for a healthy and productive 2026.

The beginning of the year is traditionally a moment to look ahead and to take note of the opportunities that lie in the months to come. January, in particular, brings several important deadlines, and I would like to highlight a few of these. 

Members considering applying to the 2026-2030 FKNE cohort who wish to be endorsed by ESRS are kindly reminded to submit their application materials to esrs@esrs.eu by 14 January 2026. 

In an effort to involve more of our members and design a training programme that fits your needs, the ESRS Board has opened a call for Master Class proposals for Sleep Europe 2026. A limited number of Master Classes will be included in the programme, and we warmly invite members interested in organising a course to submit a proposal. Full details are available here, with submissions accepted until 14 January 2026. 

Several ESRS funding opportunities are also available to support research, training, and professional development. These include: 

• Short-Term Research Fellowships 
• Two-Week Training Grants 
• Meetings and Courses Fellowships

The application period for all ESRS grants is now open and will close on 31 January 2026.  

The 2026 Sleep Medicine Online Examination will take place later this year, with registration closing on 31 January 2026.  For many, this examination represents an important step in formal recognition and professional development, and it is encouraging to see our community growing, now with more than 1700 professionals.  

In March, we will once again come together to celebrate Sleep Awareness Month for Europe. This includes Pyjama Day on 6 March, an initiative inviting participants to wear their pyjamas at work, school, or in local settings. While light-hearted in spirit, Pyjama Day carries a meaningful message: sleep is fundamental to health and wellbeing at every stage of life. I warmly encourage you to take part and support the Pyjama Day Pledge, which remains open until 31 January 2026. 

We are very proud of the new initiative from our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC), launching the first Book Club, beginning with Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez. Whether you have already read the book or reading it for the first time, you are warmly invited to join the LinkedIn group and take part in the online discussion on 12 February 2026 at 16:00 CET. 

Finally, 2026 promises to be an exciting year as we return to an in-person congress with Sleep Europe 2026, taking place in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from 20–23 October. Preparations are already well underway, and I hope to see many familiar faces there. The Call for Abstracts is currently open and will close on 23 March 2026. 

Looking forward to the year ahead, and I especially hope you can all join us for what I believe is the sleep event of the year, the ESRS Sleep Europe Congress 2026, in Maastricht.

Kind regards,