FENStatS Newsletter - Q4/2025

edited by Jaione Etxeberria

Dear FENStatS members,

As the year comes to a close, I am pleased to share the latest news and updates from our national societies.

Following the discussions held at the recent FENStatS General Assembly, we have distributed the proposal aimed at aligning conference registration fees. This agreement would allow members of any FENStatS society to pay the same rate as members of the hosting society. We hope that all European societies will sign this agreement; it would be an excellent gift for our community in the years to come.

I am also delighted to formally announce our agreement with Springer for the FENStatS Series in Statistics and Data Science. My sincere thanks go to all the societies that submitted nominations for the Series editors.

Furthermore, we have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) regarding the mutual recognition of accredited statisticians. I would like to extend a special thanks to our colleagues at the RSS for their collaboration on this initiative.

Lastly, don't forget to secure your spot for the inaugural FENStatS conference in Rome.

I wish you all the very best for the New Year 2026!

Lola Ugarte
FENStatS President

FENStatS opens two calls for funding for 2026

The funding programmes reflect FENStatS’ strategic priorities for 2026, fostering scientific cooperation among members and providing opportunities for Young Statisticians across Europe.

Funding for National Statistical Societies Organising FENStatS Sessions

This initiative provides financial support to National Statistical Societies that organise dedicated FENStatS sessions at national or international conferences.

Support: Eligible societies can apply for up to €2,000 to cover travel costs.
Total Budget: €6,000 is available for the 2026.
Requirements: Sessions must focus on a specific topic. Participants must represent more than two national statistical societies from different countries. Proposals linked to the Rome 2026 Conference will be prioritised.

Travel Grants for Young Statisticians

We are committed to supporting emerging researchers, particularly those from smaller societies in Eastern or Southern Europe. FENStatS will award €1,000 in travel grants to facilitate participation in international conferences.

Eligibility: Applicants must be members of a FENStatS-affiliated society, have an accepted oral presentation, and demonstrate academic excellence and financial contribution.
Priority: Preference will be given to PhD students and those presenting their work at the Rome 2026 Conference.

More info here.

Practical information regarding the invited sessions associated with FENStatS for the 1st FENStatS Scientific Meeting

Session format

Each invited session will have a duration of 90 minutes.

Registration fees

Early Bird: 390 € (if paid before April 30, 2026).

Submission of contributions

Invited sessions within FENStatS may follow different contribution formats:

Abstracts: All speakers must submit a one or 2-page abstract of their talk via the general submission system on the conference website.
Short papers: Speakers may instead submit a short paper (4-6 pages). If submitted, this contribution will be included in the pre-conference proceedings book published by Springer Nature (with an ISBN).
Opt-out of Publication: If a speaker does not wish to have their work published in the proceedings, they should submit only the 1-2 page abstract, which will still be accepted and managed within your session.

Important Deadlines

Submission of short papers/abstracts: March 28, 2026
Notification of decision: April 3, 2026
Submission of revised versions: April 6, 2026

More info here.

FENStatS and Springer launch Series in Statistics and Data Science

FENStatS Series in Statistics and Data Science is a book series launched by FENStatS in collaboration with Springer. It showcases high-quality research and timely applications in statistics and data science through edited volumes, research monographs, selected peer-reviewed conference contributions, and books on official statistics. The series promotes collaboration, best practices, and knowledge sharing within the European statistical community and beyond.

More info here.

The General Assembly of the Royal Statistical Society of Belgium endorses the FENStatS Ethical Code

We are pleased to announce that the General Assembly of the RSSB approved the FENStatS Ethics Code on November 17, 2025, pending approval by the Board of the RSSB. By adopting these standards, the RSSB will join a growing international community dedicated to upholding the highest level of integrity and professional conduct in statistics. We hope this step encourages further endorsements across our partner societies, strengthening our collective commitment to ethical practice.

News from national statistical societies

Statistical Society of Slovenia

The Statistical Society of Slovenia proudly supported the first national high-school poster competition within the Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP). Organised by Prof. Irena Ograjenšek, the competition showcased impressive student work in statistics.
*** 1st–2nd year category winners: Zala Plohl, Ela Pestotnik and Nal Dimič (Rudolf Maister Grammar and Secondary School, Kamnik) with From the Cradle to the Grave in Slovenia: 2023.
*** 3rd–4th year category winners: Lúcia Halász and David Svetec (Franc Miklošič Grammar School, Ljutomer) with Demographic Puzzle: Build Your Business Success!
Both teams represented Slovenia in the international ISLP competition. Awards, including gifts sponsored by Petrol, were presented at the Applied Statistics Conference in Koper.

At Statistical Day 2025 in Brdo, the Society presented its annual awards. Society President Vanja Erčulj addressed participants and presented the honors:
*** Blejec Award: Andrej Flajs, for outstanding professional contributions to official statistics.
*** Sledilnik Award (media excellence): Pop TV journalist Tea Šentjurc, for promoting statistical literacy through “Lie or Statistics?”
*** Klemen Pavlič Award: Bor Vratanar and Janez Bijec, for initiative and exceptional academic achievements.

Seville hosted the 4th International Conference on Statistics and Data Science (ICSDS) on Dec 15-18, 2025. The conference focused on modern statistics, machine learning, and data science, with special attention to junior researchers. Dr. Andrej Srakar served on the program committee and organised an invited session on dimensionality in machine learning and probability.

Romanian Statistical Society

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the Romanian Statistical Society, together with the National Institute of Statistics, ensured the publication of issue 3/2025 of the Romanian Statistical Rewiew Supplement, which is a specialized publication in the field of statistical theory and practice.

French Statistical Society

At the initiative of Société Française de Statistique (SFdS), three scholarly societies, SMAI, SMF, and SFdS held a workshop on Nov 18, 2025 at the IHP on the use of AI to advance mathematics. The event, designed to familiarize mathematicians with the new capabilities of AI agents and their connection to formal language, was a clear success. It brought together more than 120 participants, featured state-of-the-art presentations, and sparked particularly fruitful discussions. One conclusion stood out: we urgently need to start thinking about how these new generative technologies will transform our discipline and our professions.