Kiel, Germany · 25–26 September 2026
ORCA Summit 2026
Outreach Response for Community Access
Wissenschaftszentrum Kiel
Fraunhoferstraße 13, 24118 Kiel, Germany
The international practice-oriented summit “ORCA: Outreach Response for Community Access” will take place on 25–26 September 2026 in Wissenschaftszentrum Kiel and will serve as a practical platform for exchanging experience and developing solutions in the fields of HIV and STI prevention, testing, and work with vulnerable populations.
About the Conference
The international practice-oriented summit “ORCA: Outreach Response for Community Access” will take place on 25–26 September 2026 in Wissenschaftszentrum Kiel, Fraunhoferstraße 13, Kiel (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) and will serve as a practical platform for exchanging experience and developing solutions in the fields of HIV and STI prevention, testing, and work with vulnerable populations.
The event aims to strengthen and further develop low-threshold approaches in the context of substance use, addiction, and chemsex. These areas are associated with increasing risks of HIV, hepatitis, and other infections, as well as additional medical and psychosocial challenges. At the same time, communication and contact with target groups are increasingly shifting to digital environments, requiring adaptation of traditional prevention and outreach models.
The summit is not designed as a traditional academic conference, but as a structured format for international knowledge transfer and the development of practical solutions, with a focus on applicability, adaptability, and sustainability across different health systems in Europe, taking into account regional specificities.
A key component will be the participation of international experts and practitioners from various European countries (including Portugal, Poland, France, the Nordic countries, and others), as well as representatives of communities, including the European Network of People Who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD). Participation of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and representatives of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is also planned.
The Summit will include
- Practical workshops on low-threshold HIV and STI testing
- Sessions focused on prevention and counselling in the context of chemsex and substance use
- Discussions on digital outreach and communication tools including messaging platforms and online environments
- Presentation and analysis of international practices with a focus on their adaptation to regional contexts
- Small group work to develop practical solutions and implementation models
- Moderated discussions on stigma, access to services, and cross-sectoral collaboration
- Engagement of health system representatives and decision-makers to support institutional uptake of results
Target Groups
- Professionals working in addiction services
- Staff and volunteers of low-threshold services including streetwork and outreach
- Professionals in HIV prevention, testing, and counselling
- Representatives of health authorities and decision-making structures at regional and municipal levels
- Representatives of communities and peer-led organisations
Indirect target groups include people with substance use disorders and other vulnerable populations, particularly those at increased risk of HIV, who will benefit in the medium term from improved access to prevention, testing, and support services.
Programme
The full conference programme for ORCA Summit 2026 is available below.
Or you can download it here
Submit Abstract
Participants are invited to submit presentations, practical case studies, workshops and field-based approaches related to HIV prevention, STI testing, outreach, chemsex, migration, substance use, community-based services and digital outreach.
Submissions may include
- Presentations
- Practical case studies
- Workshops
- Implementation models
- Community-based approaches
- Outreach and testing practices
Contributions should describe
- The context of the work
- Target groups
- Relevance to current challenges
- Practical applicability of the approach
Conference Participation Documents
Participants are strongly encouraged to review all conference participation documents before submitting an abstract or registering for the summit.
I also confirm that I have read and agree to the conference participation rules, privacy policy, and scholarship regulations.
Registration
Participation in the ORCA Summit is free of charge.
Registration is required for all participants. The working language of the summit is English.
Conference Participation Documents
Participants are strongly encouraged to review all conference participation documents before registering for the summit.
View Conference Documents →
Confirmed Speakers
International experts and practitioners will be announced as confirmations are received.
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Speaker Name
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Charitable Run
Living Free with HIV
An additional public component of the programme will be the charity run “Living Free with HIV”, which will take place on 27 September 2026.
The run aims to increase visibility of life with HIV, reduce stigma, and engage the wider public in public health issues.
Supporters
We are grateful to our donors, partners, and supporting institutions.
Partner 1
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Partner 2
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Partner 3
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Partner 4
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Partner 5
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Conference Documents
All official conference documents are available for download below.