Founded in 2005, the European Society of Radiology (ESR) is dedicated to promoting and coordinating the scientific, philanthropic, intellectual and professional activities of radiology in all European countries. The ESR is based in Vienna, Austria.
The ESR was created through the merger of two established societies; the European Association of Radiology (EAR), a federation of national societies founded in 1962, and the European Congress of Radiology (ECR), the organising body of the eponymous congress.
The board of directors, the executive council and all executive bodies were carefully composed of the bodies of the two founding societies. The current president of the ESR is Prof. András Palkó, from Szeged, Hungary.
At the heart of the ESR’s activities is the organisation of its annual meeting, the ECR. With more than 20,000 participants from around 100 countries and more than 4,000 scientific papers and exhibits, the ECR has developed into the largest radiological meeting in Europe since it was first held in its 'new' format in September 1991.
In addition, the ESR pilots the harmonisation of teaching programmes throughout Europe and has established EIBIR – the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research. It synchronises teaching activities within and beyond Europe (ESOR – European School of Radiology), and provides assistance in raising training standards in radiological services throughout the world. In 2011 the society also launched a European Diploma in Radiology, in order to provide an internationally recognised benchmark for radiological knowledge.
Finally, the society produces teaching material, regular electronic and print newsletters, and the scientific journals European Radiology and Insights into Imaging.