The Oldest Conference on Differential Equations Comes to Prague
At the turn of June and July, the capital city of the Czech Republic will host one of the most prestigious and longest-running international mathematical conferences on differential equations and their applications. Equadiff 2026 will bring leading experts from around the world to Prague, including some of the most prominent figures in contemporary mathematics.
The Equadiff Conference, whose tradition dates back to the 1960s, will take place from 28 June to 3 July at the Prague University of Economics and Business. The topics will include ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, numerical analysis and their applications. The programme will feature six main lectures and nearly twenty invited speakers, all among today’s leading experts. It will also include 39 minisymposia, specialised sessions and poster presentations.
“The principal organiser of the conference is the Mathematical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University, the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of CTU, the Faculty of Civil Engineering of CTU, and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. We expect more than 350 talks to run in ten parallel sessions. It is one of the few conferences where experts in both the theory and applications of differential equations meet. This year, as well, it will bring together leading mathematicians from around the world who shape the direction of research,” says Professor Vít Dolejší from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University, a member of the organising committee.
The oldest European conference on differential equations has long been closely associated with the Czech Republic. Its first edition was held in Prague in 1962, with organisation involving, among others, prominent Czech mathematicians Ivo Babuška, a pioneer of the finite element method, and Jaroslav Kurzweil, the founder of a new theory of integration. In the past, the conference served not only as a showcase of Czechoslovak mathematics, but also as one of the few opportunities for mathematicians from Eastern and Western Europe to meet.
Nowadays, the conference is held every two years at various locations across Europe. The cities of Prague, Brno and Bratislava take turns hosting it every four years. This year, Equadiff returns to the capital after 13 years, continuing the tradition of the Czech mathematical school in the field of differential equations. The event is also supported by the RSJ Foundation and the City of Prague.
