In March, the DESIGN-EM research network, a cross-disciplinary research network that combines research-based knowledge about optimizing organization design with the emergency medicine field, held their 5^th conference. The focus of this conference was the organization of the acute hospital treatment during COVID-19 as well as the knowledge we can learn from and apply in the future. The conference provided both insights into the organization at the ward level and at the hospital level as well as from a practice perspective and from a research perspective. The conference included various presentations as well as a concluding panel debate, where the presented knowledge was actively discussed.