EBW24 Workshops

All delegates are able to book onto Congress workshops as part of the ticket price. Due to limited seats, these are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. When you book your ticket, you will receive a separate booking form to make your workshop choice.

Workshop 1: Making your way to ISO 20387 accreditation.

Chaired by Andrea Wutte, BBMRI.QM & Agnieszka Matera-Witkiewicz, Wroclaw Medical University Biobank (13:00-16:30)

In this workshop consisting of a good mix of theoretical input and exchange/discussion among the participants, we want to explore together what it means to take the path to accreditation according to the ISO 20387 standard. To this end, we will draw on expert knowledge from our community and beyond as well as on the experiences of already accredited biobanks. The exchange among the participants is stimulated by the joint discussion and analysis of use cases with practical relevance. At the end of the workshop, participants will have made some progress on their path to ISO 20387 accreditation.

Workshop 2: Information security issues for biobankers + BBMRI-ERIC Federated Platform

Chaired by Georg Göbel, BBMRI.at & Zdenka Dudova, BBMRI.cz (13:00-16:30)

Part I: How to stay on top of the data driven BBMRI-ERIC ecosystem, designed to facilitate access to high-quality biological samples

We invite you to an interactive workshop focusing on a deeper understanding of BBMRI-ERIC’s discovery and access facilitation chain, developed in response to the advanced needs of medical research. The explanation of the tools we offer within Common Service IT will be combined with a Q&A session to bring all participants to the same level of knowledge and open the discussion on the benefits of such an environment. The target audience for this workshop are senior management representatives from national hubs and biobanks.

Part II: Organisational and technical measures for BBs in the context of information security

Based on suggestions and controls / measures  provided by international information security standards (e.g.  ISO 2700x series) we will present and discuss interactively actual issues and approaches. Special attention will be paid to practises for risk analysis and systematic methods for securing the IT infastructure and data processing in the biobanking context. 

Workshop 3: Greening of Biobanking

Chaired by Saba Abdulghani – BBMRI-ERIC Biobanking Development & Jörg Hamann, Head of Amsterdam UMC’s Biobank and Management Committee member for The Netherlands‘ BBMRI National Node (13:00-16:30)

Biobanking, which involves the collection, processing, storage, and management of biological samples and associated data, plays a central role in advancing scientific research, medical discoveries, and personalised medicine. Implementing environmentally friendly biobanking practices can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the biobanks and contribute to their long-term sustainability. This workshop aims to explore current challenges faced by biobanks and identify innovative solutions by engaging with industry partners. 

Workshop 4: Ethics of AI: Hypes, Hopes, and Risks of AI in Biobanking

Chaired by Melanie Goisauf, Kaya Akyüz, and Mónica Cano Abadía (BBMRI-ERIC ELSI Ethics of AI Lab)(13:00-14:30)

AI is expected to transform medical research and healthcare by improving diagnosis and treatment and by facilitating progress towards individually tailored therapeutic interventions. In an increasingly data-intensive research environment, biobanks often serve as crucial infrastructures for datasharing and data flows. This workshop addresses the potentials and risks of AI and biobanking from an ethical and societal perspective.

Workshop 5: Citizen & patient involvement in biobanking. Discuss the need and feasibility with us! 

Chaired by Eric Vermeulen,BBMRI-ERIC Stakeholder Forum and Ciara Staunton, ESBB (15:00-16:30)     

The BBMRI.ERIC Stakeholder Forum organises a workshop on patients-citizens involvement/ engagement in biobanks, such as their involvement in biobanks steering committee or in Advisory Boards etc.

During the workshop examples of involvement will be presented and discussed. The workshop will explore whether a guideline to promote involvement is needed/feasible.

Workshop timetable

	Room 1	Room 2	Room 3	Room 4
13:00-14:30	Workshop 1:Making your way to ISO 20387 accreditation	Workshop 2 -Part I:How to stay on top of the data driven BBMRI-ERIC ecosystem, designed to facilitate access to high-quality biological samples	Workshop 3: Greening of Biobanking	Workshop 4:   Ethics of AI: Hypes, Hopes, and Risks of AI in Biobanking
BREAK	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
15:00-16:30	Workshop 1:Making your way to ISO 20387 accreditation	Workshop 2 –  part IIOrganisational and technical measures for biobanks in the context of information security	Workshop 3: Greening of Biobanking	Workshop 5:Citizen & patient involvement in biobanking.