17:45 - 19:00

• Guided visit Bruges - The visit starts at the entrance of the conference center and ends on the central market square of Bruges.

17:30 - 19:30

• Opening reception conference and exhibition

10:30 - 11:10

• Break-out session 1

• The Iceberg of Incident Reporting: From Concept to Practice

  More information

  Incident reports may greatly under-represent the true number of incidents, for example in healthcare settings by a factor of 10 or 20 (Hibbert et al., 2023; Shojania, 2008). Researchers recognise that the number of incidents recorded probably represents the “tip of the iceberg”. Our model, The Iceberg of Incident Reporting, offers a practical framework for understanding and addressing this problem.

  The model characterises six layers of incident recognition and visibility: from openly published information at the top, through reporting to national authorities, internal recording, and recognised-but-not-recorded incidents, down to “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns” at the deepest levels. The model focuses specifically on the dimensions of visibility and recognition that existing frameworks do not address. Importantly, it works without requiring strict definitions of “incident”, “hazard”, or “accident”, making it flexible and practical for routine use.

  We invite attendees to try the tool and explore ways laboratory teams might use it in safety meetings. We will discuss how to create environments where incidents can be discussed openly and how to engage external parties in incident recognition.

• Sharing Information about Incidents in Containment Facilities

  More information

  Learning from safety incidents in high containment facilities is essential, but incident information is rarely shared outside organisational boundaries. Factors include security protocols, perceived reputational risk, and organisational culture. Fortunately, there are many associations, networks, and other groups for people working in high containment facilities, for example based on their country or region, research focus, or security level. They are valued by members because they foster good collegial relationships. This workshop explores how these existing networks can better support learning from incidents.

  The aim is to identify practical, trust-based approaches for sharing lessons learned from incidents within and between high containment laboratory networks, and to highlight examples of effective models.

  A short presentation will give an overview of groups and networks identified in a survey of EBSA members. The incident reporting systems of the Public Health Agency of Canada (LINC) and Belgium’s SBB will be described. Structured roundtable discussions will then identify enablers, barriers, and promising practices.

• Biosecurity Escape Room

  More information

  Do you have what it takes to escape the biosecurity escape room? Do you want to explore biosecurity in a completely new way? Then join us in our fictive lab to learn about the biosecurity pillars while you solve the mystery!

  Working with high-risk pathogens, high-risk material, and sensitive material entails various risks. Employees should be aware of these risks and the corresponding control measures that can be taken. This enables employees to help identify risks, remain vigilant and adhere to the rules. Employees with biosecurity awareness can assess potential dual-use risks, recognise abnormal situations and hold colleagues accountable for their behaviour.

  There are many ways to raise biosecurity awareness. The approach can vary per target group in the organisation. For employees working in a laboratory, biosecurity should be included in the induction programme for new employees, and periodic attention should be paid to the security aspects of lab work. Awareness is important for all types of lab work and for all employees in a laboratory, not only for those working with high-risk material.

  In the biosecurity escape room you will experience an interactive approach to increase your biosecurity awareness!

• EN 12469:2025 Biosafety Cabinets: New Requirements for Manufacturers, Users and Service Technicians

  More information

  For almost 25 years, the standard EN 12469 has defined the basic requirements for biological safety cabinets (BSCs). As an important achievement of European standardisation — and as a counterpart to the US standard NSF/ANSI 49 — it sets out performance criteria and suitable tests to ensure the required protective functions of a BSC. Devices classified as safe according to these specifications can — or rather must — be used in laboratories for handling (genetically modified) biological material based on an appropriate risk assessment. Compliance with EN 12469 guarantees robust containment to protect personnel and product.

  Despite its general acceptance, the unclear structure, partly imprecise or complicated specifications, and above all the increased need for safety and ergonomics have made a revision of EN 12469 necessary. In July 2024, expert committees from various European countries presented a first public draft. This draft provides a reliable initial insight into the amended and additional requirements that BSCs will have to meet in the future.

  This lecture will introduce the key improvements of the new standard, some of which are fundamental. While future BSCs will have to meet significantly higher performance requirements, they will be subject to less stringent design specifications. This is an exciting balancing act that not only poses challenges for manufacturers but also brings significant benefits for users.

• Securing Knowledge, Advancing Science

  More information

  As life-science research becomes increasingly digital, collaborative, and globally distributed, biosafety and biosecurity must extend beyond biological materials to include sensitive knowledge, data, methods, and tacit know-how. Building on the audience’s existing familiarity with biosafety, biosecurity, dual-use research, and intangible technology transfer, the presentation will examine how these domains intersect with knowledge and research security across the life-science research lifecycle. Practical examples from synthetic biology, pathogen research, cloud-based data sharing, visiting researcher arrangements, and international collaborations will illustrate where sensitive knowledge moves and how misuse, unauthorized transfer, or loss of trust can occur. The presentation will propose a proportionate, science-preserving approach built around project screening, knowledge-asset mapping, partner and access review, data governance, publication planning, and escalation pathways. It will highlight biosafety and biosecurity professionals as translators between policy, compliance, and laboratory practice, helping keep research open, responsible, trusted, and resilient for public health, innovation, and international cooperation across Europe.

• ISO 35001 in Practice: Bridging Intent and Implementation

  More information

  ISO 35001:2019 provides a structured framework for biorisk management, built on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and designed to integrate biosafety and biosecurity into a coherent management system. However, despite its increasing adoption, many institutions struggle to translate the standard into effective, operational practice. Implementation often results in fragmented approaches, driven by the complexity of establishing a consistent and practical risk assessment process. In addition, system elements are frequently managed in isolation, and training is equated with competence without verification of performance. Likewise, the lack of genuine commitment from top management is an implementation risk.

  This breakout session brings together two complementary perspectives: the intent behind ISO 35001 as a standard and the realities of its implementation across diverse laboratory settings. Using the PDCA cycle as a structural backbone, the session explores key gaps between design and practice.

  Focusing on risk assessment, system integration through the different relevant biorisk elements, top management support and competence and learning systems, the session highlights typical misinterpretations and their consequences. Each section concludes with practical, actionable strategies to support more effective implementation. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to move from compliance to performance, and from documentation to decision-making in ISO 35001-based biorisk management systems.

11:20 - 12:00

• Break-out session 2

• The Iceberg of Incident Reporting: From Concept to Practice

  More information

  Incident reports may greatly under-represent the true number of incidents, for example in healthcare settings by a factor of 10 or 20 (Hibbert et al., 2023; Shojania, 2008). Researchers recognise that the number of incidents recorded probably represents the “tip of the iceberg”. Our model, The Iceberg of Incident Reporting, offers a practical framework for understanding and addressing this problem.

  The model characterises six layers of incident recognition and visibility: from openly published information at the top, through reporting to national authorities, internal recording, and recognised-but-not-recorded incidents, down to “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns” at the deepest levels. The model focuses specifically on the dimensions of visibility and recognition that existing frameworks do not address. Importantly, it works without requiring strict definitions of “incident”, “hazard”, or “accident”, making it flexible and practical for routine use.

  We invite attendees to try the tool and explore ways laboratory teams might use it in safety meetings. We will discuss how to create environments where incidents can be discussed openly and how to engage external parties in incident recognition.

• Sharing Information about Incidents in Containment Facilities

  More information

  Learning from safety incidents in high containment facilities is essential, but incident information is rarely shared outside organisational boundaries. Factors include security protocols, perceived reputational risk, and organisational culture. Fortunately, there are many associations, networks, and other groups for people working in high containment facilities, for example based on their country or region, research focus, or security level. They are valued by members because they foster good collegial relationships. This workshop explores how these existing networks can better support learning from incidents.

  The aim is to identify practical, trust-based approaches for sharing lessons learned from incidents within and between high containment laboratory networks, and to highlight examples of effective models.

  A short presentation will give an overview of groups and networks identified in a survey of EBSA members. The incident reporting systems of the Public Health Agency of Canada (LINC) and Belgium’s SBB will be described. Structured roundtable discussions will then identify enablers, barriers, and promising practices.

• Biosecurity Escape Room

  More information

  Do you have what it takes to escape the biosecurity escape room? Do you want to explore biosecurity in a completely new way? Then join us in our fictive lab to learn about the biosecurity pillars while you solve the mystery!

  Working with high-risk pathogens, high-risk material, and sensitive material entails various risks. Employees should be aware of these risks and the corresponding control measures that can be taken. This enables employees to help identify risks, remain vigilant and adhere to the rules. Employees with biosecurity awareness can assess potential dual-use risks, recognise abnormal situations and hold colleagues accountable for their behaviour.

  There are many ways to raise biosecurity awareness. The approach can vary per target group in the organisation. For employees working in a laboratory, biosecurity should be included in the induction programme for new employees, and periodic attention should be paid to the security aspects of lab work. Awareness is important for all types of lab work and for all employees in a laboratory, not only for those working with high-risk material.

  In the biosecurity escape room you will experience an interactive approach to increase your biosecurity awareness!

• EN 12469:2025 Biosafety Cabinets: New Requirements for Manufacturers, Users and Service Technicians

  More information

  For almost 25 years, the standard EN 12469 has defined the basic requirements for biological safety cabinets (BSCs). As an important achievement of European standardisation — and as a counterpart to the US standard NSF/ANSI 49 — it sets out performance criteria and suitable tests to ensure the required protective functions of a BSC. Devices classified as safe according to these specifications can — or rather must — be used in laboratories for handling (genetically modified) biological material based on an appropriate risk assessment. Compliance with EN 12469 guarantees robust containment to protect personnel and product.

  Despite its general acceptance, the unclear structure, partly imprecise or complicated specifications, and above all the increased need for safety and ergonomics have made a revision of EN 12469 necessary. In July 2024, expert committees from various European countries presented a first public draft. This draft provides a reliable initial insight into the amended and additional requirements that BSCs will have to meet in the future.

  This lecture will introduce the key improvements of the new standard, some of which are fundamental. While future BSCs will have to meet significantly higher performance requirements, they will be subject to less stringent design specifications. This is an exciting balancing act that not only poses challenges for manufacturers but also brings significant benefits for users.

• Securing Knowledge, Advancing Science

  More information

  As life-science research becomes increasingly digital, collaborative, and globally distributed, biosafety and biosecurity must extend beyond biological materials to include sensitive knowledge, data, methods, and tacit know-how. Building on the audience’s existing familiarity with biosafety, biosecurity, dual-use research, and intangible technology transfer, the presentation will examine how these domains intersect with knowledge and research security across the life-science research lifecycle. Practical examples from synthetic biology, pathogen research, cloud-based data sharing, visiting researcher arrangements, and international collaborations will illustrate where sensitive knowledge moves and how misuse, unauthorized transfer, or loss of trust can occur. The presentation will propose a proportionate, science-preserving approach built around project screening, knowledge-asset mapping, partner and access review, data governance, publication planning, and escalation pathways. It will highlight biosafety and biosecurity professionals as translators between policy, compliance, and laboratory practice, helping keep research open, responsible, trusted, and resilient for public health, innovation, and international cooperation across Europe.

• ISO 35001 in Practice: Bridging Intent and Implementation

  More information

  ISO 35001:2019 provides a structured framework for biorisk management, built on the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and designed to integrate biosafety and biosecurity into a coherent management system. However, despite its increasing adoption, many institutions struggle to translate the standard into effective, operational practice. Implementation often results in fragmented approaches, driven by the complexity of establishing a consistent and practical risk assessment process. In addition, system elements are frequently managed in isolation, and training is equated with competence without verification of performance. Likewise, the lack of genuine commitment from top management is an implementation risk.

  This breakout session brings together two complementary perspectives: the intent behind ISO 35001 as a standard and the realities of its implementation across diverse laboratory settings. Using the PDCA cycle as a structural backbone, the session explores key gaps between design and practice.

  Focusing on risk assessment, system integration through the different relevant biorisk elements, top management support and competence and learning systems, the session highlights typical misinterpretations and their consequences. Each section concludes with practical, actionable strategies to support more effective implementation. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to move from compliance to performance, and from documentation to decision-making in ISO 35001-based biorisk management systems.