Past events & courses

Location: Université de Namur,Rempart de la Vierge 1 à 5000 NAMUR (easy to reach by train, also parking will be available),rooms BN02 and BN03  We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming workshop on Day-to-Day Biosafety Challenges, where we will discuss practical biosafety issues encountered in daily laboratory activities and share best practices for managing them.

The 20th Biosafety Meeting will take place over two days in Luzern on August 27th and 28th 2026.

InstructorsJaspreet Chana (UK) and Dan Thomson (UK) Laboratories are dynamic environments where chemical and biological hazards intersect. While occupational safety focuses on protecting individuals from immediate harm, process safety is about preventing incidents that could escalate into major accidents, equipment damage, or containment breaches.  This one-day course is designed to bridge the gap between traditional lab safety practices and process safety principles commonly applied in industrial settings. Through a mix of theory, case studies, and interactive workshops, participants will learn how to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement controls that go beyond compliance, ensuring resilience and reliability in laboratory operations. 

InstructorsJane Shallcross (UK) and Rik Bleijs (NL) This full-day course offers a comprehensive introduction to laboratory biosecurity, focusing on the practical implementation of biosecurity policies, guidelines, and risk assessments. Participants will explore the importance of robust biosecurity measures for global health, and learn to identify and address risks across the eight pillars of biosecurity: leadership and governance, risk assessment, personnel reliability, physical security, information security, material control and accountability, transport security, and emergency response. 

InstructorsFelix Gmünder (CH) and Timo Kehl (De) The planning, design, construction and performance review of high containment facilities, including BSL-3, ABSL-3 and BSL-3Ag, requires a well thought out approach if the outcome is to meet the intentions of the owner or client and the users.  

InstructorsVips Halkjaer-Knudsen (DK) and Faye Litherland (UK) Upgrading an operational BSL2 laboratory to BSL3 is a significantly different process than designing a brand-new BSL3 facility, where budgets, expectations, and design principles are established from the beginning. Retrofitting presents an entirely different challenge. Many initiatives start with internal enthusiasm, often from scientific staff who believe the upgrade mainly involves adding a pass-through autoclave or creating a curved floor-to-wall transition. The shift from “minimise release” to “prevent release” is much more complex than it seems, and the hidden complexities, costs, and constraints of old infrastructure are easy to underestimate. This immersive simulation game places participants in the role of biosafety consultants tasked with navigating exactly these challenges.

InstructorsSuzanne Loret (BE) and Filippo De Franceschi (CH) This course is intended for novices to practitioners in contained use.  After introducing the basic concepts about safety equipment (collective and personal equipment), the training will focus on biosafety cabinets (BSC) with particular attention to defining the protection range of each type of BSC and some ways to decontaminate the BSC work surface and HEPA filters. The first course day will also cover personal protective equipment (PPE), focusing mainly on facial masks and gloves. Besides explaining the criteria to consider when selecting the appropriate PPE. 

InstructorsKarin Darpel (DE) and Sophie Duraffour (DE) When outbreaks of high-consequence viral pathogens emerge, rapid diagnostic and research activities are often pushed to the front lines - directly into the field, at the heart of the epidemic. But what biosafety precautions are essential in these high-stakes environments, and how can they be effectively applied under demanding, real-world conditions? 

InstructorsAdam Stevenson (UK) and Heidi Auerswald (IT) This highly interactive one-day course equips biosafety professionals, laboratory supervisors, and institutional trainers with practical tools to evaluate, strengthen, and embed biosafety competence beyond traditional tick-box training models. Participants will unpack the distinctions between, training, compliance, and competence, and work through hands-on methods to translate those insights into practice. Using a step-by-step improvement plan, each participant will identify key challenges in their home institution and design a 3-month roadmap for upgrading how competence is assessed, reinforced, and sustained. The course draws from ISO 35001, CWA 16335, ISO/TS 5441, and WHO LBM4, and links theoretical frameworks to actionable strategies: job safety analysis, SOP analysis, job specification evaluation, behavioural reinforcement, observation checklists, and building psychological safety. The course is especially valuable for institutions looking to strengthen internal competency frameworks, onboarding, or coaching programs.