Finally Meeting in Person Again – Eurice at Successful BIOMAP Annual Consortium Meeting 2022 in Kiel
After more than two years of meeting through a computer screen, the BIOMAP consortium finally had the opportunity to meet in person from 4-5 October in Kiel, northern Germany. The main focus of this year’s annual meeting was the transition from a work package-centric approach to dedicated cross-work package task forces focusing on key strategic aspects of the BIOMAP vision.
The meeting was opened by BIOMAP Coordinator Prof. Stephan Weidinger (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel) and Project Leader Dr Alexandra Hicks, who replaced Dr Paul Bryce (both Sanofi) in July this year. While the morning of the meeting was dedicated to short updates on the different BIOMAP work packages, the afternoon sessions were focused on shaping five cross-consortium task forces around BIOMAP key topics. Parallel sessions induced lively and collaborative discussions on draft objectives, critical gaps to be filled and resource needs towards achieving cross-functional data generation and high-impact publications.
On the second day, the task force leaders reported on the outcomes from the previous day and presented outlines of their task forces’ structure, approach, needs and next steps. The task force outcomes were followed by presentations on the management work package, held by Tamara Messer (EURICE), and the ethics/legal work package. Nina Weiler (EURICE), co-chair of the BIOMAP communication working group, then presented the concept and design for the new BIOMAP website that will be launched at the end of October. In a dedicated slot for patient involvement, several BIOMAP Patient Board representatives kindly shared their experiences and views with the consortium. The meeting ended with a General Assembly.
It was a real pleasure to finally meet in person again, socialise and exchange scientific data and ideas. The EURICE team were delighted to meet up with the other partners in the BIOMAP project and had two successful and productive meeting days. The consortium will continue to build on the energy and momentum of this foundation and continue to work collaboratively to drive the task forces to shape and deliver on objectives.
