OUR ACTIVITIES
ANNUAL CONGRESS
ESGCT organises an Annual Congress, which brings together scientists working in the fields of gene and cell therapy from throughout Europe and beyond. The Congress is typically held in October or November in a major European city. The Congress is a platform for highlighting the latest research and techniques through the scientific sessions, which include keynote lectures, invited speakers, selected speakers, poster sessions and exhibitions. Furthermore, the Congress is an opportunity to develop relationships and collaborations. The public day, where key concepts in gene and cell therapy along with the latest research are presented in the local language to a general audience, is an integral part of the Congress. The Congress may be organised solely by ESGCT, but is often organised in collaboration with a national society for gene and cell therapy in Europe, for example the German Society for Gene Therapy DG-GT in 2017, the Spanish Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (SETGYC) in 2019 or the British Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in 2022, or with closely related scientific societies, such as the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in 2016.
SPRING SCHOOL AND ACADEMY
Since 2016, ESGCT also organises an annual Spring School. This meeting is aimed at students and young investigators who are new to the field of gene and cell therapy. The Spring School aims to provide an intensive training course and the opportunity to interact with current and future leaders in the field. The ESGCT Spring School is a 2 to 3-day meeting of presentations and workshops focused on students as the primary attendees. Students will have free registration to the meeting that includes all meals, and will only have to pay for their travel and accommodation. This meeting is NOT a profit-making activity. The ESGCT will fully support this project financially , in addition to full use of the ESGCT Strategy & Events Team.
In addition to the Spring School since 2022 we have also started a new activity aimed at students, in contrast to our Spring School, which is an advanced lecture course, the ESGCT Academy is your turn to present. Each Academy is dedicated to a distinct topic, and students undertaking a related PhD project are eligible to attend.
OTHER INITIATIVES
One of the ESGCT’s core aims has always been to facilitate students’ access to key players and developments in the field. Hereto, ESGCT offers free congress registration for students who present an abstract. To further this aim, supporting meetings and workshops aimed particularly at students is of particular interest to ESGCT.
Recently, ESGCT has started initiatives to engage its members and the wider community, including patients and members of the public. These initiatives include a heatmap that shows the location and details of gene and cell therapy research in Europe, blogs written by the society's members and news items accessible to non-specialists available on the ESGCT website.