Last year, 2022, was a very productive one for the EBMT community. We were ready to see each other again and for the so-called “new normal” but, disappointingly, the 48^th Annual Meeting of the EBMT in Prague had to switch to a virtual meeting. Although, that did not stop us. During the second half of last year, EBMT has been successful in bringing many of us together at events across Europe. The 7^th International Transplant Course as well as the educational meetings of the EBMT Working Parties (WPs) have been very well attended and have represented an excellent opportunity for in-person networking and interaction. My sincere gratitude goes out to all the active members of the Trainee Committee that have naturally incorporated a rejuvenated flavour to all these activities. But as I write this message, I cannot help but get excited about the 49^th Annual Meeting of the EBMT which will be hosted in Paris and online from 23-26 April 2023. I hope you all choose to attend either in-person or virtually.

Another significant part of our activities in 2022 have consisted of the promotion and the development of scientific, educational and partnership opportunities related to the use of CAR T-cells. There has been an exponential increase in reporting CAR T-cell therapies and we can very proudly say that we have reached more than 4,000 CAR T- cell treated patients within the EBMT Registry (visit our CAR-T Data Collection Initiative webpage for more information). Moreover, the successful resolution of the second GoCART Coalition call with three new winning projects, together with the increasing numbers of retrospective analysis being performed under the umbrella of the EBMT Working Parties will, without any doubt, bring additional research and help improve the management and long-term follow-up of this new treatment modality in Europe. Also worth mentioning is the fact that EBMT has managed to keep the positive opinion of EMA regarding the cellular therapy module. The PAS studies are actively being conducted by our society with five of them ongoing of four additional ones in the start-up/contracting phase. As you can see with all our activities, we are keen on staying at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field.

Partnerships and collaborations have also represented a major asset for our community. During our regular meetings with the representatives of the National Societies for haematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy, we have fostered a deeper level of interaction and closer communication, finished the governance charter of the EBMT-EHA GoCART Coalition, consolidated our educational activities, and harmonised the accreditation process for CAR T-cell centres together with our industry partners. EBMT and EHA’s collaboration has also been crystallised at the 4^th European CAR T-cell Meeting which propelled both societies to host a wonderful hybrid meeting in Rotterdam in February of this year (EBMT-EHA 5^th European CAR T-cell Meeting). Nonetheless, the collaborative spirit of EBMT goes beyond European borders. The Joint Scientific Retreat from EBMT and ASTCT has been one of the best examples; three days of excellence, sharing of knowledge, learning about challenging concepts, and giving scientific and career advice. Likewise, the collaboration with China was amplified last year with the 2^nd EBMT-China Scientific Forum held in November 2022. In addition, we have witnessed an increasing number of Chinese centres becoming full members of the EBMT as well as their scientific collaborative output. It brings me great joy to know our community is growing and our activities are having a greater impact year after year.

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the devastating impact it had on civilians and patients in the affected regions, EBMT immediately set up an initiative called the EBMT Ukrainian Crisis Assistance Program (UCAP). It has been continuously active throughout 2022 and has constructed a discussion forum of potential candidates for cellular therapy strategies. Unfortunately, though, the war continues. Last year, 2022, has left many dead, many families divided, and others homeless. It continues to constitute one of the most important humanitarian crises in recent years. EBMT will continue to support the Ukrainian people always from the mission and vision of our society and we will continue to encourage the transfer of scientific knowledge among all our members.

JACIE, after the pandemic, had clear challenges to resolve. However, I have already seen a high level of enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved to find solutions to these challenges and current processes. Their work does not go unnoticed. The JACIE team completed 64 full inspections out of the 80 initially expected. Moving forward, the second EBMT benchmarking exercise has paved the way for a second manuscript (published in March 2023). Yet, the feasibility, acceptability and reliability of the system has been supported and the limitations have been identified. I cannot wait to see the impact JACIE and its team will have in 2023.

Looking ahead, we must remain committed to completing our current projects but at the same time, also embrace and execute new ones. Certainly, each one of us is concentrating on the EBMT Registry upgrade project, which will be launched late summer of 2023. Plus, we will focus on the recently EU funded EuroTRACTOR project which will unquestionably strengthen the links between EBMT and the National Registries/Societies in terms of data harmonisation and sharing.  We are also passionately working on finalising EBMT’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2026, which emphasises renovating and upgrading the way EBMT is approaching Science, Education and Quality of Care and Accreditation in order to make the society more aligned with our partners and stakeholders needs.

Still, none of these achievements could have been possible without your collaboration and efforts. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the EBMT Staff, EBMT Board, EBMT centres and individual members, plus all our partners from around the world for your constant work and dedication to our society. With a strong community, our story in 2023 can be even more successful.

Thank you very much!

Anna Sureda
EBMT President