Foreword by the EBMT President

The year 2023 marked a significant milestone for the EBMT as a scientific Society. In August 2023, EBMT proudly unveiled the official launch of the new EBMT Registry platform, a remarkable accomplishment resulting from years of dedicated teamwork (co-funded by the European Union under the EuroTraCTOR grant). This innovative platform replaced ProMISe and Castor, thereby enhancing our data management practices for a more cohesive user experience. The primary objective of the EBMT Registry remains clear: to provide EBMT members with a pool of data to perform studies, assess epidemiological trends, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes. Close collaboration between EBMT and national registries will ensure alignment with the needs and requests of users. Presently, the EBMT Registry contains data on over 700,000 patients who underwent a hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) procedure and over 8,000 patients treated with CAR T-cells. EBMT's commitment to advancing gene therapy strategies and recognising the growing importance of haemoglobinopathies has led to the establishment of a new EBMT Working Party, the Haemoglobinopathies Working Party, which serves as the scientific and educational umbrella for all stakeholders interested in these diseases.

The activities of the GoCART Coalition in 2023 were exceptional, with a notable increase in scientific endeavours evidenced by the publication of two new manuscripts, the culmination of the third edition of scientific excellence projects, participation in numerous educational activities, and active engagement in the harmonised collection of clinical data on patients treated with gene and cellular therapies from cells and tissues of hematopoietic origin to support collaborative studies and regulatory decision-making processes.

The 2023 edition of the Annual Meeting held special significance after three consecutive years of virtual gatherings; we welcomed over 4,500 attendees in person, complemented by more than 1,200 virtual participants representing over 100 countries. The newly formed EBMT Educational Task Force, established in 2023 and led by the Chair and Co-Chair of the Scientific Council, the Scientific Council Educational Representative, and the EBMT Medical Officer, ensures the involvement of representatives from all Working Parties, the Nurses Group, the EBMT Trainee Committee, and JACIE to develop a diverse range of educational content in HCT and cellular therapy, as well as to provide resources for professional development.

Throughout 2023, the majority of mid-sized and small educational events transitioned back to in-person formats, with attendance figures closely mirroring pre-pandemic levels. Credit is due to the highly organised and proactive Trainee Committee, which played an active role in these events. Special mention must be made of the EBMT- EHA 5^th European CAR T-cell Meeting held in Rotterdam in February 2023, which achieved resounding success, establishing our organisations as leaders in hosting the most significant and widely attended conference in Europe within this field. Furthermore, EBMT and the ASTCT solidified their strategic collaboration in education by hosting the 2^nd Joint ASTCT-EBMT Basic and Translational Scientific Meeting in Sitges, Spain, in February 2023, and the ASTCT-EBMT 6^th International Conference on Relapse After Transplant and Cellular Therapy (HSCT²) in Los Angeles in November 2023. Each event provided an excellent platform for young researchers and trainees to present their work and engage with leaders in the field.

The year 2023 also marked a turning point for accreditation and benchmarking efforts. JACIE received 97 applications, representing approximately a 30% increase compared to 2022. The number of inspections conducted rose to 77, the second-highest in JACIE's history (2019: 78 inspections), signalling a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity. Moreover, the number of accredited centres reached 68 in the past year, compared to 15 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. JACIE's robust activities in 2023 included organising three training courses for inspectors, training 55 new inspectors, hosting a year-round webinar series, launching a new JACIE Inspector Handbook at the 2023 Annual Meeting, and enhancing inspector incentives by offering 72 grants for JACIE inspectors to attend the 50^th Annual Meeting of the EBMT. Additionally, in collaboration with the Quality Manager Committee, JACIE developed a new, online, easily accessible accreditation preparation course aimed at boosting the confidence of centre staff in preparing for and undergoing JACIE inspections. The benchmarking project progressed steadily, thanks to the persistent dedication of various stakeholders, with the release of EBMT Benchmarking reports covering the period from 2017 to 2021 in November 2023.

The tireless efforts of the EBMT Nurses Group were evident in a variety of activities. These included the release of the 2^nd edition of the EBMT Textbook for Nurses, the 15^th Educational Meeting of the EBMT Nurses Group, which brought together 47 faculty members as well as patients, nurses, physicians, physiotherapists, and engineers from academic and clinical settings spanning 13 different countries. Furthermore, 2023 saw the establishment of the Nurses Next Generation Group, aimed at fostering a community for early-career Transplant and Cell Therapy nurses, and the launch of a new EBMT podcast for Nurses titled "Blood Matters".

I extend my profound gratitude to all stakeholders: the EBMT Board, the chairs of the Working Parties and Committees, the EBMT centre members and individual members, the EBMT staff, and our partners, whose generosity and selflessness facilitated our remarkable progress in 2023. Without your unwavering support, none of these achievements would have been possible. I eagerly anticipate sharing many more milestones and celebrating EBMT’s 50^th anniversary with our exceptional community in 2024!

Until we meet again!

Anna Sureda
EBMT President