Dear Colleagues and Friends of the EBMT Community,
As 2025 comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect on our collective achievements this year. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for your unwavering dedication and to look ahead to a year filled with exciting opportunities for our society and the field of haematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy.
Reflecting on 2025 – A Year of Growth and Collaboration
In my mid-year message, I highlighted the significant progress made during the first half of the year, including the establishment of the EBMT Education Department, improvements to our Registry, and the appointment of new leaders to our Working Parties and Committees.
Since then, our momentum has only strengthened:
Education and Training
Our Education Department has advanced significantly this year, offering a comprehensive programme of high-quality learning for physicians, nurses, data managers, and other healthcare professionals. Through major meetings such as the 10th International Transplant & Cellular Therapy Course in Barcelona, multiple Working Party-led meetings and e-learning modules, on-demand recordings, interactive Q&A sessions and recommended guidelines, we have strengthened the foundation of continuous professional development across the EBMT community.
With more than 6,200 participants from 97 countries in attendance, the 51st Annual Meeting of the EBMT in Florence was an impressive reflection of our growing international influence and scientific excellence. These gatherings reaffirmed the collaborative spirit, interdisciplinary engagement and innovation that define the EBMT community.
In September 2025, the EBMT published its long-awaited Practice Recommendations for HCT and CAR-T Therapy. This ninth special report provides updated guidance on indications for HCT across haematological diseases, solid tumours, and immune disorders.
Meanwhile, our EBMT Nurses Group has continued to expand its educational outreach through new episodes of Blood Matters – A Podcast for Nurses. These episodes cover topics such as cell therapy in autoimmune diseases, paediatric acute leukaemia, gastrointestinal GvHD, and other key areas of practice. I encourage you to listen to it if you have not yet done so.
Registry and Research Excellence
A major milestone for the EBMT Registry in the second half of 2025 was the achievement of ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification. This was a joint effort between the EBMT's Compliance, IT and Registry Units, reflecting the international standards to which the EBMT adheres in ensuring that patient data is stored securely.
Over the past few months, the EBMT Registry team has prioritised stability and usability. The MicroStrategy library has been updated with new reports and a more consistent EBMT look and feel. Data quality checks have been performed to make centres aware of any potential inconsistencies, and more front-end checks have been added.
The pilot studies led by the Study Manager, which began in early 2025, have either closed or are nearing completion, and the results are promising. An evaluation of hospitals' experiences of working with the tool also indicated increased user satisfaction compared with previous data collection methods for studies. Further studies are being rolled out using the tool, while additional improvements are still being developed.
Finally, the team is finalising the final work package for the EuroTraCTOR grant, which began in early 2023 and has played a significant role in developing the EBMT Registry.
Collaborative initiatives such as the GoCART Coalition continue to spearhead CAR-T and immune effector cell therapy research.
In 2025, the EBMT, the EHA and the GoCART Coalition published the second edition of the EU CAR-T Handbook, an extensive open-access resource that covers the most recent developments in CAR-T cell therapies. This updated edition provides more detailed information on scientific advances, clinical applications and evolving regulatory frameworks.
Meanwhile, the GoCART Coalition continued to advance the implementation and quality of CAR-T and cellular therapies across Europe. Key milestones included expanding its Observership Programme to strengthen training at emerging centres, publishing a major multinational survey on operational challenges in CAR-T therapy, and releasing a strategic statement addressing evolving regulatory frameworks.
Our Working Parties also achieved notable scientific milestones, including the development of innovative tools for outcome prediction and survival analysis.
Patient Care
Under the leadership of the EBMT, the GvHD Alliance has expanded into Europe. A launch meeting was held in June 2025, bringing together patient advocates, academic leaders, and industry partners to unify efforts to improve outcomes for patients living with graft-versus-host disease.
After three years of dedicated work, on 29 October 2025, FACT and JACIE released the 9th Edition HCT Standards and 3rd Edition IEC Standards, along with updated manuals, marking a significant milestone in the fields of HCT and cellular therapy. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the sub-committee Chairs and all the sub-committee members whose exceptional efforts and expertise made the publication of these latest editions possible.
Leadership and Community Engagement
As my mandate comes to an end in April 2026, I have been working closely with the incoming president, Ibrahim Yakoub-Agha, to ensure a smooth transition for our society. Throughout 2025, we welcomed new Working Party Chairs and formally integrated JACIE as an official EBMT Working Party, thereby strengthening our leadership structures and community engagement.
Our global footprint continues to grow, with expanding partnerships beyond Europe and a rich, diverse membership that strengthens our collective mission. In 2025, EBMT welcomed 41 new centre members and 119 new individual members into our community.
Thank You to Our Members and Partners
Every achievement this year has been made possible by your collective efforts. Whether you contributed to research, shared your expertise at meetings, participated in Registry work, supported JACIE certification or mentored a colleague, your dedication has been instrumental in defining the success of EBMT.
Welcome to all the new members and centres that joined us in 2025! You bring fresh perspectives, energy, and commitment to our community.
To all new members and centres that joined us in 2025: welcome! You bring fresh perspectives, energy and commitment to our community.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Looking ahead to 2026, we will continue to be guided by the EBMT Strategic Priorities. Key goals for the coming year include:
- Strengthening career pathways across all EBMT professional groups
- Reinforcing EBMT’s role as a highly competitive and influential organisation in scientific, clinical, translational, and basic research across our discipline.
- Enhancing data quality and promoting evidence-based insights from our Registry
- Expanding international collaboration through partnerships beyond Europe
- Preparing for the 52nd Annual Meeting of the EBMT, which will take place in Madrid from 22–25 March 2026 — an event that promises to be another milestone for our society.
In the coming year, we will continue to adapt to the rapidly evolving landscape of transplantation and cellular therapy, embracing innovation while remaining true to our mission of improving patient outcomes through collaboration, education, and research.
A Final Word for 2025
As the holiday season approaches, I hope you have time to rest, reflect, and celebrate your many contributions to our community and to patient care.
On behalf of the EBMT Board and the entire team, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a peaceful holiday season and a healthy and fulfilling start to 2026.
With sincere gratitude and best wishes,
Anna Sureda
EBMT President
