We enjoyed a brilliant week at the IBMS 2023 Congress meeting members, presenting at plenary sessions, and explaining the good work that BIVDA undertakes.
All of the team – Helen, Nat, Stuart, Ben, Dawn and Tehelj – attended the Congress at some stage this week, proving a great opportunity to meet members and understand more about the incredible innovations that members offer.
We were fortunate to be the first stand at the Congress, positioned at the entry to the exhibition hall, providing us with maximum exposure.
The first day kicked off with Helen and Board member Mark Reed of Pro-Lab Diagnostics visiting all of the stands to judge the ‘Best Stand’ and ‘Best Shell Scheme’ awards, both of which were sponsored by BIVDA. The former was awarded to Launch Diagnostics, while Vivid Healthcare were judged to provide the best shell scheme.
Nat and Ben spent the morning meeting members on their stands and handing out BIVDA member awards to show our appreciation for all our incredible members who were displaying at the event.
In the afternoon, there were two plenary sessions, the second of which was also sponsored by BIVDA. IBMS President Debra Padgett gave the opening address where she highlighted the wide depth and breadth of diagnostic technology showcased at the Congress. She also noted the Congress’ ability to drive innovation and diagnostics forward to help improve the lives of individuals worldwide.
Maggie Throup followed the President with her own terrific speech, which examined the diagnostics landscape in the UK and extolled the work of BIVDA. We were delighted that Maggie described BIVDA as the ‘standard bearer’ for the sector and ‘the collaborative network that the sector needs.’ You can read our full write-up of her speech in a separate article.
David Wells, IBMS Chief Executive, then unveiled the Institute’s new ‘Long Term Biomedical Scientist Workforce Plan’, which was welcomed by BIVDA as ‘an achievable vision of a workforce with wider capacity, deeper knowledge and more advanced skills’ which ‘focuses on many of the key challenges and opportunities facing the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease in the NHS.’
Key highlights of day two include our Head of Regulatory Affairs Stuart Angell giving a presentation on ‘CE and UKCA Certification’, to the delight of those in the audience requiring regulatory clarity, as well as meeting with, and helping, our members all day!
On the final day, our new interim CEO Helen Dent presented a session of sustainability, a passion of hers and a core value of BIVDA. Her presentation titled ‘Our NHS, Our Net Zero – how industry and laboratories can work together’ can be viewed here.
We really hope that our members all enjoyed the week and found it a hugely productive and positive experience. Our members really do represent the UK IVD sector in the best way, and it was remarkable to see the breadth of member innovations at the Congress. We look forward to further opportunities to engage with members in this way – see you soon!
