B-SMART meeting in a different format

For the first time since the start of the project in 2017, the consortium had to gather for an online progress meeting: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it had not been possible to convene – as originally planned – in Santiago de Compostela. Although the partners were sad to not be able to meet in person, everyone was happy to see each other, at least virtually, and to know that everyone was safe and healthy.

The meeting took place 15-16 September and one major point of discussion was, of course, the progress made since the last meeting in January 2020, and how severely the partners were affected by the pandemic. B-SMART was hit at a decisive point in the project, just right after a successful project review and before the last important steps should have been taken: one of them being the translation of the nanocarriers into Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-based production. The consortium is confident that they will be able to succeed in their ambitious task regardless of this throwback.

The consortium was joined by Susanne Bremer from the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission who, as an external advisor, answered questions from the consortium regarding regulatory aspects of the project. And on the second meeting day, the EC Officer also participated in the online meeting and was happy to be able to provide the consortium with some direct advice regarding the completion of their last steps in the project. 

The next meeting will take place at the beginning of 2021, whether in person or again virtually is yet to be decided. But the consortium is now well equipped for either scenario.