Photo of a conference room and a screen at the EIC Cell and Gene Therapy Symposium

The event served as an extended portfolio activity of the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Pathfinder Challenge Portfolio, led by Dr. Iordanis Arzimanoglou, EIC Programme Manager for Health and Biotech. Representatives from companies or projects funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) at the Transition or Accelerator levels were also active participants in the symposium.

The event was as an excellent platform to present the CGT Pathfinder portfolio and explain its structure, demonstrate the effectiveness of EIC pro-active portfolio-management through a panel discussion with EIC CGT projects, and build bridges between the different actors involved in the CGT community. The symposium was the final activity of the EIC CGT campaign month, which aimed to boost the visibility of the CGT portfolio through several activities, such as the EIC podcast ''Fighting cancer with Cell and Gene therapy''.

The symposium featured three leading scientists/physicians in the CGT field as keynote speakers: Prof. Hans-Peter Kiem, Dr. Michael Wenger, Prof. Seppo Ylä-Herttuala. Over 100 participants from industry, public sector, and research institutions attended the event, making it a remarkable session among the overall Congress. High level policy makers also joined the Symposium.

Recently, the strategic plan for CGT portfolio managed by the EIC Programme Manager Iordanis Arzimanoglou was published. It describes the coordinated action at portfolio, rather than individual project level, in order to capture opportunities and tackle challenges in technology, regulation, and exploitation in the CGT field.