2025 Pre-Conference Workshops

 Facilitators: Dr Carie-Anne Logue | Griffith University, RebeccaMarnane| University of Auckland, Gilles Tremblay | Pondco

This interactive half day workshop is aimed at high containment facility managers and users and will focus on the operational and bio-risk management challenges in high containment facilities (PC3/BC3).

High containment facilities require robust biosafety and biosecurity measures, encompassing strict physical and procedural protocols, specialised equipment, and personnel training to mitigate risks. They face numerous operational challenges such as regulatory requirements, effective emergency response and specialised training needs. Risk assessment and safety management are crucial due to the potential for severe consequences from even minor breaches. Hazards need to be identified, risks evaluated and controls implemented to protect personnel, the environment and the public.

 Objectives:

• Risk assessment and Management
• Operational Challenges and Shared Experience
• International Differences
• Risk Assessment techniques
• Team and Culture

Facilitators: Dr Amanda Jones | CSIRO, Jaclyn Hawdon | QUT

This interactive half-day workshop, “Building Resilient Biosafety Training Programs: Strategies for the Modern Biosafety Professional,” is designed for biosafety advisors and managers seeking to enhance their organization's training programs. Participants will explore practical approaches to identifying biosafety training needs, designing effective and engaging training programs, evaluating impact, and future-proofing programs to adapt to emerging risks and technologies. Through discussions, case studies, and hands-on activities, attendees will gain actionable insights to improve training effectiveness and compliance. The session will conclude with a peer exchange and the development of individualized action plans, equipping participants with the tools and strategies needed to build sustainable and adaptable biosafety training frameworks.

Objectives:

• Understand methods for identifying and prioritizing biosafety training needs within their organization.
• Learn how to design, deliver, and evaluate tailored biosafety training programs.
• Explore strategies to adapt training to evolving risks, technologies, and regulatory expectations.

• Share and reflect on best practices and common challenges with peers

Facilitators: Prof Stuart Blacksell

The workshop will introduce the Principles of the Biosafety Research Roadmap, a joint project of the World Organisation for Animal Health.  World Health Organisation (WHO) and Chatham House, aimed at improving the sustainable implementation of laboratory biological risk management. These principles support a risk-based approach to biosafety and biosecurity by considering current biosafety evidence. The principles are aimed at supporting biosafety in low resource settings but can be applied to a broad range of research, field and diagnostic situations.

The workshop will cover the risk-based approach to tailoring and enhancing safety and operational measures and the identification and assessment of evidence to support risk-based decision making, utilising a case-study to demonstrate application of these principles.

Facilitator Stephen Coulter | Coulter Advisory

One of the key responsibilities of an IBC is to conduct annual inspections on a containment facility to ensure that it is still maintaining biological containment.  In this workshop Stephen will work through examples of each of the critical areas that make up a biological containment facility outlining the fundamental requirements for a microbiological facility, a plant facility, animal, aquatic and insect containment facilities.

In this ½ day workshop we will work through a number of practical examples which will give non-technical IBC members a good understanding of key engineering and architectural requirements for a biological containment facility.

This workshop is suitable for all IBC members and would also be useful for anyone who would like to have a better understanding of what infrastructure is required to support and maintain basic containment for PC1 and PC2 facilities.