Needless to say, the EBMT’s activities in 2020 were influenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, we have been able to demonstrate a strong commitment to our patients and members by providing guidelines for transplant units, recipients, and donors of hematopoietic cells. These guidelines have been updated each time new information was obtained regarding COVID-19 epidemiology and clinical outcomes. More recently, the Infectious Diseases Working Party produced information on COVID-19 vaccines – also available in the EBMT website. This information clearly shows that transplanted or CAR T Cell patients have a high mortality risk if they get infected by COVID-19 and supports the need of a timely vaccination of our nurses, physician, health care providers and patients.

In terms of educational activities, the second edition of the very successful European CAR T Cell Meeting was still performed as an onsite meeting in Sitges, Spain, at the beginning of February 2020, was attended by more than 1,000 professionals. Then after, all successive EBMT meetings and events were obliged to transition to a completely virtual format.

The EBMT managed to adapt rapidly to this unprecedented situation. The 46^th Annual Meeting initially planned to be held in Madrid, was first postponed and then finally performed as a completely virtual meeting in late August 2020. It was one of most successful EBMT Annual Meeting’s in history with more than 6,000 registered attendees from 89 countries and along the way it revealed the latest developments in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies. Other successful mid-sized events, all virtual, were organised such as the Midterm Focus Meeting on Non-Malignant Diseases; the 5^th International Transplant Course – and the many Working Parties Scientific and Educational Meetings. Visit the “Education” section below for more detailed information.

In this context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EBMT’s strategic decision – taken back in 2019 – to increase the educational activity by developing the E-learning platform, was even more relevant and helpful for our community. This platform features many informative and up-to-date webinars and courses provided by the EBMT alone or in collaboration with other sister societies: WDMA, EHA, ASTCT or WBMT. All things considered, these unforeseen changes and transitions to our meetings, conferences and educational events has actually accelerated the EBMT’s activities to become more digital and thus shareable and accessible by a much larger community than ever before.

One of the major achievements in 2020 was the launch of the GoCART Coalition together with EHA. It serves to promote and foster patient access to treatments and collaborate with other stakeholders to establish and streamline center qualification, education, data reporting and data access for clinical studies and regulatory purposes.  Read more about the GoCART coalition in the dedicated article below.

This year we intensified our collaborative relationship with our sister societies, CIBMTR, ASTCT and APBMT, with respect to data collection harmonisation and scientific exchange. And in December 2020, we opened another EBMT office in Shanghai, China. We are looking forward to promoting convenient and in-depth exchange between the Chinese haematology community and the EBMT, strengthening multi-centre clinical innovation and cooperation, sharing scientific experience, standards and protocols, and ultimately providing the best treatment and care for patients.

The EBMT is surely evolving, and keeping up with the ever-changing world. During the 46^th Annual Meeting, the EBMT presented its new logo and name as well as the refocused mission, vision and core values—which better represent worldwide involvement and modernity. See more here.

Moreover, the EBMT created the so-called ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI) working group to address our society's gender imbalance at senior levels as well as to promote broader equality, diversity and inclusion issues, and ultimately aiming to improve the inclusion of people across gender, ethnicity, geography, and social categories.

To further promote the next generation of stem cell transplanters and cell therapist, a new EBMT Trainee Committee was created beginning of 2021 and the EBMT patient engagement task force made substantial progress in 2020.

Finally, at the EBMT board level, new members were elected in April 2020. We welcomed John Snowden, EBMT Secretary; Bertram Glass, Lymphoma Working Party (LWP) Chair; Rafael de la Cámara, Infectious Diseases WP Chair (IDWP); and Raffaella Greco, Autoimmune Diseases WP Chair (ADWP). Furthermore, in the theme of change, we have restructured our organisation and revised the EBMT organigram to include a Medical Officer position which is held by Isabel Sánchez-Ortega.

When reading our Annual Report, you will realise that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated challenges that the EBMT faced, 2020 was a year of remarkable progress in our society. I’d like to express my deep gratitude to all who contributed to the major activities of EBMT in 2020 including our centre members throughout Europe and around the world who are constantly reporting data on patient outcomes to our registry.

I also thank nurses, health care providers and physicians for their resilience and for their hard work to save the lives of COVID-19 infected patients. We should and will not forget the health care providers and our patients who passed away due to COVID-19.

Please take care of yourself, enjoy reading our 2020 Annual Report and continue your commitment to EBMT in this difficult time.