As the 51st EBMT Annual Meeting concluded in Florence, the closing ceremony offered a moment of reflection, recognition, and renewed purpose. With powerful tributes, standout award presentations, and a forward-looking preview of Madrid 2026, the session celebrated not only scientific milestones but also the spirit of unity that defines the EBMT community. Held in memory of Dr. Riccardo Saccardi, the ceremony honored his legacy while looking confidently to the future.

Springer Nature Poster Awards: Honoring Scientific Excellence at EBMT 2025

The first segment of the EBMT 2025 Closing Ceremony, led by Dr. Anna Sureda, paid tribute to the remarkable scientific achievements showcased during the congress through the Springer Nature Poster Awards. These awards celebrate the most impactful contributions in both clinical and basic science research.

Dr. Sureda began by thanking all attendees who remained engaged until the final session, highlighting the spirit of dedication and collaboration that defines the EBMT community.

Springer Nature Clinical Poster Award

Awardee: Megan Shan (USA) Title: Investigational Live Biotherapeutic Share 155: Biomarker Insights from a Phase 1b Study in Adults Undergoing Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Megan Shan was recognized for her insightful biomarker analysis from a Phase 1b clinical study, shedding light on novel approaches to monitoring and improving outcomes in allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

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Springer Nature Basic Science Poster Award

Awardee: Evelyn Ulrich (Germany) Title: Edited Allogeneic BCMA CAR NK Cells as an Innovative Therapeutic Concept for Multiple Myeloma Evelyn Ulrich received the Basic Science Award for her pioneering work on gene-edited BCMA CAR NK cells, proposing a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of multiple myeloma through enhanced immunotherapy platforms.

Honoring Rising Talent: Awards Presentation by Dr. Mette Hazenberg

Following this, Dr. Mette Hazenberg took the stage to present the Best Oral and Poster Abstract Awards for Young Investigators, recognizing outstanding contributions across clinical and translational research.

Best Young Oral Abstract Awards

1. Konradin Müskens (Netherlands) Topic: Clonal hematopoiesis in pediatric transplantation survivors.

1. Houli Zhao (China) Topic: CAR T-cell therapy followed by haploidentical transplant in relapsed/refractory ALL.

1. Jonathan Bordat Topic: Use of NSAIDs in managing gosohematodiaphysial dysplasia.

1. Jan-Robert Heusel (Germany) Topic: Strategies in high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

1. Fabian Freitag (Germany) Topic: CD4/CD8 CAR-T cells and transcription factor enhancement.

1. Yeqian Zhao (China) Topic: TP53 variants and germline mutations impacting allo-transplant outcomes in AML/MDS.

1. Benedetta Elena Di Majo (Italy) Topic: Cord blood vs. haploidentical stem cell transplantation.

1. YiShan Ye (China) Topic: GRFS outcomes in haploidentical transplant using PTCy.

1. Matthias SchäferKupper (Germany) Topic: Reconstructing skeletal homeostasis post-transplant in myelofibrosis.

1. Nico Gagelmann (Germany) Topic: CAR T-cell therapy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

1. Magdalena Corona Topic: Genomic and phenotypic profiling of CD19 in lymphoma patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy.

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Best Young Poster Abstract Awards

1. Luxiang Wang (China) Topic: MDS-related mutations associated with survival after HMA maintenance post-allo in AML.

1. Giulia Losi (Italy) Topic: Role of functional respiratory tests before CAR T-cell therapy.

1. Karima Al Akioui Sanz (Spain) Topic: Adoptive cell therapy using memory T-lymphocytes in immunocompromised patients with infections.

1. Yuhua Ru (China) Topic: Outcomes in haploidentical vs. matched unrelated donor transplant for MDS/AML.

1. Ping Wang (China) Topic: Stem cell transplantation for early-onset IBD due to IL-10 receptor deficiency.

1. Xiaoping Zhang (China) Topic: Long-term outcomes of CAR T-cell cocktail therapy in non-remission relapsed/refractory DLBCL.

Remarks by Prof. Fabio Ciceri – Co-President, EBMT 2025 Annual Meeting

Taking the stage during the final session of the EBMT 2025 Closing Ceremony, Professor Fabio Ciceri reflected on the success of this year’s meeting with gratitude and optimism. He began by acknowledging the audience’s continued presence until the very end of the event, saying it was “a good sign” and a powerful indication of community engagement.

“Congratulations to all the attendees, especially the young ones,” he said, emphasizing that nearly 50% of participants were under the age of 40, and more than 2,000 were under 35. “We really dropped the median age this year—and we’re proud of it.”

Prof. Ciceri expressed his appreciation to his co-president, with whom he shared the responsibility of leading the conference after the passing of their distinguished colleague, Riccardo Saccardi.

“We tried to do our best,” he noted. “This meeting was also a tribute—to ourselves and to Riccardo’s memory.”

He praised the efforts of the EBMT Event and Education Committees, highlighting Dr. Chiara Nozzoli’s leadership in shaping a multidisciplinary and inclusive program.

“The principles of multidisciplinarity, active participation, and support for young investigators were fully reflected in our program,” he said. “Scientific excellence was there, of course—but also strong opportunities for networking, which remains a core goal of our community.”

As he concluded his remarks, Prof. Ciceri noted how full and vibrant the conference spaces had been throughout the meeting, a sign, he believed, of its success. His final note was one of quiet pride:

“I think we gave ourselves something meaningful—a gift—and one that honors Riccardo.”

Looking Ahead: Madrid to Host the 52nd EBMT Annual Meeting

Following Prof. Fabio Ciceri’s closing remarks, Dr. Rafael Duarte stepped forward to present the venue and vision for the 52nd EBMT Annual Meeting, which will take place in Madrid, Spain, from March 22 to 25, 2026.

Dr. Duarte began by echoing the appreciation for the current leadership: “Thank you very much Anna. I’d like to first echo—yes, Fabio and Anna as co-presidents, but also with Chiara, with Anna, with Rafaela—you should be proud because this is the best way of honoring Ricardo, because we’ve had, in difficult circumstances, a wonderful meeting. So thank you guys for the work that you’ve done.”

He reflected on the canceled 2020 Madrid meeting, which was planned for the exact same dates. “We had the meeting all prepared—it was actually 22nd to 25th of March, exactly the same dates we’ll have in 2026. And on March 4th, we were forced to cancel the meeting as a result of the pandemic. The halls that we’ll be at next year hopefully became sort of like campaign hospitals where patients were treated. You didn’t have any space. You know the other hospitals here in Italy—you’re very close to this feeling because you were also one of the countries in Europe, with us, that had a greater problem with the pandemic.”

Looking forward, he assured the audience: “We’re coming back strong, and we’re coming back with hopefully an even better plan than we had back then.”

He introduced the local organizing committee, remarking humorously, “As you can see, I’ve kept the pictures from six years ago—we all look much younger than we really are now—but I thought it was nice to be kind anyway, so I didn’t change another picture, including my own.”

Dr. Duarte highlighted the structure of the 2026 team: two nurse leads and two scientific co-chairs for both pediatric and adult tracks; representation from the Spanish Society of Hematology and the Spanish Group for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy; an educational co-chair; and, importantly, members of the Latin American BMT Group (LABMT). “Madrid has strong links—cultural links, personal links—with Latin America. We have the board of the Latin American BMT group on board. And I can only thank Amado Karduss back then and Carmen Bonfim when we came with this proposal for their support. And now with Cristóbal Frutos, with Gregorio Jaimovish, and with the rest of the board, we’ll surely work together to make this a platform as well for LABMT—an ideal venue.”

He confirmed the venue would be IFEMA, the well-known Madrid convention center: “Some of us have been at EHA meetings in IFEMA. We’ve got a wonderful, huge space, and we’ve been discussing this morning about the organization. We’re hopefully going to have an increasing rate—we’re catching up with numbers. It’s been a big success here in Florence. We’re hopefully going to see even more people attending, so we’ve got the space to accommodate everyone in large meeting rooms.”

Before closing, he took a moment to spotlight the host city: “Madrid is not only a world capital for congresses—in these international tourism awards, it recurrently wins the best city for conferences worldwide. It has a huge concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It’s a very green city.”

He added with a smile: “Those of you who’ve been to Madrid in June or July—you know how hot it is. So it’s impossible. You wouldn’t want to go there in July. You’ve got to, you know, take host somewhere in the convention center in the A/C. End of March, beginning of April—10 to 18 degrees—it’s going to be as wonderful as the weather has been here in Florence.”

Finally, he offered a preview of the networking event: “Within the greenery of the city, we’ve got world heritage sites. I want to just do the privilege to highlight that little circle there, which is where we’re going to have the networking event. Not that we’re not thinking about the science, but we’re also thinking about networking events. And that is the Cibeles Palace, the Madrid City Hall—wonderful location right downtown, center of Madrid, wonderful venue to have a night to interact, to connect with colleagues.”

He ended with a short promotional video and a heartfelt invitation: “If life were a city, if light were a city, it would be Madrid. And we’ve got everything we need for this to be a successful scientific event, a successful networking event. We can’t do anything else but look forward to welcoming you all to the city. Thank you.”

Final Remarks by Dr. Anna Sureda – Co-President, EBMT 2025 Annual Meeting

As the closing ceremony reached its final moments, Dr. Anna Sureda stepped to the podium to offer heartfelt words of reflection and gratitude. Responding to Dr. Rafael Duarte’s inspiring preview of Madrid 2026, she smiled and said, “Thank you very much, Rafa. I’m looking forward to it. As many of you know, I consider myself a mixed chimera between Madrid and Barcelona, so I’m super happy to go to Madrid next year.”

Turning to the audience that remained, she began, “Thanks to all of you who are staying here for the closing ceremony. It’s time to thank everybody for all the efforts that have made this meeting happen, and in the beautiful way we have lived it.”

She first acknowledged her “partner in crime” for the meeting, Professor Fabio Ciceri, praising their close collaboration throughout the organizational process. She also extended warm thanks to Chiara Nozzli, Rafaela Greco, and Anna Ruggeri—core members of the Scientific Organizing Committee—as well as the entire local team. “Thank you for having been able to put forward such an impressive scientific program.”

Dr. Sureda emphasized the essential role of industry supporters: “Nothing could have happened without our sponsors. From what I hear, they’ve been very happy. Sunday’s symposia were attended by more than 800 or 900 people. Thank you very much for the support—we’ve made it happen.”

She then turned to the numbers that defined EBMT 2025’s scale and success:

• Registrations: Over 5,400 onsite attendees, an increase of more than 700 compared to Glasgow. Additionally, 800 participants joined virtually.
• Scientific Contributions: More than 750 abstracts, including 548 printed posters, e-posters, and over 100 oral presentations.
• Program Scope: This year’s meeting featured 189 sessions, over 500 presentations, and a faculty of 571 experts—surpassing previous records.
• Global Reach: Delegates from 97 countries participated, affirming EBMT’s commitment to global inclusion. Italy led the top 10, followed by other European nations, and notably, China held the 8th position, maintaining its strong presence since Glasgow.

Dr. Sureda also acknowledged the impact of the EBMT’s digital outreach: “It was really great to see everyone posting their favorite moments using the hashtag #EBMT2025. Please stay active and continue engaging. And don’t forget to check out EBMT TV for exclusive interviews and insights, as well as our official photo album to relive the best moments.”

She concluded on a deeply personal note:

“This meeting was organized in memory of Ricardo. And I really hope we have tried to do our best to bring Ricardo’s spirit into every single moment during these last few days. I hope that wherever he is, he feels proud of us—and of all the work that we’ve tried to do for him.”