Dear members and supporters of the EATCB and the AEBT,

On behalf of the Boards of the EATCB and AETB, we are delighted to invite you to our upcoming joint Congress, which will be held in Barcelona, Spain on 28^th and 29^th of November 2024. This will be the 32^nd congress of the EATCB, and the XVIII congress of the AEBT.

The Board of the EATCB would like to take this opportunity to apologize once again for the inconvenience caused by the change of venue and date, and express our gratitude to our AEBT colleagues for inviting us to share their congress, and together we are looking forward to welcoming all of you for two full days of learning and discussion in the beautiful city of Barcelona.

This joint congress is being held at a crucial point in the development of tissue and cell banking in Europe; new regulation at an EU level will provide for standardized and detailed guidance for tissue and cell banks, and the Egalite project will provide a mechanism for accreditation of banks, and professional training for those working in the field. It is important that as professional societies we ensure that the next generation of tissue and cell bankers is equipped to deal with these challenges.

As always, the Congress will be a vital opportunity for you to network with colleagues in Europe and beyond, will stimulate collaborations and provide impetus for developing new types of tissue and cell grafts to improve the quality of life for an ever increasing number of patients.

We hope that you will all take the opportunity to meet up with old colleagues, make new acquaintances and spend two fruitful and enjoyable days with us in pre-Christmas Barcelona.

 Kind regards,

The Presidents of the EATCB and AEBT