SPP-ARC Ignites Innovation Retreat
SPP-ARC hosts an annual retreat as a means to bring internal members and external partners together to reflect on the past year's accomplishments and research progress. We also take this time to discuss topical issues surrounding the pandemic preparedness research landscape in Canada and internationally.
We will be hosting our third annual retreat from November 13-15th, 2025 at Banff Conference Centre for Arts and Creativity. This event provides opportunities to initiate team activities and create synergy among different research efforts within and outside the consortium.
You can find our programs from past retreats below.
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
For the first time, we are opening the retreat to external collaborators and potential
partners interested in sharing their work with an interdisciplinary audience of virologists,
immunologists, biochemists and medical chemists.
- Development of antiviral drugs, antibodies and vaccines against pathogens with high epidemic or pandemic potential
- Technologies enabling the development of medical countermeasures
- This year’s meeting will feature a Mini Symposium on “Influenza Threats”
submitting an abstract with relevance to the aforementioned themes. Selected
presenters will receive:
- Complimentary registration, accommodations and meals
- Ground transportation from Edmonton to Banff will be covered, if requested
- Long-distance travel will not not be covered
We invite you to submit your application and abstract via the following application form:
| Important Dates | |
|---|---|
| Application Submission Deadline | September 15th, 2025 |
| Acceptance Notification | October 1st, 2025 |
ABSTRACT FORMAT INSTRUCTIONS
Please use the following template when submitting your abstract as part of your retreat application. You will find this directly linked in the application form as well. Please do not alter the formatting (font, author list style, size etc.) of the template in the process of developing your abstract.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
The most update program for SPP-ARC Ignites Innovation can be found here. Below are the key session themes for this upcoming retreat:
- Antivirals and vaccines for emerging pathogens with pandemic potential
- From enabling technologies to sustainable funding for pandemic preparedness
- A mini symposium on influenza virus research and therapeutics
- New technologies: vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics