European Federation for Immunogenetics

Mission and goals

It is the mission and goal of EFI:

1. To support the development of Immunogenetics in Europe as a discipline in medicine and promote research and training in this field.
2. To provide a forum for exchange of scientific information and to reinforce the skills and knowlegde of young scientists and others working in the field.
3. To create a formal organisation of workers in the field of immunogenetics, histocompatiblity testing and transplantation.
4. To develop recommendations for standardisation of techniques, quality control and criteria for accreditation and to support their implementation.
5. To promote the organisation and use of immunogenetic databases.
6. To develop relations with organisations with similar aims.

The association shall abstain from any type of political activity. 

European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) recognises the value of having a diverse group of people with a diversity of thinking and perspectives involved in EFI and wishes to use the differences that people bring with them as an important resource in furthering our important mission and objectives.

Equality, diversity & inclusion policy

President's page

From the EFI President -  EFI Newsletter, issue 105, January 2025

Dear EFI Members,

I am pleased to provide you with this update on the initiatives and upcoming events involving our scientific community over the coming months. First, I would like to inform you that the Chairs of various committees attended the recent Autumn Meeting in Leiden, which included the EFI Executive Committee and Coordinators Meeting. This gathering provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the current state of affairs and plan future initiatives for our society. Additionally, the biannual meeting of the Accreditation Committee was held in Leiden, comprising Regional Commissioners from across Europe. Many of these commissioners served as speakers at the New Inspectors Workshop, where eight new colleagues from eight different countries were trained to contribute to future accreditation programs. During the EFI Executive Committee and Coordinators Meeting, Blanka Vidan Jeras, Chair of the EFI Accreditation Committee, presented an update. As of October 31, 2024, 276 laboratories have been granted accreditation. She also announced a significant milestone: in 2025, the EFI Accreditation Program will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Discussions are underway to commemorate this achievement. Katy Latham, Chair of the EFI Standards Committee, reported progress on version 9 of the Standards, expected to be released next year. She also proposed a collaborative effort with ASHI on specific projects. One noteworthy topic was the EFI External Proficiency Testing Committee’s efforts, led by Yvonne Zoet, to establish an EPT program for donor-derived cell-free DNA testing. Deborah Sage, Chair of the EFI Education Committee, shared several updates: during the EFI Conference in Geneva, eight candidates took the ESHI Diploma examination. Additionally, 43 students are on track to earn the ETHIQ Diploma, with the final assessment now available in English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese. She also announced that the next Summer School will be hosted by ASHI in Mexico, with EFI planning to organize this even in 2026. After considerable collaboration, particularly with David Turner, the CPD/CME platform will soon be launched. Deborah also highlighted the need to relocate the extensive educational resources on the EFI website to make them more accessible to members. Luca Vago, Chair of the EFI Scientific Committee, presented the scientific program for the upcoming EFI meeting in Prague, developed in collaboration with Antonij Slavčev and Gottfried Fisher. He also announced plans for four webinars for EFI members in 2025, focusing on key topics in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Eric Spierings, Chair of the EFI Bioinformatics & IT Committee, revealed that the Prague meeting will include a Bioinformatics Educational Session. His team is also working on enhancing abstract submission and processing through EasyChair software. Timo Olieslagers, Chair of the EFI Young Professionals Working Party, presented a proposal outlining the new committee’s structure. The primary objective is to enhance young professionals’ engagement in EFI activities and provide them with opportunities to participate in the various EFI committees. Following the highly successful EFI Conference in Geneva, organized by Jean Villard and Sylvie Ferrari-Lacraz, the Balkan EPT Meeting took place on November 15–16, 2024, in Istanbul at the Marriott Hotel Şişli. Hosted by the HİTİD President, Bilkay Basturk and by Fatma Savran Oguz, the meeting was a great success, thanks to excellent organization and high-quality the presentations. The event strengthened regional collaboration in the Balkans and laid the foundation for new initiatives. Attendance was strong, including 235 participants, 89 of them from  labs outside Turkey, and two EFI past Presidents, Elisavetta Naumova and Ilias Doxiadis. I also had the privilege of attending and listening to the contributing insights coming from both national and international speakers.

Among the upcoming events, I would like to remind everyone that the 17th East-West Immunogenetics Conference will be held in Warsaw from March 23 to 25, 2025, a valuable opportunity to share the latest research developments. The following week, the EBMT Meeting will take place in Florence, from March 30 to April 3, 2025, where EFI will host a dedicated session. We encourage all members to attend and actively contribute to this prestigious event. For the EFI members that might be interested, I would also like to point out that next April 6 - 9, 2025, in Mérida, Mexico, will take place the 18th International Summer School (ISS) on Immunogenetics, organized by ASHI, in collaboration with EFI and our Sister Societies. Finally, I am proud to invite you to the 38th European Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Conference in Prague. Under the leadership of Antonij Slavčev and Gottfried Fisher, this event promises to be a tremendous success. I would also like to bring to your attention that the EFI representatives on the WBMT board have recently changed. Esteban Arrieta-Bolanos and Neema Mayor have succeeded Steven Marsh and Mats Bengtson, whom we sincerely thank for their dedicated service over the past years. EFI is committed to actively contributing our expertise to the educational and scientific initiatives that WBMT aims to develop in the field of HCT.

It is a great privilege for me to serve as President of EFI, particularly at a time when young colleagues are eager to engage more actively in the activities of our Scientific Society, not only to enhance their knowledge but also to better understand the mechanisms that govern EFI. This enthusiasm is however similar to the one that characterizes the unwavering dedication of professionals of all ages, who contribute daily to the growth and relevance of our Scientific Society by advancing and spreading the culture of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics through their work, in their institutions or within various EFI Committees. We must never forget that EFI’s significant role today is built upon the vision and extraordinary contributions of remarkable scientists from the recent past, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude.

In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the team in the EFI Office, Sonja, Ingrid, and Margriet, as well as to the EFI Secretary David Roelen and Deputy Secretary Kay Poulton, besides to the EFI Treasure Jean Vilard and the Deputy Treasure Nicolas Vince for their continuous and invaluable support, besides, of course, to the whole group of Councilors working in the EFI Executive Committee.

Finally, I take the opportunity, through the present report, to wish you all the best for the upcoming holiday season and for a successful, productive 2025……!

Best regards,

Ciao

Marco

The past Presidents are:

Obituary. In memory of Erik Thorsby (1938-2021).

With sadness, we received the message that our good friend and colleague Erik Thorsby has passed away. Erik was one of the pioneers who made several important contributions to histocompatibility and immunogenetics.

Obituary. In memory of Erik Thorsby (1938-2021).

Obituary: Prof. Dr. Johannes Joseph (Jon) van Rood (1926-2017)

Prof. Dr. Jon J. van Rood, a distinguished member of our scientific community, passed away on 21 July 2017 at 91 years of age. In light of his scientific legacy, we wish to commemorate some of his most significant achievements and contributions.

Obituary: Prof. Dr. Johannes Joseph (Jon) van Rood (1926-2017)

EFI Constitution

The organization was founded on March 6, 1985, under the name European Foundation for Immunogenetics, abbreviated as EFI. It is governed by articles 21-79 of the local civil law and by its current articles. The organization is registered in the Register of Associations at the Tribunal d'Instance de Strasbourg under No XXXXVIII No 70. The name was changed to the European Federation for Immunogenetics on June 11, 1996, and officially recorded in the Register of Associations on January 17, 1997. The current articles were adopted by the General Assembly (the EFI membership) on April 28, 2023, and subsequently approved by the French Court.

French Legal Statutes - 28 April 2023

English Translation - 28 April 2023

Overview of the European Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Conference

EFI sponsors several awards to recognise scientific accomplishments and contributions to the fields of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics and to service to society:

• Ceppellini Lecture
• Julia Bodmer Award
• EFI Medal
• Best Abstract Award / Jon van Rood Award
• Best Poster Award

For more information on the above award, please click here.

Accreditation Committee

The Accreditation Committee is to develop criteria for accreditation and to support their implementation.

Education Committee

To promote education and training for technical, scientific, and medically qualified staff in transplantation immunology, histocom­patibility, and immunogenetics throughout Europe and beyond.

EPT Committee

External Proficiency Testing (EPT) is a mandatory component of the EFI accreditation process for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (H&I) laboratories. The major goal of the EFI EPT Committee (EPTC) is to harmonise EPT for H&I affiliated with EFI.

Bioinformatics & IT Committee

The Bioinformatics & IT Committee was installed in 2018 to support the Executive Committee and all other Committees with IT-related matters. 

Scientific Committee

The EFI Scientific Committee (SC) is responsible for promoting Science related to Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics within EFI. This includes maintaining relationships to other Scientific Societies in the field, promotion of international scientific collaborations and recruitment of new young investigators to the field.

Standards Committee 

The aim of the Standards Committee is to develop recommendations for the standardisation of techniques, quality control and criteria for accreditation and to support their implementation. 

The EFI Young Professionals Working Party is a group of EFI Young Professionals from different EFI countries. This working party represents the young professionals in the field of immunogenetics, histocompatibility testing and transplantation and engage them with EFI. “Young professionals” represents EFI members that are (relatively) new to the field, irrespective of age, for instance technicians, PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. 

Our main objectives are:

• To form a platform for EFI Young Professionals to exchange ideas, skills and knowledge, promote meetings or other events, socialize and network
• Represent the EFI Young Professionals by providing input to the EFI committees
• To participate in the organization of a session at the Annual EFI conference

Please reach out to us if you have any suggestions or questions, and join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12782220/. 

Committee members