UKBSA - Southern BioSafety Officers (SBSO) regional group are pleased to invite those in the region (London, South-east and South) to attend the next meeting on 23 Feb 2026 at Kings College London. Event open to ISTR members and non-members in the region. UKBSA thanks Kings College London BSOs for kindly hosting and facilitating this meeting. Please send any HIVE-MIND questions in advance to Mark Ariyanayagam m.r.ariyanayagam@qmul.ac.uk
AGENDA
Format: Presentations followed by questions & discussions, HIVE-MIND questions and discussions, and networking.
10:00 onwards Coffee on arrival at Bush House lecture theatre 1
10:30 Welcome and house-keeping announcements KCL – (Rebecca Tear)
A) 10:35 – Andrea Zelmer (KCL – CL3 Laboratory Manager) - Operating a CL3 lab as a core facility: challenges and lessons learned
B) 11:05 – Rebecca Tear (KCL - RMID Health and Safety Manager) - Managing biological risks in specialist research facilities (accompanied by two KCL core facility managers).
C) 11:50 – 10 min comfort break
D) 12:00 – Marian Blokpoel (LSHTM Biorisk Manager) – CL3 Fumigation alternatives with validation in an academic setting.
12:45-13:45 lunch and networking (sandwich lunch provided at Bush House lecture theatre 1)
E) 13:45 – Adrian Worrall (biosafety researcher) – Updates to nucleic acid synthesis standards ISO 35001 and ISO 20688-2:2024: implications for biosafety practice.
F) 14:15 - ISTR/UKBSA update (Marian Blokpoel)
G) 14:25 - *HIVE-Mind/recent HSE interventions/biosafety topics ‘in the news’ (Marian Blokpoel, Simon Lewis and Mark Ariyanayagam – SBSO Coordinators) – questions (pre-sent in / attendees) and discussions
15:30 Meeting close
16:00 Meeting room handed back to KCL.
*Southern BSOs meeting discussions are held under the 'Chatham House rule' - When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
Catering / refreshments: coffee on arrival, drinking water fountains available. Sandwich lunch provided with meat, vegan and vegetarian options.
Bush House Lecture Theatre 1 is a nut free environment due to its use by a student with a nut allergy, so we ask attendees not to consume nuts or nut products in the lecture theatre.
Mark Ariyanayagam, Marian Blokpoel and Simon Lewis (SBSO Coordinators)
