This is the preliminary program for the 2026 edition of the BIRD Annual Congress.
The general language of the Congress is English.
All Educational Training sessions, sessions of the General Program and workshops are equally open to all healthcare professionals. We encourage each attendee to choose the program that best suits their interests.
| The Educational Training sessions are possible thanks to the support the following sponsors: Abbvie, Alfasigma, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly and Takeda. | |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Crash course in GCP: get certified! |
| 10:00 AM - 10:40 AM |
Educational Training Registration & Welcome Coffee |
| Educational Training A | |
| 10:40 AM - 1:00 PM |
Educational Training A: Appendectomy for active ulcerative colitis: Unravelling the COSTA Trial from A to ZTarget audience: clinicians |
| 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM |
An introduction to the COSTA trial |
| 11:10 AM - 11:40 AM |
Unravelling COSTA from a statistical perspective |
| 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM |
Coffee break |
| 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM |
Clinical impact of COSTA: practical and ethical considerations |
| 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM |
Panel Discussion |
| Educational Training B | |
| 10:40 AM - 1:00 PM |
Educational Training B: In remission, but exhausted: understanding and treating fatigueTarget audience: all HCPs |
| 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM |
Scientific foundations in IBD-related fatigue |
| 11:10 AM - 11:40 AM |
Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for fatigue in IBD |
| 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM |
Coffee break |
| 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM |
Deep dive: psychological and behavioral approaches to managing fatigue |
| 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM |
Panel Discussion |
| Educational Training C | |
| 10:40 AM - 1:00 PM |
Educational Training C: Biosimilars in IBD: rethinking the evidence, questioning the decisionsTarget audience: all HCPs and industry (additional fee for non-sponsors of Educational Training) |
| 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM |
Less trials, more trust? Understanding the new EMA biosimilar framework |
| 11:10 AM - 11:25 AM |
Biosimilars and innovation: does Belgium need both? The viewpoint of the biosimilar companies |
| 11:25 AM - 11:40 AM |
Biosimilars and innovation: does Belgium need both? The viewpoint of the originator companies |
| 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM |
Coffee break |
| 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM |
Biosimilars: clinical perspectives vs. policy expectations |
| 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM |
Panel Discussion |
| Educational Training D | |
| 10:40 AM - 1:00 PM |
Educational Training D: Understanding IBD diagnostics for non-clinicians: what IBD specialists really look forTarget audience: nurses |
| 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM |
More than numbers: how laboratory tests guide IBD care |
| 11:10 AM - 11:40 AM |
A journey inside the gut: endoscopy explained for non-clinicians |
| 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM |
Coffee break |
| 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM |
Imaging the invisible: what radiology reveals in IBD |
| 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM |
Surgical options in IBD: procedures, indications and outcomes |
| 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM |
Lunch |
| Congress Day 1 Plenary Sessions | |
| 2:00 PM - 2:05 PM |
Welcome by the BIRD President |
| 2:05 PM - 3:20 PM |
Session One: IBD uncovered: Evolving Guidelines, Hidden Drivers and Overlooked Frontiers |
| 2:05 PM - 2:30 PM |
When guidelines clash: Practical strategies for evolving IBD recommendations |
| 2:30 PM - 2:55 PM |
Decoding the Exposome: Implications for IBD risk, flares and progression |
| 2:55 PM - 3:20 PM |
Upper GI Crohn's: The overlooked frontier in disease management |
| 3:20 PM - 4:00 PM |
Coffee break and exhibition |
| 4:00 PM - 5:20 PM |
Session Two: IBD at the Edge: Treating Fibrosis, Avoidig Pitfalls and Harnessing AI |
| 4:00 PM - 4:25 PM |
Fibrostenosing Crohn’s: Will we finally be able to treat It without surgery |
| 4:25 PM - 4:50 PM |
IBD Mimics: Avoiding diagnostic pitfalls |
| 4:50 PM - 5:15 PM |
Artificial Intelligence in IBD: opportunties, challenges and clinical impact |
| 5:15 PM - 5:20 PM |
Closing remarks day 1 |
| 7:00 PM - 1:00 AM |
Conference Dinner |
| 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM |
Welcome coffee |
| Workshops (participants will select one option from each session) | |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop Session 1Some workshops can be attended by industry members. See description of the workshop for verification. |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop A: The Radiologist’s lens: Abdominal imaging for the clinicianTarget audience: clinicians, industry welcome |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop B: Excellence in IBD: Measuring, monitoring, moving forwardTarget audience: all HCPs, industry welcome |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop C: Your voice, your choice: Implementing shared decision makingTarget audience: all HCPs ONLY |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop D: When patients say No… Finding the path togetherTarget audience: all HCPs ONLY |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop E: Making the call: Referral strategies in daily IBD practiceTarget audience: all HCPs, industry welcome |
| 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM |
Workshop F: Decoding the lab: Innovations clinicians shouldn’t missTarget audience: all HCPs, industry welcome |
| 10:00 AM - 10:10 AM |
Switch rooms |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop Session 2Some workshops can be attended by industry members. See description of the workshop for verification. |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop A: The Radiologist’s lens: Abdominal imaging for the clinicianTarget audience: clinicians, industry welcome |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop B: Excellence in IBD: Measuring, monitoring, moving forwardTarget audience: all HCPs, industry welcome |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop C: Your voice, your choice: Implementing shared decision makingTarget audience: all HCPs ONLY |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop D: When patients say No… Finding the path togetherTarget audience: all HCPs ONLY |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop E: Making the call: Referral strategies in daily IBD practiceTarget audience: all HCPs, industry welcome |
| 10:10 AM - 11:10 AM |
Workshop F: Decoding the lab: Innovations clinicians shouldn’t missTarget audience: all HCPs, industry welcome |
| 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM |
Coffee break and exhibition |
| Congress Day 2 Plenary Sessions | |
| 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM |
Session Three: Best of 2026 |
| 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM |
New in UC : best of ECCO/DDW/UEGW ‘26 |
| 12:20 PM - 12:40 PM |
New in CD : best of ECCO/DDW/UEGW ‘26 |
| 12:40 PM - 12:55 PM |
Panel Discussion |
| 12:55 PM - 1:00 PM |
Closing remarks |
| 1:00 PM - 1:00 AM |
Lunch & exhibition |