BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//ABSA International - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://absa.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for ABSA International
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20250309T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20251102T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20260308T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20261101T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20270314T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20271107T070000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260921
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260924
DTSTAMP:20260604T025746
CREATED:20260204T133602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260523T121854Z
UID:10000703-1789948800-1790207999@absa.org
SUMMARY: 2026 Canadian Biosafety Symposium
DESCRIPTION: 2026 Canadian Biosafety Symposium\nSeptember 21-23\, 2026\nWinnipeg\, Manitoba\nThe Canadian Association for Biological Safety/L’Association Canadienne pour la Sécurité Biologique (CABS-ACSB) is happy to present the Canadian Biosafety Symposium! Join us in  Winnipeg\, MB from September 21-23\, 2026 for Canada’s annual event for biosafety professionals and personnel involved in biosafety and/or biocontainment facilities. \nThe Canadian Biosafety Symposium will feature presentations on an array of biosafety topics\, including emergency management for labs\, building a biosafety culture\, biosafety and public health\, emerging and re-emerging diseases\, laboratory acquired infections\, ergonomics and safety\, biowaste management and disinfection\, regulations\, airflow\, ventilation\, design and biosafety\, animal issues\, audits and inspections\, occupational health and surveillance. It will be a unique opportunity for the biosafety community to learn and share knowledge with colleagues from across Canada and other countries. \nThe Canadian Biosafety Symposium brings together participants working across the biosafety field in universities\, government and the private sector\, such as: \n\nLaboratory managers and administrators\nAcademic and government laboratory researchers\nGovernment regulators\nBiocontainment professionals\nEquipment and facilities providers\nContainment facility design and operation specialists\nRisk assessment and safety specialists\n\nThe event will feature prominent containment and biosafety specialists\, and will involve presentations by the Canadian and international biosafety community selected from abstracts and papers that are currently being welcomed from all sources. All topics related to biological safety are welcome. \nMore Information
URL:https://absa.org/event/2026-canadian-biosafety-symposium/
LOCATION:Delta Hotels Winnipeg\, 350 St. Mary's Avenue\, Winnipeg\, MB\, R3C 3J2\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Affiliate
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://absa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cabs-acsb-848.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="CABS-ACSB":MAILTO:cabsacsb@gmail.com
GEO:49.8900047;-97.1437883
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Delta Hotels Winnipeg 350 St. Mary's Avenue Winnipeg MB R3C 3J2 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=350 St. Mary's Avenue:geo:-97.1437883,49.8900047
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261102T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261106T120000
DTSTAMP:20260604T025746
CREATED:20260210T223759Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T223759Z
UID:10000707-1793638800-1793966400@absa.org
SUMMARY:Strategic Biocontainment Laboratory Planning and Operations Workshop
DESCRIPTION:CABS-ACSB and Merrick are pleased to co-present the Strategic Biocontainment Laboratory Planning and Operations Workshop. This comprehensive\, hands-on workshop is designed for professionals involved in the planning\, renovation\, operation\, and management of high-containment laboratories and research facilities. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of the critical elements required to establish and sustain a secure\, efficient\, and compliant biocontainment facility. \nThrough interactive discussions\, case studies\, real-world scenarios\, and practical exercises\, this course will cover: \n\nBiocontainment Fundamentals – A historical perspective\, key design considerations\, and core biosafety and biosecurity principles.\nFacility Planning & Design – Space allocation\, workflow optimization\, sustainability\, and environmental impact mitigation.\nRegulatory Compliance & Documentation – International and federal biosafety/biosecurity standards\, as well as best practices for writing SOPs\, facility manuals\, emergency response plans\, and compliance records.\nOperations & Infrastructure – Effective maintenance strategies\, safety procedures\, access controls\, and performance verification processes.\nInstitutional & Community Engagement – Strategies for gaining buy-in from leadership\, fostering collaboration with facility staff\, and managing public relations.\nWorkforce & Training Strategies – Approaches for staffing\, workforce skills assessments\, and developing training programs to ensure personnel competency.\nFinancial & Business Planning – Budgeting for operational and facility costs\, revenue projections\, rate structuring\, and long-term capital planning.\n\nThis course is ideal for biosafety officers\, laboratory managers\, facility directors\, architects\, engineers\, researchers\, and institutional leaders responsible for high-containment operations.
URL:https://absa.org/event/strategic-biocontainment-laboratory-planning-and-operations-workshop/
CATEGORIES:Affiliate,Non-ABSA-Sponsored
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://absa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cabs-acsb-848.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="CABS-ACSB":MAILTO:cabsacsb@gmail.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261120
DTSTAMP:20260604T025746
CREATED:20260222T194535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260222T194748Z
UID:10000722-1794700800-1795132799@absa.org
SUMMARY:International High Containment Operations and Maintenance Workshop
DESCRIPTION:November 15-19\, 2026\nVaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO)\nUniversity of Saskatchewan (USask)\nSaskatoon\, Saskatchewan\, Canada \nhttps://cabs-acsb.ca/highcontainment.aspx \nThe University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and the Canadian Association for Biological Safety/L’Association Canadienne Pour la Sécurité Biologique (CABS-ACSB) and Merrick Canada ULC are pleased to co-present the International High Containment Operations and Maintenance Workshop. \nThis workshop addresses the increasing needs of facility operators\, maintenance and operations staff for training in relevant aspects of biocontainment facilities and fills a critical need within the operations and maintenance community. The focus of this workshop is operational-based\, not research based. \nThis four day course allows participants to gain hands-on experience in some of the special containment and facility support areas (CL3 and CL3-Ag) of the International Vaccine Centre (InterVac)\, Canada’s newest and largest CL3-Ag facility.   \nProposed workshop topics will include:  \n\nPhysical integrity verification of containment laboratories\nAssessing the performance of HVAC and HEPA filtration systems\nPerforming maintenance and operational functions on critical containment systems\nIntegrating operations and maintenance with the scientific program\nAssessing and verifying the performance of primary containment devices\nWaste treatment and solid waste systems\nEnergy centre operation\nElectrical systems and maintenance\nDecontamination procedures for animal containment spaces\n\nIn addition\, participants will be presented with an overview in biosafety and biosecurity\, as well as lessons learned in facility design and construction. \nAfter successful completion of this 4 day workshop\, participants will be able to:  \n\nDescribe a HEPA filter\, how it works and how it is certified\nExplain the purpose of a BSC and how it works and identify the elements of BSC certification\nIdentify and describe different systems and roles found within the energy centre of a large facility\nList different methods of treating liquid effluent from a biocontainment laboratory and identify items that could be considered when selecting a treatment system for biological laboratory waste\nDefine purpose of room integrity in a containment laboratory and describe how it is tested and verified\nDescribe how to safely maintain the different electrical distribution systems in a containment facility\n\nThe uniqueness of this workshop is in its intensive\, participatory-based approach. Teams will work with different instructors each day to complete technical modules\, supplemented by plenary lectures and discussions.  \nAll aspects of the workshop will be conducted in English. It is important for safety reasons that all participants be comfortable working in this language. There are only 20 spaces available for this course. The deadline for application is July 30\, 2026.  \nThe cost to attend is $3\,600 CAD (inclusive of the 5% Goods and Services Tax). \nIf you have questions or need more information\, please contact us at  info@cabs-acsb.ca The application process is now open! All applicants will be informed of the Committee’s decision by August 15\, 2026. 
URL:https://absa.org/event/international-high-containment-operations-and-maintenance-workshop-4/
LOCATION:University of Saskatchewan (USask)\, Saskatoon\, Saskatchewan\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Affiliate,Non-ABSA-Sponsored
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://absa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cabs-acsb-848.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="CABS-ACSB":MAILTO:cabsacsb@gmail.com
GEO:52.157902;-106.6701577
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR