The IFCC offers educational programmes and supports the presentation of new advances in clinical aspects and research in our discipline through the regional and international congresses of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine.  The Congress and Conference Division (CCD) has the mandate to coordinate all congress and conference activities for the federation.  Our activities include:

1. Monitoring of the organization and development of the international congresses of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (ICCCLM).  CCD is focused on the upcoming triennial international congresses scheduled for Fortaleza, Brazil (IFCC Worldlab 2008 ICCCLM) from 28 September - 02 October 2008 and the IFCC Worldlab 2011 scheduled for Berlin, Germany. .    Prof. U Tuma, a CCD member from Brazil, is the CCD liaison for the IFCC Worldlab 2008 ICCCLM in Fortaleza, Brazil. National societies were recently informed that they can bid to host the 2014 Congress now!

2.  Monitoring the organization of the four regional congresses of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine (RCCCM).  Since 2005, a CCD member has been a full member of the organizing committee for each regional and international congress.  CCD participation will assure that there is always someone speaking for IFCC on the organizing committees and providing IFCC support and advice to each congress organizing committee.  For example, in the Asia Pacific region, CCD member Dr. Sunil Sethi from Singapore is the CCD liaison for the Asian Pacific Congress of Clinical Biochemistry in Beijing, China held in October 2007

3. Oversight and management of the triennial IFCC General Conference. Approximately half way between each international congress, an IFCC General Conference is held.  These conferences are scheduled at a time and location where each individual IFCC working units can get together for division and working group meetings and offer an opportunity to learn about other IFCC programmes.  Representatives of each national society member and corporate members of IFCC are invited to attend the general Conference. The location for the next General Conference (2008) is Antalya, Turkey in April 2008. 

4. CCD is responsible for reviewing applications from national society member meetings and other scientific meeting organizers who apply for IFCC auspices for their conference and congresses.  Granting of IFCC auspices is straightforward and is based primarily on the scientific content of meetings which must be open to all scientists.  IFCC auspices can be applied for by completion of a one page form available on the IFCC web site.  Two major benefits of obtaining IFCC auspices is that your meeting announcement is sent out electronically to a very large IFCC distribution list at no cost and your meeting is also able to use the IFCC logo in promotional material.

6. Selection of future IFCC Worldlab sites CCD developed a point rating system that is used when evaluating the member country applicants for future IFCC Worldlab congresses.  This system is transparent to member countries applying to host future IFCC Worldlab congresses (ICCCLM).  It is sub-divided into five categories that are: 1) Participation; 2) Facilities; 3) Accommodation; 4) Financial and 5) Miscellaneous.  The application and point system are available for review via a link on the IFCC web site :

ICCCLM_Guidelines_2004_Revised_May_2005.pdf

National societies were recently informed that they can bid to host the 2014 Congress now!

As of October 2007, there are six CCD executive committee members: Ulysses Tuma (Brazil), Tomris �zben (Turkey), Sunil Sethi (Singapore), Istvan Vermes (Netherland), Patricia Noterman (Corporate member), the EB representative Daniel Mazziotta (Argentina) and the Chair, Albert D. Fraser (Canada)