From 6 to 8 May 2024, the Belgian federal government, together with the ECDC and Sciensano, organized a High-Level Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Brussels, aligning with Belgium's presidency of the Council of the European Union.

As part of their programme, conference participants - mainly senior academics and policymakers - were offered the opportunity to venture to Antwerp and visit one of seven medical research groups at the UAntwerpen. 22 delegates from 12 different countries opted for an insightful tour of the Laboratory of Medical Microbiology.

During their visit, participants were provided with a comprehensive overview of the LMM’s activities, including insights into LAB-Net and our biobank. Delving deeper, visitors received extensive briefings on the phenotypic tests employed for AMR, notably antibiograms and MIC tests for NeoOBS and NeoIPC selective plates. Additionally, they were briefed on the biofilm models used in the realm of AMR research as well as on our sequencing facilities.