Our CIRSE 2020 congress was one of a kind. Held online due to the pandemic, it presented the Scientific Programme Planning Committee with special challenges, but also gave us the opportunity to reach out to more interested parties than ever. It was a great experience, but as we leave 2020 behind, we are looking forward to returning to an on-site meeting format for CIRSE 2021. From today’s perspective, we are hopeful that we will be able to travel to Lisbon in September to once again come together in person, presenting the latest research, sharing our experience, and of course getting together with friends and colleagues from around the world.

Thanks to the tireless work of our SPC colleagues, CIRSE 2021 will again provide the world’s most comprehensive platform pushing research, innovation and evidence-based clinical care in interventional radiology to new levels. The programme will particularly focus on evidence-based practice, with various hot topic symposia, expert round-tables and focus sessions, examining what we have learned for our daily practice from the relevant registries and studies.

Back by popular demand, there will be another PAD Day exploring all aspects of peripheral arterial disease and its treatment. As part of this micro-track, the FIRST@CIRSE session will provide a stage for the release of the latest evidence from PAD trials and studies.

Another focus at CIRSE 2021 will be paediatric interventions, with a case-based discussion on the do’s and don’ts for venous procedures in children, a focus session on complex paediatric abdominal interventions, and a fundamental course on optimising the IR suite for children, among others.

Within the oncology track, a focus session will examine how we can assess the quality of cancer care, and an expert panel will debate the various aspects of immuno-oncology in interventional oncology in a round-table discussion, along with many other IO offerings. This year’s non-vascular sessions will include a hot topic symposium on all you need to know about lymphatic leaks, a fundamental course on urinary tract interventions and a clinical evaluation course on thyroid procedures.

Venous interventions will also be covered extensively, with an expert round-table on acute pulmonary embolism and a workshop on deep venous recanalisation, just to name a few. The embolisation track will explore the frontiers of our current evidence, taking inventory of where we currently stand and where the field is headed.

Several IR management sessions will also look at the road ahead, scrutinising technological advances in robotics and AI. For those of you specialising or wishing to branch out into neuro-interventions, there will be a workshop on acute stroke management as well as a surely enlightening expert round-table on the logistical challenges in stroke patients.

Another highlight of CIRSE 2021 will be its five video learning sessions covering a variety of non-vascular, embolisation and oncology topics, among others.

IDEAS, the congress within a congress, will shine a light on all there is to know about aortic repair, offering a multidisciplinary approach with case discussions, expert round-tables and workshops.

We also very much look forward to the CIRSE meets South Korea and Russia session, as learning about daily practice in other countries always provides an enlightening learning experience.

As you can see, CIRSE 2021 will be packed full with interesting sessions, providing experience and evidence to continuously improve the efficacy and safety of IR treatments. At the same time, the programme will offer congress goers numerous opportunities to improve their technical skills with tips and tricks from IR’s most renowned experts in a wide range of educational lectures and hands-on training sessions.

To keep us on the cutting edge of tools and materials developments, our partners from the industry will host numerous symposia providing the latest data on their products. In addition, a vibrant exhibition and learning centres will give attendees the possibility to get hands-on with new devices and talk one-on-one with representatives.

The European Trainee Forum will once again be hosting a variety of sessions and events continuing its fantastic work of creating a network for our young and talented colleagues to exchange their ideas and share experiences. To help foster the next generation of interventional radiologists, the ETF will furthermore continue to work with the very popular CIRSE Student Programme, to recruit the brightest minds for the future of our specialty.

We look forward to an exciting CIRSE 2021 and to seeing you all there!