1. Introduction
The European Bioanalysis Forum (EBF) is an independent, non-profit scientific community bringing together pharmaceutical companies and CROs involved in regulated bioanalysis supporting (non-)clinical development in Europe.
Founded in 2006, The EBF was created to provide a trusted environment for discussion and alignment on scientific, operational and regulatory topics in bioanalysis. Initially, membership was limited to pharmaceutical R&D companies. Since 2011, The EBF has also included CROs with regulated bioanalytical laboratory activities in Europe, reflecting the broader landscape of bioanalysis in clinical and non-clinical development.
In 2010, the EBF registered as a non-profit organisation (vzw) (the Belgian Act of 27 June 1921 on non-profit associations, international non-profit associations and foundations. The EBF non-profit organisation was integrated into the Belgian Code on Companies and Associations (the BCCA) in 2023.
2. What defines the EBF
The EBF is not a commercial platform or a vendor-driven network. It operates as a pre-competitive scientific forum where member companies engage in open exchange on challenges that are common across the field.
Through this independent, non-profit and pre-competitive positioning, The EBF is uniquely able to articulate science-driven perspectives on regulatory and best practice topics. By bringing together collective experience across member organisations, it enables the development of balanced, data-driven views that would be more difficult for individual organisations to express independently.
The strength of the EBF lies in its long-term perspective, the continuity of its members, and the trust that allows for meaningful scientific dialogue across organisations.
This environment is sustained by clear boundaries between scientific exchange and commercial activities, and by active, long-term engagement of its members, ensuring that discussions remain grounded in real operational practice.
3. How the EBF works
The EBF brings together a community of member companies that collaborate on shared scientific, process, and regulatory challenges in a non-competitive setting. The focus is on open exchange, learning, and alignment across the industry, without sharing confidential or proprietary information and independent of any commercial or marketing objectives.
Each member company appoints one or two representatives to the core community, reflecting its scientific scope and expertise. These representatives act as the link between their organisation and EBF: they contribute to discussions, introduce relevant topics, ensure knowledge flows both into and out of the community, and help identify experts to participate in project teams.
Scientific activities are carried out through dedicated project teams, bringing together experts from the EBF member organisations to work on specific topics of common interest. These teams may extend beyond the core community to include additional experts from within member organisations. Their work can lead to aligned approaches, workshops, or publications that reflect a collective perspective.
The EBF is strengthened through regular in-person meetings with the core community, including the annual Strategy Meeting (SM) and Year-End Members Meeting (YEMM). These meetings are mandatory as part of membership and key to maintaining alignment, continuity, and trust within the community.
4. Governance and Structure
The EBF operates through a structured yet lightweight governance model that supports both project activities and organisational continuity.
At its core is the Core Member Community, where member companies are represented by designated experts. This community acts as the central connection point between member organisations and EBF activities.
Since 2026, EBF’s project activities are organised into project domains, which serve as umbrellas for projects focused on specific areas of interest. These domains are led by domain leads and supported by experts from member companies. They provide a framework for coordinating activities, ensuring continuity, and enabling alignment across related projects.
A Steering Committee, chaired from within the community, provides strategic and operational guidance and supports continuity across EBF activities, while the Management Body ensures the legal functioning of the non-profit association.
This structure is designed to remain efficient and flexible, while providing clarity in roles, continuity in engagement, and effective coordination of EBF activities.
Click for a visual overview of EBF’s Governance and Operational Dynamics.
5. Activities and Output
The EBF combines internal scientific collaboration with external engagement, translating shared expertise into tangible outcomes.
Within the Project Domains, our members collaborate through dedicated project teams, surveys, and continuous scientific exchange to address relevant bioanalytical challenges.
The outcomes of this work are shared through external activities such as workshops, symposia, roadshows, and training initiatives, enabling engagement with the broader bioanalytical community. More info on the past and upcoming meetings can be found here: https://meetings.e-b-f.eu .
This approach generates tangible outputs, including publications, presentations, and recommendations, while fostering collaboration, supporting talent development, and building long-term trusted partnerships across the field.
More info on the EBF publications can be found here: https://e-b-f.eu/publications-and-contributions/.
More info on the EBF position on some strategic imperatives can be found here: https://e-b-f.eu/publications-and-contributions/ (grouping these).
6. Membership Approach
EBF membership is based on active engagement rather than passive participation and reflects its independent, non-profit, and pre-competitive nature.
Member companies are expected to contribute to discussions, participate in meetings, and engage in activities within the forum. Core members act as the link between the EBF and their organisation, ensuring that discussions remain relevant and connected to scientific, process, and regulatory best practice.
Membership is focused on organisations with hands-on regulated bioanalysis activities supporting non-clinical and clinical development in Europe. This focus allows the EBF to address the specific complexity of the European regulatory and scientific landscape. At the same time, the EBF actively connects and collaborates with established, representative non-profit organisations in other regions, supporting global exchange and alignment across the bioanalytical community.
Applications are evaluated based on alignment with the EBF mission and the expected contribution to the community.
EBF membership is strictly separated from business development activities and does not serve as a platform for commercial positioning, endorsement, or client engagement.
Membership implies a commitment to continuity and long-term engagement within the EBF community.
Further details are available in the membership application form.
7. The EBF in Evolution
The EBF continues to evolve in response to developments in bioanalysis and the broader scientific and regulatory landscape. Its operating model is progressively shaped towards a more domain-driven and project-based structure, while maintaining its core principles of independence, non-profit operation, neutrality and trust.
In parallel, the EBF places strong emphasis on the development of the next generation of bioanalytical scientists. This is not limited to the Young Scientist Symposium (YSS), but is embedded across all EBF activities and meetings, ensuring continuity, knowledge transfer and long-term sustainability of the community.
This evolution ensures that the EBF remains relevant, adaptive and aligned with the needs of its member community and the wider bioanalytical field.