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BSAVA blog to provide insight into virtual congress
Congress Diairies will give readers a behind-the scenes glimpse into the creation of Europe's largest small animal veterinary event. 
"The difficult circumstances of the pandemic have motivated us to record our experiences" -  Professor Ian Ramsey. 

The BSAVA has launched a blog giving readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the creation of next year's Virtual Congress (25-27 March).

Written by members of the Virtual Congress team, 'Congress Diaries' reveals how the event has been shaped from concept to fruition, highlighting some of the challenges faced by the team and meeting the volunteers who have taken on this significant task. 

BSAVA Congress is Europe's largest event for the small animal veterinary sector, so creating more than 130 hours of CPD online has been no mean feat. The blog will reveal how the team created a virtual exhibition hall and uncover the enterprising development of virtual face-to-face networking and socials.

BSAVA President, Professor Ian Ramsey, said: “Congress is proudly ‘by the professions, for the professions’ and our Congress teams have been working tirelessly to deliver a truly outstanding event. The difficult circumstances of the pandemic have motivated us to record our experiences, to provide some intriguing personal and practical perspectives and to reveal exactly what goes on behind the scenes to make our amazing Congress happen.” 

Among the topics that will be covered in the blog include:

  • how Congress changed my career
  • BSAVA Congress survey results: what you are looking forward to most
  • exhibitor and sponsor stories
  • how Congress delivers ROI for practices
  • up close and personal with one of the International speakers at Congress
  • top tips for making the most of Congress
  • congress highlights as chosen by volunteers.

Published twice-monthly, the first blog sets out a new format for the main sessions and uncovers the volunteers who have been working on the event. The coming weeks will see a Q&A session between Professor Ian Ramsey and delegate experience committee chair, Julian Hoad. 

BSAVA Congress 2021 promises an 'abundance of live content' with 80 hours of live programming, supported by a library of 100 on-demand webinars. 

The scientific content will be available on the platform for 30 days and then available to attendees via the BSAVA Library. For the first time, veterinary and nursing content has been integrated to reflect how the two professions work closely together in practice.

Professor Ramsey continued: “We hope the diaries will intrigue, inspire and inform our members during the countdown to Congress,” said Ian. “We get such a buzz out of building the best event possible each year and, despite some obstacles this year, namely COVID-19, 2021 is shaping up to be the best ever. Don’t miss it."

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.