Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Place: Politecnico di Milano
ASME V&V40-2018: New insights and practical applications
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 10:30-15:00
Co-organised by The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Since its publication in 2018, the ASME V&V 40 standard ”Assessing Credibility of Computational Modeling and Simulation Results through Verification and Validation: Application to Medical Devices“ has seen steadily increasing adoption by the simulation community. This adoption has demonstrated the strength and utility of the risk-informed credibility assessment framework in supporting credible uses of computational modeling and simulation within the medical device space, as well as challenges to its practical implementation. The goals of this workshop are twofold: (1) Showcase emerging concepts that are intended to refine/augment the core V&V40 standard, and provide advanced notice to planned revisions to the standard; and (2) Engage in a critical dissection of several contemporary case studies, with the aim of answering ‘how good is good enough?’
Workshop at a glance:
10:30 – 12:00 ASME V&V40-2018: Overview, new reports, and version 2.0
12:00 – 12:30 Lunch (included with workshop registration)
12:30 – 15:00 Critical examination of ASME V&V40-2018 case studies
Case studies: Case studies will be selected from eligible submissions to the VPH 2026 conference, as indicated at the time of abstract submission (Deadline: March 2, 2026). Benefits and expectations of selected abstracts include:
- Dedicated off-line review of and guidance for the study by experienced V&V40 practitioners, in preparation for the workshop
- Expanded presentation of the study at the workshop, including focused discussion by a panel on the strengths and liabilities of the VVUQ approach
- Complementary registration to the V&V40 workshop
Note that acceptance of an abstract as a case study in the workshop does not impact consideration of the abstract within the VPH 2026 program.
Workshop leads: Officers of the ASME VVUQ 40 subcommittee, case study presenters, and invited panelists.
This workshop is not intended to be an introduction to the V&V40-2018 standard. As such, for maximum benefit, attendees should already have some theoretical, if not practical, understanding of the standard. The document is available for purchase online at: https://www.asme.org/codes‐standards
Transforming Science – Implementing the 3Rs principle and unlocking human-centred research with In Silico Modelling and other New Approach Methodologies (NAMs)
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 15:30-19:00
Co-organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Politecnico di Milano
The aim of the workshop is to introduce PhD students and early-career researchers to New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and their application in implementing the 3Rs principle (Replace, Reduce, Refine animal models) in biomedical research and regulatory settings. Through a combination of lectures, practical activities, and interactive discussions, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how in silico and in vitro NAMs can be used to replace animal testing, reduce the number of animals used, and refine experimental design to minimize animal suffering.
By reflecting on the potential of NAMs in their own research, participants will be encouraged to integrate these innovative approaches into their work, ultimately contributing to more humane, efficient, and effective biomedical research and regulatory applications.
Programme and activities lead by the JRC’s EURL ECVAM – EU Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing.
Complimentary registration must be selected during congress registration.
The workshop is for free, but registration is needed.
Unlocking the power of computational modelling in healthcare – Leveraging EU policies driving Research and Innovation
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 15:30-19:00
Co-organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Politecnico di Milano
Computational models have considerable potential in the healthcare ecosystem, from streamlining the development of new medicines to enabling a true personalisation of clinical procedures and treatments. This workshop will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, industry and researchers, to open a discussion on how to fully harness the potential of this technology in the healthcare ecosystem.
The workshop is for free, but registration is needed.
In particular, the aims of the workshop are:
• To explore how EU policies can support research and innovation, including funding opportunities, valorisation of research outputs, and regulatory frameworks.
• To identify bottlenecks to EU innovation and competitiveness in the field.
• To raise awareness in the research community about existing policies and how to leverage them to successfully translate research outputs into innovation.
With the participation of EU institutions and agencies, academic researchers, industry representatives and clinicians.
Complimentary registration must be selected during congress registration.
Agenda:
Welcome and scene setting – Alberto Guadagnini, Vicerector of research of Politecnico di Milano
Introduction to the workshop – Sara Bridio, European Commission – Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Plenary session: Keynotes from European Commission (EC) and agencies
- Carmen Laplaza Santos, Head of Unit Health Innovations & Ecosystems, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD)
- Margherita Fanos, Head of Sector AI in Health and Life Sciences Unit, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT)
- Federica Zanca, Programme Manager for MedTech and AI in healthcare, European Innovation Council (EIC)
- Efthymios Manolis, lead of Modelling & Simulation methodology domain, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
Coffee break
Panel 1 – Revolutionising medical product development and clinical care: unlocking computational insights for pre-clinical testing, clinical trials and clinical decision-making.
- Efthymios Manolis, lead of Modelling & Simulation methodology domain, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
- Liesbet Geris, Executive Director, VPH – The Society for In Silico Medicine
- Marc Horner, Distinguished Engineer, Ansys – Vice Chair of the ASME V&V 40 Sub-Committee
- Thomas Steger-Hartmann, Senior Project Lead Innovative Health Initiative, Bayer
- Francesco Pappalardo, Deputy Director of the Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania
- Philippe Bijlenga, Neurosurgeon, Geneva University Hospital
- Stephan Lehr, Director Biostatistics, Statistical and Quantitative Sciences, Rare Diseases and Plasma Derived Therapies, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Panel 2 – Boosting Innovation and Competitiveness: leveraging EU policies for innovative healthcare startups and SMEs.
- Carmen Laplaza, Head of Unit Health Innovations & Ecosystems, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD)
- Margherita Fanos, Head of Sector AI in Health and Life Sciences Unit, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT)
- Federica Zanca, Programme Manager for MedTech and AI in healthcare, European Innovation Council (EIC)
- Charles Taylor, Chair in Computational Medicine, Oden Institute, University of Texas at Austin – Founder of HeartFlow
Closing remarks
2026 CC3D Virtual Tissue Modelling Workshop
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 16:30-19:00
Multicellular simulations or Virtual Tissues (VTs) can help us understanding complex biological phenomena, from tissue development to disease progression. But the complexity of biomimetic models and the diversity in simulation methods, poses challenges in reproducibility, modularity, reusability, and integration within complex multicomponent models like medical digital twins (MDTs).
This workshop aims to outline the potential and workflows to create multicellular, multiscale tissue models (VTs) using the open-source platform Compucell3D.
The workshop is for free, but registration is needed.
The workshop is composed of two parts:
1) Short presentations and discussions, addressing the utility and use cases of VTs, and the importance of their validation and standardisation to ensure robustness, scalability and interoperability within MDTs.
2) Hands on sandpit session with pre-made examples.
We will distribute a complementary resource pack including a vast collection of online resources suitable for attendees of all levels to begin or progress their journey into VT creation and validation with Compucell3D.
Program:
16:30-17:00 – Introduction: Virtual Tissues in a nutshell
17:00-17:45 – Building Virtual Tissues with CC3D
17:45-18:00 – Short break and informal Discussion (Open Mic)
18:00-19:00 – Sandpit and code-along with preset examples
Recommended for best experience: Please download and install the free CC3D package at this Link.
