The International Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association Wins 2026 Incredible Impacts Programme

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and BestCities Global Alliance have named the International Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (IHPBA) as the recipient of the 2026 Incredible Impacts Programme (IIP) Seed Fund Grant, reinforcing the growing emphasis on what international association meetings can deliver long after delegates have left the venue.

The US$5,000 Seed Fund will support a new Legacy Project linked to the 17th Annual IHPBA World Congress, which will take place in Singapore from 28–31 October 2026 in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board. At its core is a major healthcare challenge: disparities in hepatocellular carcinoma outcomes across low- and middle-income countries.

IHPBA intends to use the project to advance more equitable care through regionally tailored frameworks, collaboration and policy leadership. The initiative reflects the principle underpinning the Incredible Impacts Programme since its inception: that international association meetings can function as catalysts for sustained change, using the concentration of expertise, networks and decision-makers around a congress to address challenges that extend well beyond the event itself. Read the case study here

For ICCA CEO Dr. Senthil Gopinath, that potential is central to the programme’s purpose.

"International association meetings have the power to create lasting impact far beyond the event itself. IHPBA's Legacy Project is a powerful example of how a global congress can drive meaningful change and improve equity in healthcare. This is exactly the kind of initiative the Incredible Impacts Programme exists to recognise and support. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our Incredible Impacts Programme judges, whose time, expertise, and commitment help shine a light on these inspiring stories and the positive difference associations are making around the world."

The Singapore congress provides a particularly relevant setting for the project, bringing together IHPBA’s international community in a region where the need for stronger and more equitable approaches to liver cancer care remains significant. The ambition is to use the congress as a platform for developing practical solutions and strengthening partnerships that can continue beyond the four-day event.

Loren Christie, Managing Director of BestCities Global Alliance, said: “IHPBA’s Legacy Project shows what can happen when expertise, collaboration and shared purpose rally around a pressing challenge. Through IHPBA 2026, the association is advancing more equitable cancer care across the Asia-Pacific region and creating impact that will extend well beyond the Congress. We’re proud to support this important work through the Incredible Impacts Programme Seed Fund.”

For IHPBA 2026 Legacy Project Chair and Congress President Dr. Shridhar Iyer, the measure of a successful congress extends beyond its scientific programme.

“A successful congress should be remembered not only for the science it presents, but for the lasting difference it creates. Through the IHPBA 2026 Legacy Project, we hope to leverage Singapore's strengths in healthcare, innovation and international collaboration to reduce inequities in liver cancer care across Asia-Pacific and across the globe. Our ambition is to move beyond discussion towards practical solutions that improve access, strengthen regional partnerships, and leave a legacy that continues long after the Congress has concluded.”

Three projects shortlisted for the 2026 Main Grant

Alongside the Seed Fund announcement, ICCA and BestCities have also revealed the three finalists for the 2026 Incredible Impacts Programme Main Grant.

Worth US$20,000, the Main Grant recognises an international association meeting demonstrating how business events can generate measurable and lasting positive impact. The three finalists will present their projects during a plenary session at the 2026 ICCA Congress in Panama City this November, giving the wider ICCA community an opportunity to examine the approaches, challenges and results behind each initiative.

The first finalist is the Autism Europe Congress 2025 in Dublin, which translated autism advocacy into practical and replicable action. Its work included new approaches to inclusive event design and inclusive employment practices, with the resulting legacy intended as a model that future congress hosts and other associations can adapt internationally.
 

Also shortlisted is the International Social Housing Festival 2025, Dublin. The Festival placed tenants’ lived experiences at the centre of housing policy and practice, producing a legacy that includes a replicable toolkit, stronger cross-sector collaboration and plans to extend tenant-led storytelling through a Europe-wide “living library”.

The third finalist, the WindEurope Annual Event 2025 in Copenhagen, addressed the wind sector’s growing STEM skills gap through education and hands-on learning. Its legacy already includes a toolkit being distributed across Europe, engagement with almost 550 children and parents, and plans to broaden the programme through portable EduKit Boxes for schools and future host cities.

Taken together, the finalists illustrate the increasingly broad territory occupied by the legacy agenda in association meetings. Healthcare equity, social inclusion, education and skills development sit alongside environmental progress, demonstrating that the potential impact of a congress is not confined to the professional community gathered around it.

The distinction between an event that discusses an issue and one that leaves behind mechanisms for addressing it is particularly evident across the three projects. Whether through inclusive employment practices, tools for tenant participation or educational resources that can travel between schools and destinations, each initiative seeks to convert the temporary concentration of people and expertise at a meeting into something that can be replicated and sustained.

The four 2026 IIP projects will now move into their respective next stages, with the IHPBA initiative receiving dedicated seed funding to develop its legacy ambitions, while the three Main Grant finalists prepare to put their projects before the global association meetings community.

They will take the stage at the 2026 ICCA Congress in Panama City this November, where delegates will hear directly about the initiatives, the challenges encountered in delivering them and the results achieved.

For ICCA and BestCities, the programme continues to make a case for a wider definition of congress success in which scientific exchange, business outcomes and delegate experience are complemented by the capacity of a meeting to create tangible benefits that endure after its closing session.
 

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