Who Should Attend?

Applicants must be a trainee highly qualified personnel (HQP) (i.e., a graduate student, post-doc, research associate and/or technician) currently working on a research project in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine in a Canadian lab.

See “eligibility” below for additional ranking criteria. 

Workshop Learning Objectives:

• Identify high-quality morphological characteristics of hPSCs and describe critical quality attributes of hPSCs.
• Understand and apply the best practical skills in maintaining high-quality hPSC cultures.
• Identify undifferentiated morphology of confluent induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ready for passaging.
• Recognize critical aspects of handling hPSCs for successful preservation and storage.
• Identify and troubleshoot critical aspects in the passaging and maintenance of undifferentiated iPSCs.
• Evaluate the recovery of iPSCs and identify viable cells.
• Understand the importance of maintaining hPSC quality.
• Recognize the importance of key quality control procedures and the potential consequences of failing to carry them out.
• Be aware of how genomic instability can impact hPSC cultures.

As part of the course, participants will receive:

• An electronic copy of the course book
• Certificates of course completion from STEMCELL Technologies
• Post-training support from the trainers and STEMCELL’s Scientific Support team

Schedule

Dates: January 12-14, 2027
Time: Starting at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT each day

STEMCELL Technologies will host this live virtual training course. Successful applicants will receive details on how to join online sessions.

Day 1 (4.25 hrs, including introduction, break, and wrap-up)

• Virtual lecture: Maintaining and Assessing hPSC Cultures (2.5 hrs)
• Virtual lab: Morphology and Evaluating the Quality of hPSC Cultures (1 hr)

Day 2 (4.25 hrs, including break and wrap-up)

• Virtual lab: Passaging and Long-Term Maintenance of hPSCs (3 hrs)
• Virtual lab: Cryopreservation and Thawing of hPSCs (0.75 hr)

Day 3 (3 hrs, including wrap-up)

• Virtual lecture: Characterization of hPSC Cell Quality (2 hrs)
• Course wrap up (0.5 hr)

How to Apply

• Complete the application form here by 11:59 p.m. (sender’s time), November 26, 2026.
• After you submit your application, your academic supervisor entered above will automatically receive an email with instructions to upload a confidential letter of support. Please follow up with them to ensure they receive this email and submit their letters by the application deadline described on the website. We strongly recommend contacting your references well in advance of the deadline.
• Applicants will be informed of the competition outcome by mid-December.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be trainees (highly qualified personnel [HQP]), including graduate students, post-docs, research associates and/or technicians currently working on a research project in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine in a Canadian lab.
• If you’re unsure whether you are a trainee/HQP, please email trainingSCN@stemcellnetwork.ca for confirmation.
• Applications will be evaluated by SCN management and/or SCN’s Training and Education Committee. The following considerations will be used to evaluate applications:
  • Applicants who have prior experience with mammalian cell culture and are working on a project that requires the use of hPSCs will be prioritized.
  • Applicants who are currently working with hPSCs will be prioritized. If not currently working with hPSCs, applicants who have plans to start doing so within the next one to three months will be ranked more highly than those who have longer timelines.
  • The described need for the training to support or accelerate a regenerative medicine project, and why this training cannot be acquired locally.
  • Regional distribution of applicants may also be considered to maximize geographic distribution access to this training across Canada.
  • The quality of the knowledge dissemination plan in the application.
  • The overall quality of the written responses in the application.
  • The strength of the supervisor’s support letter.

Conditions

• PIs can only support one application (i.e., only one application is permitted per lab).
• Note that participants in this course are required to use their own laptop computers, with headset for audio and webcam for video interaction. A second monitor/screen is also highly recommended.
• Spaces are limited for this training opportunity. SCN will cover the registration costs (paid directly to the organizers) of this course for applicants who attend all sessions and complete all elements of the online content within the designated period. For applicants who fail to attend all sessions or complete the course content, a fee of $530 CAD will be charged to their supervisor to cover the costs associated with delivering this training opportunity.
• By accepting a place in this workshop, the recipient agrees to complete a survey describing the value of the training and networking opportunities made available through the workshop. This information will be used at SCN’s discretion on its website, newsletters, and for the purpose of reporting to its funding agencies.
• By registering for this workshop attendees also agree to have their pictures taken during the workshop and used in materials as described above.