Registration now open: IQWiG's 3rd Information Retrieval Meeting in Cologne

The 3rd Information Retrieval Meeting (IRM) will take place in Cologne on 24 April 2026 - registration is now open. The theme of the English-language event is 'Let's start with AI! How and where can large language models be implemented for day-to-day information retrieval?'

This year's focus: large language models for evidence synthesis, particularly with regard to information retrieval and study selection. Participants can look forward to exciting presentations by international experts who have already successfully implemented AI in their information retrieval processes. Workshops with a strong practical focus and opportunities for informal discussions have been designed to encourage participants to apply the diverse capabilities of AI in their own everyday work and to make the most of its potential. There will also be opportunities for sharing and discussing personal experiences and learnings, as well as the latest developments and methodological standards. "At IRM 2026, we want to show the concrete and practical ways in which artificial intelligence already supports and optimizes information retrieval for evidence synthesis. At the same time, we want to map out which initial steps should be taken to integrate AI into an organization's processes responsibly," says Siw Waffenschmidt, head of IQWiG's Information Management Department and organizer of the meeting.

The programme is varied and provides inspiration from different areas: To start, Robin Featherstone, Acting Director of Research Information Services at Canada's Drug Agency, will report on the various activities of the health technology assessment (HTA) agency to establish AI in information retrieval through a test and learning programme. Afterwards, in two workshops Mikkel Vembye from the Danish Center for Social Science Research will share his expertise on the topic of study selection with AI, and Hannah O'Keefe from Newcastle University in the UK will share hers on AI integration at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Innovation Observatory.

In the afternoon, Ella Flemyng, Head of Editorial Policy and Research Integrity at the Cochrane Collaboration, will lead a workshop on selecting a suitable tool using the RAISE (Responsible use of AI in evidence SynthEsis) guidance and will present this step by step using a specific tool as an example. Another exciting speaker is Sèye Abogunrin from the pharmaceutical company Roche, who will explain the industry's perspective on the implementation of AI and present Roche's activities in this area.

In an interactive session, IRM guests will also be invited to discuss specific application examples in small groups. A variety of questions relating to the implementation of AI tools will be discussed using three- to five-minute 'snapshots' on sandbox testing, experimentation and large-scale research projects. The final discussion will then provide an opportunity to share the key findings of the day with the entire group.

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