One of the few benefits of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the shift in culture around meetings. Many of us have seen the advantages of meeting virtually, being cheaper, convenient and representing a huge cut in carbon footprint and air pollution emissions. Developing new collaborations with international colleagues in a virtual space is more challenging, but with planning, experiment and expertise, it can be done. Our own Collaboration Building Workshops were an invaluable learning experience for us in making online events successful, and we’ve been pleased to share that experience with other networks and groups.

The BioSkyNet workshop was inspired by our first workshop, and developed the format to suit an international collaboration across time zones. Facilitator Christine Bell (from the Centre for Facilitation) shares their successes and learning in this case study from the workshop, which contains ideas and considerations for anyone planning an online event.