Call for pre-Congress events

Pre-Congress satellite meetings/workshops/symposia/trainings

Pre-Congress engagement in the form of workshops, symposia, trainings, and satellite meetings complement the scientific programme of the main Congress. The focus will be on applied knowledge and skills, exploring issues in areas such as clinical practice, ethics education and capacity building, research and policy, public health challenges, publication ethics, ethics review systems, emerging bioethics issues of local and global concerns, interdisciplinary and critical approaches to bioethics issues, and actively engaging participants via a range of learning formats.

Pre-Congress engagements offer delegates an opportunity to gain in-depth understanding of bioethics issues, share practical experience and latest advances in research and practice, learn directly from experts, and meet with peers in their fields of interest.

Registration

Delegates are required to register separately for specific pre-Congress meetings/workshops/symposia/trainings. Attendance numbers are restricted and managed through the registration process. There are a limited number of openings available for these sessions which typically vary between 40 and 100 participants depending on the nature and format of the workshop. However, there is no separate fee for such registration [Congress registration].

Pre-Congress dates (one or two days): December 3-4, 2018 (Monday-Tuesday); preceding the main Congress scheduled for December 5-7, 2018 (Wednesday-Friday).

Pre-Congress venues: Pre-Congress satellite programmes will be located on the premises of St John’s National Academy of Medical Sciences where the main Congress will be also held. Classrooms, board rooms, and small auditoria with appropriate seating capacity will be made available

Format: Courses, workshops, seminars, lectures, technique/skill demonstrations, case study discussions, hands-on experience and/or discussion groups.

Fees to the organisers of pre-Congress satellite meetings/workshops/symposia/trainings

Submission process:

Please submit your proposals to [email protected] with a subject line 'Proposal for pre-Congress satellite meeting'.

Important dates:

Submission opens: March 5, 2018
[the Congress Organizing Committee will screen the submissions on an on-going basis].

Submission of proposals:

The pre-Congress organizer (principal author) may submit proposals on behalf of all presenters, whose agreement to participate must have been obtained prior to submission. The desirable number of presenters for a one-day pre-Congress is up to five, although this could be flexible depending upon the format of the pre-Congress.

Submissions guidelines:

Submissions should include the following:

1. Title of proposed pre-Congress satellite meeting/workshop/symposium/training
2. Names of the pre-Congress organizer and all presenters
3. Contact details of all presenters including:
   1. full name, organization/institution, city and country as you would wish it to appear in the completed programme
   2. e-mail, work telephone, mailing address
   3. a short biography. This should outline academic qualifications, positions/appointments, most recent publication and presentation track record (last five years), research information (interests, grants), and professional practice background. [about 200 words]
4. Target audience [about 25 words]
5. Summary of the session format that will be followed [about 100 words]
6. Overview of the pre-Congress content. This will be used in promotional materials and should include:
   1. title
   2. presenters (principal organiser, followed by up to 4 presenters)
   3. learning objectives (up to 3)
   4. level of learning
   5. description (supported by up to 10 current references)
   6. implications/conclusions
   7. keywords (up to 3)
   8. funding acknowledgements [30 words]

Total [750 words covering items iii-vi]

7. Logistical requirements:
   1. audience size
   2. room set up [For example, classroom, group tables, round seating]
   3. any specific equipment requirements other than audio-visual equipment for presentations
   4. preferred date of pre-Congress; preferences will be noted and where possible accommodated
   5. Duration [half day (3-4 hours contact); full day (7-8 hours contact); two full days (7-8 hours contact each day)]

Selection criteria

Pre-Congress proposals must comply with the aforementioned submission guidelines. Some of the key criteria for selection of the proposals would be that they:

Explore contemporary issues in bioethics, most recent ideas, evidence, methods and areas of controversy in bioethics literature related to outcomes for people and populations and to moving the profession forward;
Inspire delegates with a clear purpose and defined outcomes
Connect delegates with diverse interests and from different backgrounds through active engagement
Include speakers with diverse experience and positions in the topic, as well as patient/client perspectives and LMIC perspectives

General information

1. The pre-Congress language is English and all proposals and presentations must be made in English.
2. Payments as outlined in the section on Fees charged to pre-Congress organizers needs to be paid within two weeks from the date of notification of acceptance of the proposal from the Congress Organizing Committee.
3. All research and studies that involve human participants and animal subjects reported in submitted proposals must comply with general ethical principles.
4. Any source of funding or support for the work being presented should be acknowledged.
5. Presenters are requested to disclose potential conflicts of interest regarding their presentation in the first slide. This will allow the audience to take potential conflicts of interest into account when assessing the objectivity of the presentation.
6. Some sessions may be audio-video recorded and will be made available on the Congress website. PowerPoint presentations in PDF format will also be made available on the Congress website.
7. Pre-Congress organisers and presenters are encouraged to use their social media channels to promote their involvement in the Congress. The Congress Secretariat will also help in disseminating information related to successful pre-Congress programmes.
8. Descriptions and objectives for each pre-Congress will be published in the preliminary and final programme schedule, on the Congress website and in other promotional material.
9. The placement of the programme will be determined by the Congress Organizing Committee to ensure the best fit within the overall Congress schedule. Any requests for specific dates and times cannot be guaranteed but will be considered if requested at the time of proposal submission.