Questions & answers for participants

Regional associations on medical technology and trade advanced the regulations, including:

• MedTech Europe: the European trade association representing the medical technology industries on the continent. For detailed information about the “Code of Ethical Business Practice”, please refer to the Ethical MedTech platform
• APACMed: the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association. Find out more about its “Code of Ethical Conduct for Interactions with Healthcare Professionals”
• MECOMED: the medical devices, imaging and diagnostics trade association which serves as the voice of international medical technology manufacturers across the Middle East and Africa. Access its approved  “Code of Ethical Business Practice” to learn more

The Codes of Ethics which came into force on 1 January 2018 regulate interactions between the medical industry and Healthcare Professionals. Furthermore, they are applicable in the geographical scope of each association.

This means that the support method by industry members towards Healthcare Professionals has moved from a direct to an indirect approach.  Industry Partners must allocate educational allowances to trusted third parties such as the PCR Organising Team at Europa Group.

What you can do:

• In order to be notified if and when PCR/Europa Group receives funds to finance educational allowances, you are advised to sign up to the PCR Weekly newsletter.  You should also complete and/or keep your My PCR profile up to date. Be sure to properly address all the required fields.

Create/Update your account:

By keeping their profile up-to-date, practitioners make it easier for the PCR Organising Team to assess whether their institute, profession, specialty, years of experience, etc correspond with the specific profile details provided by Industry Partners.

No. We strongly believe that nothing can replace physical networking and direct human interactions, which are part of PCR's essential principles. Therefore, our Courses have adapted to the new financing process with the aim of further reinforcing the independence that characterises each one of them. 

PCR also has a broad offer of online educational tools (Edu-Online, PCR Webinars). They are conceived as a complement to PCR Courses, but in no way as a replacement.

Please consult here the details on How to apply.

The following profile details are the main ones considered during the selection process:

• Country
• City
• Institute (hospital, national scientific society…)
• Profession
• Years of experience in interventional cardiology
• Area of expertise

First and foremost, you are advised to check the list of institutes chosen by Industry Partners to benefit from financial support. This will be found on the Sponsorship Applications page of each PCR Course for which the process is currently open. (If there is not yet a list of institutions: proceed nevertheless with your online application, as your institution may be listed at a later time).

If there are several similar profiles from the same institute, the following rules will apply:

• Priority to presenters of abstracts and clinical cases
• First-come first-served basis

Kindly note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

If your institution does not appear on the list, it means that Europa Group has not received specific funds for it. If your profile is attractive, you can nevertheless proceed with the application process in the hope that it will be listed at a later time.

Once you have received an email confirming your invitation to a PCR Course, you should proceed as follows:

1. Use the information in the email to connect to the online platform and follow the acceptance process. If you have any connection issues, please contact our Help Desk. 
2. You will be informed of the coverage offered by your allowance. Funding varies.  It might partially or totally cover your registration, accommodation and/or travel expenses.

Important: in the current environment, all Faculty are not imperatively supported by the Course organiser.

1. The only situation where you are not concerned by the indirect scheme is if you have a signed a consultancy agreement with a company, bringing you their direct sponsorship. 
2. If the above is not the case, you are concerned by the indirect scheme. As a Faculty, you get priority in the allocation of educational allowances if your institution has been nominated by an Industry Partner to PCR/Europa Group and you match their other criteria.
3. If neither of the above applies, you should inquire with Industry Partners whether they can support educational allowances via trusted third parties such as PCR.

Submitting your work to a PCR Course or being selected as a PCR Course presenter can sometimes help strengthen your application for educational allowances. It doesn't automatically entitle you to access direct or indirect sponsorship by Course organisers or industry.

If your submission was accepted and you have to present it during a PCR Course:

• You can be directly supported only by signing a consultancy agreement with a sponsoring company. 
• If your application matches the institute (place of work) and other selection criteria provided by an Industry Partner, then you will be given priority over identical applications, on a first-come first-served basis.

Please find all information here

Educational allowances are allocated based on predefined profiles determined by Industry Partners. Apart from the place of work, the criteria can refer to profession, years of experience and area of expertise, as well as the number of cases performed per year for example. This could explain why your colleague has received an educational allowance while you have not.

As announced in the general conditions, you are not eligible to benefit from an educational allowance if you have already registered to the Course.

Results will be announced by email a few weeks prior to the Course. If you have not yet received an answer concerning your demand, it means your application is still being processed. All recipients will be notified about results, but the date could vary according to the number of applications sent in.

Please read more about the process here

No, if your colleague cannot participate, he/she must inform PCR/Europa Group immediately.  We shall then reallocate the educational allowance, using the criteria predefined by the Industry Partner. If you have already applied, your profile will once again undergo the selection process, along with other applications received.

If you received a refusal, it means that your profile does not match Industry Partners’ predefined criteria. However, keep in mind that if we receive additional educational allowances that match your profile, we shall get back to you by email.

It is no longer possible for your hospital to nominate your directly. If and when Europa Group/PCR receives funds from Industry Partners to allocate educational allowances, the attribution will be carried out in the form of an indirect sponsorship applications scheme. (For more details on how to apply, please click here).