Healthcare Professionals applying for an Indirect Industry Supported Grant

Industry Partners can offer Indirect Industry Supported Grants that cover some of the fees related to PCR Course attendance. Healthcare Professionals who wish to attend a Course can apply for these grants. If an applicant's profile matches the criteria, his or her attendance is either partially or fully covered, depending on the type of grant.

All physicians, fellows, nurses and allied professionals working in the field of interventional cardiology can apply in order to grant their attendance for a PCR Course.

On 1 January 2018, the MedTech Code of Ethics came into force to regulate interactions between the medical industry and Healthcare Professionals. 

The Code was introduced by regional associations on medical technology and trade introduced the new regulations, including:

• MedTech Europe
  The European trade association represents 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.

These rules are applicable in the geographical scope of each association.

As a result, the support method by industry members towards Healthcare Professionals has moved from a direct to an indirect approach. Industry Partners must now allocate Indirect Industry Supported Grants to trusted third parties such as the PCR Organising Team at Europa Group.

No, it is no longer possible for industry partners to nominate a participant directly. If and when Europa Group/PCR receives grants from Industry Partners to allocate Indirect Industry Supported Grants, the attribution will be carried out in the form of an Indirect Industry Supported Grant. 

Europa Group acts as a trusted third party

The PCR Organising Team at Europa Group (the Professional Conference Organiser operating on behalf of all PCR Courses), was one of the very first to be recognised as a Trusted Partner. It is authorized to receive grants from Industry Partners and allocate Indirect Industry Supported Grants to participants.

A purely administrative role in the selection process

Europa Group (of which PCR is an integral part) takes care of the administrative management of Indirect Industry Supported Grants, as determined by the Code of Ethics:

• Since 1 January 2018, industry sponsorship of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) has transitioned from a direct to an indirect scheme in certain regions of the world.
• Financial support by industry partners must be anonymously delivered in the form of an grant via a trusted third party. This includes the sponsorship of HCPs’ participation in interventional cardiology congresses such as PCR Courses.
• Basically, as industry partners can no longer directly sponsor HCPs (physicians, nurses and allied professionals), Indirect Industry Supported Grants must be provided in one of two ways:
  • Through the healthcare institution where the HCP works, or their national society 
  • Through a recognised ‘trusted third party’ such as PCR/Europa Group.

The Code of Ethics that regulate the indirect sponsorship of HCPs by industry members were introduced by the following associations:

• MedTech Europe in Europe

• APACMed in Asia Pacific

• MECOMED in the Middle East/Africa.

Europa Group / The PCR Organising Committee’s role is to apply a strictly methodical blinded matching process, according to the following attribution order:

• Match with the provided selection criteria.
• Priority given to presenters of cases/abstracts selected for a PCR Course.
• A first-come, first-served rule for equivalent profiles.

Do you have any more questions concerning the regulations? Consult the recently reviewed Codes by MedTech Europe, APACMed and MECOMED.

For further questions or assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

In order to be notified when PCR/Europa Group receives grants to finance educational Courses, sign up for the PCR Weekly newsletter. You can do so by logging into your My PCR profile.

You need to make sure to keep your profile complete and up to date, in order to make it easier for the PCR Organising Team to assess whether your profile corresponds to a grant's allowance criteria. 

Create/Update your account

The selection criteria are determined by Industry Partners. The following profile details are most often considered for the selection process:

• Country
• City
• Institute
• Profession
• Area of expertise
• Cathlab experience

When similar profiles apply, the following rules apply, in order:

1. Priority is given to presenters of Abstracts and Clinical Cases
2. Grants are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis

Important: Always make sure to fill your application correctly, as incomplete applications will not be considered.

Tip: sign up to the PCR Weekly newsletter to be informed about opening dates.

Verify that you meet the requirements:

• You are a healthcare professional (physician, nurse or allied professional)
• You have an up-to-date My PCR account – Create/update your account here  
• Access the Course of your choice under the COURSES menu
• In the ATTEND menu, select INDIRECT INDUSTRY SUPPORTED GRANT

Proceed with your application:

• Fill in your profile by choosing the appropriate link at the bottom of the page.
• The matching process will check if your profile (profession, speciality, years of experience, etc) corresponds to the Industry Partner's profile details. In the unlikely situation that there are insufficient applicants who meet the initial specifications, the matching process may subsequently be opened up
• When similar profiles apply, the following rules apply, in order:

1. Priority is given to presenters of abstracts and clinical cases
2. Grants are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis

Yes. Our Industry Partners can offer Indirect Industry Supported Grants for online courses and the application process is identical. 

• It is possible to apply for several grants each year, even if the courses’ dates overlap.
• It is also permitted to submit applications year after year. 
• Being granted an Indirect Industry Supported Grant for a Course does not, however, give you priority for future applications.

Each Indirect Industry Supported Grant is different. It can include one or more of the following: Course registration, transportation, accommodation and transfer.

Unfortunately, you cannot. As stated in the general conditions, you are not eligible to benefit from an Indirect Industry Supported Grant if you have already registered to the Course.

You must provide all the requested information, as incomplete applications will not be considered

All recipients are notified about their status by email, a few weeks prior to the Course. The delay will vary depending on the number of applications received. If you have not yet received an answer it means that your application is still being processed.

1.  Check you meet the requirements
   • You are a healthcare professional (physician, nurse or allied professional)
   • You have an up to date MyPCR account – Create/update your account here  
2. Go to PCRonline.com
   • Access the Course of your choice under the ‘COURSES’ menu
   • In the ‘ATTEND’ menu, select ‘Sponsorship Applications’
   • (Tip: sign up to the PCR Weekly newsletter to be informed about opening dates!)
3. Proceed with your application as follows
   • Fill in your profile on the appropriate link at the bottom of the page, to apply for their support
   • A matching process will verify if your profile (profession, specialty, years of experience, etc) also corresponds with the Industry Partner's profile details*
   • 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

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 a connection issue, please contact our Help Desk. 
2. You will be informed about the coverage that your grant offers. It might partially or completely cover one or several of the following: registration, accommodation and/or travel expenses.

If your application was rejected, it means that your profile does not match the Industry Partners’ predefined criteria. If additional Indirect Industry Supported Grants are subsequently received and they match your profile, we will notify you by email.

If, for any reason, the grant recipient is unable to attend the Course, he/she must immediately notify PCR/Europa Group and cancel the services. Doing so will allow to re-allocate the grant. Unnotified absences, for any reason, including force majeure or illness, will need to be explained - and might lead to ineligibility for future granting programmes.

No, you cannot. If your colleague is unable to participate, he/she must inform PCR/Europa Group immediately, as the indirect industry supported grant must be re-allocated. If you have already applied, your profile will once again undergo the selection process, along with other applications.

All Faculty are not necessarily supported by the Course organiser. In cases where the Course organiser is not granting a Faculty member's participation, he or she may benefit from priority grant allocation.

1. If you have signed a consultancy agreement with a company for their direct sponsorship, you are not concerned by the indirect Indirect Industry Supported Grant rules.
2. Otherwise, as Faculty, you will get priority in the allocation of an Indirect Industry Supported Grant if you match the criteria.
3. If neither of the above applies, you should inquire with Industry Partners whether they can offer a grant via trusted third parties such as PCR/Europa Group.

Although submitting your work to a PCR Course or being selected as a PCR Course presenter doesn’t make you automatically eligible for an Indirect Industry Supported Grant, it can help increase your chances of being selected to obtain one.

If your submission is accepted and you are presenting during a PCR Course, you can either:

• Be directly supported by signing a consultancy agreement with a sponsoring company. 
• Apply for an Indirect Industry Supported Grant. If your application matches the selection criteria determined by an Industry Partner, you will be given priority over identical applications, in the order that the applications are received. 

Indirect Industry Supported Grants are allocated based on profiles determined by Industry Partners. The criteria can include: place of work, profession, years of experience and area of expertise, as well as the number of cases performed per year, for example. 

For that reason, if a colleague who is not presenting has a profile that better matches the criteria, he/she may receive a grant while you don’t.

However, when there are identical profiles from the same institution, priority is given to the Presenters of Abstracts and Clinical Cases, in the order that the applications were received.