Conference Policy

All participants, including delegates, faculty, trainees, industry representatives, exhibitors, and staff, are required to adhere to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct. The conference environment shall be maintained as a respectful, inclusive, and academically focused space. Any form of misconduct, including but not limited to harassment, discrimination, verbal abuse, intimidation, or disruptive behavior, shall constitute a violation of conference policy. The organizing committee reserves the right to take immediate corrective action, including suspension or removal from the conference, without entitlement to refund or appeal where safety is compromised.

Harassment is defined in accordance with internationally recognized institutional and workplace safety standards. A designated committee shall receive, document, and investigate complaints in a confidential manner.

All scientific content shall remain independent of commercial influence. Industry sponsors, exhibitors, and third-party commercial entities shall have no role in abstract selection, scientific programming, speaker selection, or educational content development. All presentations must be free from undue commercial bias. Any reference to commercial products or devices must be evidence-based, balanced, and non-promotional in nature. The organizing committee retains full editorial control over scientific content.

Industry participation shall be restricted to designated exhibition areas approved by the organizing committee. Promotional activities must comply with ethical marketing standards and applicable regulatory frameworks. Direct promotional messaging within scientific sessions is strictly prohibited unless explicitly permitted for educational comparison purposes. Sponsored symposia, if included, shall be clearly labeled as such and shall undergo review by the scientific committee to ensure educational integrity.

All faculty, speakers, moderators, and abstract authors are required to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest, including consultancy roles, research funding, stock ownership, advisory roles, or industry sponsorships. Disclosure shall be made verbally at the beginning of presentations and included in submitted abstracts. Failure to disclose conflicts may result in withdrawal of presentation privileges.

All submitted scientific work must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki. Studies involving human subjects must have prior institutional ethical approval where applicable. Patient confidentiality must be strictly maintained, and no identifiable patient information shall be disclosed without documented informed consent. Surgical videos and imaging must be anonymized unless explicit consent has been obtained.

Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or duplicate submission shall constitute serious violations. All abstracts and presentations may be screened using plagiarism detection tools. Allegations of scientific misconduct shall be reviewed by the Ethics Committee, and confirmed violations may result in disqualification, reporting to institutional authorities, and exclusion from future conferences.

Recording, photography, live streaming, or reproduction of conference material shall only be permitted with prior written authorization from the organizing committee. Unauthorized recording or dissemination of presentations, including digital sharing on social media or other platforms, is strictly prohibited. Intellectual property rights of presentations remain with the authors; however, the conference reserves the right to archive and utilize material for educational purposes with attribution.

The safety of all participants is of paramount importance. Security protocols shall be enforced in coordination with venue management and local authorities. Entry to conference premises shall require valid accreditation. Emergency medical support and evacuation procedures shall be available on-site. Any behaviour compromising safety or violating venue regulations shall result in immediate removal from the premises.

Conference badges are non-transferable and must be visibly worn at all times. Unauthorized access, badge sharing, or misrepresentation of identity is strictly prohibited. The organizing committee reserves the right to deny entry or revoke registration in cases of policy violation.

All sponsorships, grants, and financial contributions shall be managed through formal institutional channels with full transparency. Funding sources shall be declared in the official conference program. No individual faculty member shall directly receive unrestricted industry payments outside approved institutional frameworks. Financial management shall be subject to audit and governance oversight by the organizing society.

The conference is committed to ensuring equitable participation across gender, institutional affiliation, and geographic representation. Discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or institutional hierarchy shall not be tolerated. Efforts shall be made to promote balanced representation of trainees, early-career neurosurgeons, and underrepresented institutions in scientific programming.

A formally constituted Ethics and Grievance Committee shall oversee enforcement of conference policies. The committee shall have authority to investigate complaints, conduct hearings where necessary, and issue binding decisions. All proceedings shall ensure confidentiality, fairness, and due process. The decisions of the committee shall be final within the scope of conference governance.

This policy framework may be amended by the organizing committee in accordance with emerging ethical standards, institutional requirements, or international neurosurgical society guidelines. All amendments shall be communicated to participants in a timely manner. The conference shall operate in compliance with applicable national laws and institutional regulations.