SPONSORSHIP POLICY
SETPEG SPONSORSHIP POLICY: APRIL 2011
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This policy has been established to protect SETPEG and our patients and to prevent bias in decisions made about patient care and the preferential use of a sponsoring company’s product.
The South East Thames Paediatric Epilepsy Group understands that the maintenance of a mutually beneficial relationship with sponsor companies is important to the running and progress of SETPEG activities and the agreement of sponsorship is in the exchange of value-neutral acknowledgement so as not to promote or endorse a sponsors product or service. SETPEG are happy to receive offers of sponsorship from companies when the agreements comply with all guidelines set out below.
Governance
SETPEG will not accept sponsorship when the acceptance of an agreement impacts our independent governance/decision making.
SETPEG will not accept sponsorship when the acceptance of an agreement impacts editorial control of SETPEG related literature or meeting content.
SETPEG reserves the right to obtain sponsorship from multiple organisations.
Contracts
All offers of sponsorship must be considered by two members of the SETPEG working group, who are responsible for approving the suitability of a prospective sponsor.
Conditions of sponsorship must be confirmed in writing and the contract signed by either of the approving working group members and the sponsor before any income/kind is received.
Events and Hospitality
In accordance with The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice
Sponsors can only contribute money/kind to scientific meetings, congresses and training with a clear educational content and not to events that are mainly of a social/sporting nature.
Sponsorship for meetings will only be accepted on the basis of a non restricted educational grant
The amount of money received from a sponsor must be appropriate and in proportion with the occasion.
Hospitality is limited to refreshments/subsistence, accommodation and registration fees.
Registration fees can be paid/subsidised using money from sponsors.
Hospitality provided cannot extend to a delegates spouse or other such person unless they themselves are a member of SETPEG and participates at the event in their own right.
Gifts received from sponsors must be relevant to SETPEG activities.
Travel expenses of Speakers, Members of SETPEG Board and delegates can be paid using money received from sponsors when the journey is greater then four hours and the travel is economy class; however a delegate may organise and at their own expense pay the genuine difference between economy travel and business travel.
Money from sponsors can be used to pay a reasonable amount for time spent at SETPEG events by Guest speakers.
Sponsor Printed Literature and Posters
All literature provided by a sponsor must be reviewed by the SETPEG meeting organiser prior to its distribution at SETPEG events.
All posters must be reviewed for relevance & suitability by the SETPEG meeting organiser prior to its display at SETPEG events.
If information in sponsors literature/poster isn’t specifically in regards to their organisation (promotion of restaurants) it can only be distributed at SETPEG events if it is beneficial to SETPEG members e.g. member discount.
Posters and Literature should be removed by the sponsor at the end of the event.
All sponsor posters, literature and displays must be in clear print and be of a high aesthetic standard.
If sponsor information is included in SETPEG meeting literature the sponsors content must be easily distinguished from editorial content.
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement of a sponsor’s contribution will be in print in event programmes.
All advertisement and other forms of promotion by sponsors at SETPEG events should occur in a space separate to the event/meeting/lecture/training.
Sponsor material will not be posted on the SETPEG website
Appendix
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice 2008