Corporate Sponsorship Policy

I. Purpose
Corporate Sponsorship is necessary and welcome in fulfilling the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR) mission to drive dental, oral and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being.

In addition to providing support through various sponsorships and/or unrestricted educational grants, most of IADR’s corporate supporters also have active research and development programs related to their own product offerings. Their industry scientists can also be full IADR members and are welcome and encouraged to present their research at IADR, with the appropriate disclosures.

The purpose of the IADR Corporate Sponsorship Policy is to define the relationship between corporate sponsors and the IADR in regards to support for the IADR General Session and other activities of the IADR such as awards, fellowships and grant programs. The IADR is an oral health research organization dedicated to disseminating the latest knowledge on current oral health research worldwide. The organization facilitates professional development and represents the scientific community on all issues related to oral health research.

The Corporate Sponsorship Policy is intended to clarify that the role of supporting corporations, including the pharmaceutical industry and medical device manufacturers, related to the scientific content of IADR General Sessions and/or outcomes of awards, fellowships and grants review. This is distinct from marketing activities, such as sponsorship of congress bags, advertising, or exhibiting at a meeting.

IADR is an American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) recognized provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. Therefore, in order to be compliant with ADA CERP, IADR must set forth and abide by this IADR Corporate Sponsor Policy. Similarly, countries outside of the U.S. have programs for providing credit points for meeting attendants.

II. Regions, Divisions, and Sections
IADR is the parent organization to 29 Divisions and 18 Sections organized into 5 Regions. This Corporate Sponsorship Policy applies to all Regions, Divisions, and Sections of IADR. Please see a list of IADR Regions, Divisions and Sections here.

III. Definitions
By “corporate” or “industry” we mean any for-profit organization, institution or company participating in sponsoring an IADR meeting, meeting-related activity, event, program and/or award, fellowship or grant.

• By “sponsorship” we mean an agreement with any for-profit organization, institution or company that provides financial support to IADR in exchange for value-neutral acknowledgement that neither endorses nor identifies a sponsor’s products or services.

IV. Core Principles of IADR regarding Sponsorship
The scientific content of the meeting and/or program will not be influenced by any corporate support through sponsorships, speaker or content selection, or travel support.

1. Corporate scientists are welcomed and encouraged to submit abstracts, organize symposia, and submit proposals for hands-on workshops with appropriate disclosure of place of employment of other potential perceived conflicts of interest. Meetings are to be free of commercial bias.
2. IADR and its Regions, Divisions, and Sections and its Scientific Groups and Networks must have the responsibility and control over the selection of meeting content and speakers.
3. Corporate support for IADR meetings, including those at the Regional, Divisional and Section levels of the IADR, in the form of unrestricted educational grants is welcome.
4. Sponsorships provide an opportunity for corporate partners to show support for oral health research.
5. No IADR meetings, including those at the Regional, Divisional and Section levels of the IADR, can enter into an overall exclusive sponsorship agreement with any corporate entity. IADR meetings offer only non-exclusive sponsorship agreements.
6. Individual aspects of meeting support can be entered into on an exclusive sponsorship basis with a right of first refusal in subsequent years, i.e. congress bags, poster boards, etc. provided ample opportunity exists for other corporate sponsors to be involved as well. This does not include corporate support for the meeting venue as that would be an exclusive sponsorship per #5 above.
7. When corporate sponsorship is developed, corporate sponsor’s business should be consistent with the mission of the IADR and should be in line with the ethical practice of dentistry.
8. Relevant international regulations should be adhered to depending upon the location of corporate sponsor and IADR meeting. (See ‘Regulations’ below.)
9. The IADR acknowledges through the sponsorship agreement and communications that the ‘Funding Amount’ for any type of corporate sponsorship is not determined in a manner which takes into account the volume or value of any business otherwise generated between the IADR and the sponsor and shall not obligate the IADR to purchase, use, recommend or arrange for the use of any product of the sponsor.
10. IADR and its members should not accept promotional gifts when representing the IADR in any and all of its related functions per the AMA guidelines on Gifts for Physicians noted in Section XI.I.B. below.

V. Corporate sponsorship of awards, fellowships and grants
Support for the IADR awards, fellowships and grants program is accepted and must follow the IADR Corporate Sponsorship Policy outlined above. Awards, fellowships and grants support must be consistent with the IADR mission and free from industry involvement. These policies apply equally to IADR Regions, Divisions and Sections and to IADR Scientific Groups and Networks.

With regard to the review and selection of Award recipients:

1. IADR scientists who happen to work for industry may participate in the scientific review process of a sponsored award, fellowship or grant applicant, provided the award is not sponsored by their own company or a direct competitor.
2. Members of the volunteer awards review committees will be approved and designated by the IADR Board of Directors or the relevant Regional, Divisional or Sectional Leadership or Scientific Group/Network Leadership.
3. The award, fellowship or grant should not be tied in any way to past, present, or anticipated business generated with corporate sponsor.
4. There should be no direct measurable financial benefit to the corporate sponsor in exchange for the receipt of funding support.
5. Awards, fellowship and grants should be awarded through a fair, open selection process based on clear criteria established.
6. The criteria can be set in collaboration with the corporate sponsor, but the actual selection of awardees must be independent of the sponsor.

VI. IADR Scientific Groups and Networks
IADR Global Headquarters will manage sponsorship invoicing, payment of awardees and speaker travel for symposia, receptions and all meetings.

It is at the discretion of the Scientific Group/Network whether or not to fund speaker travel.

Please see a list of IADR Scientific Groups and Networks here. 

VII. Unrestricted Educational Grants and Sponsorships versus Marketing Opportunities
IADR invites corporate sponsors to support the General Session, purchase advertisement and exhibit at the general sessions and IADR Region, Division and Section meetings.

• The sale of exhibit space and related activities is independent of sponsor, advertising, charitable, and grant support.
• Acceptance of advertising is not an endorsement of any product or service by IADR.

VIII. Transfer of Anything of Value to a Healthcare Professional
In the United States, Open Payments (formerly Sunshine Act) is intended to provide more transparency in the relationships between pharmaceutical and device manufacturers and healthcare providers, by requiring manufacturers to report payments and other “transfers of value” to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on an ongoing basis.

In regards to speaker compensation at U.S. continuing education events such as the IADR General Session, under Open Payments, most transfers of value to physicians must be reported. At IADR, this would apply to U.S. licensed physicians and dentists.

While the specific reporting requirements are the responsibility of the sponsoring company, IADR will assist whenever needed.

Transfers of Value are also covered in the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Disclosure Code to Healthcare Professionals and Healthcare Organizations.

IX. Meeting Rotation
Each year, the IADR holds a General Session & Exhibition. Every other year, this is a joint meeting with IADR, AADOCR and CADR in a North American location. In alternating years, the AADOCR/CADR holds an Annual Meeting & Exhibition in North America and IADR holds a General Session & Exhibition outside of North America. It is important to rotate meetings in all Regions and IADR strives to assure every Region is represented.

Each of the IADR Regions, Divisions and Sections also hold periodic meetings whose meeting cycles varies by the Region, Division and Section.

For all of these meetings, the IADR invites corporate sponsors, including medical device manufacturers and the pharmaceutical industry, to sponsor or fund particular events, luncheons, symposia, and scientific sessions, of which some corporations have participated for several years, creating beneficial partnerships.

X. Types of Sponsorship
Dental researchers, educators and clinicians view IADR meetings as the leading source of cutting-edge research, innovations in clinical care and state-of-the-art-technology.

• Unrestricted Educational Grants:
  Scientific session sponsors, awards, fellowships, and grants fall into the category of unrestricted educational grants. It is these categories where IADR must adhere to strict guidelines and have a firewall between the scientific content and the sponsor.
• General Marketing Activities:
  Industry-sponsored symposia are outside of the scientific content of an IADR meeting. These types of symposia should be referred to in all meeting information as “industry-sponsored symposia” to assure clarification. Although there is still a review process, here Industry is able to communicate the science-base of their commercial products. Other general marketing activities would include advertising, congress bag sponsorship or inserts, or exhibiting at an IADR meeting.
  
  After it is transparent that the Industry-sponsored Symposium is just that, every effort should be made to promote the symposium to the delegates. It should be easily located and members should be aware of the option to attend. Not more than 20% of the total number of symposia and hands on workshops can be by Industry-sponsored Symposia at each IADR meeting.

XI. International Regulations
While IADR and its Divisions and Sections will assist corporate sponsor with any regulatory inquiries and fundamentals, the reporting and guideline requirements are the responsibility of the corporate sponsor.

IADR North America Region

1. United States

For US-based corporate sponsors and meetings, IADR and its AADOCR Division operate in a manner consistent with the following regulatory policies:

A. U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (“FDA”) Policy Statement on Industry Supported Scientific Education Activities – “guidance to describe the agency’s enforcement policy with regard to scientific and educational activities supported by industry.” B. AMA Guidelines on gifts for physicians – “define appropriate standards of conduct for physicians regarding promotional gifts to physicians from industry.
C. Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers – “OIG is setting forth its general views on the value and fundamental principles of compliance programs for pharmaceutical manufacturers and the specific elements that pharmaceutical manufacturers should consider when developing and implementing an effective compliance program.
D. ACCME Standards for Commercial Support – outlines appropriate use of commercial support. E. Open Payments (formerly the Sunshine Act) - a national disclosure program that promotes transparency by publishing the financial relationships between the medical industry and healthcare providers (physicians and hospitals) on a publicly accessible website developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The web site was designed to increase access to and knowledge about these relationships and to provide information to enable consumers to make informed decisions.

2.    Canada
Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies Code of Ethical Practices

3.    Mexico
CETIFARMA

IADR Latin American Region

4.    Brazil
Brazilian Research-Based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associate Code of Conduct

5.    Argentina
Camara Argentina de Especialidades Medicinales (CAEMA) Code of Practice

IADR Pan European Region

6.    European Union
For IADR meetings in Europe and the IADR Pan European Regions and Divisions, the European Federation of Pharmaceuticals Industries and Associations Code of Practice – EFPIA Code  “lays down a set of fundamental rules covering a range of activities such as medicines advertising in medical publications, contacts with sales representatives, and the supply of samples, gifts and hospitality.”

7.    United Kingdom
The ABPI Code of Practice for the Pharmaceutical Industry 2021

8.    Republic of Ireland
Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association Code of Practice

9.    Netherlands
Medicines

10.    Spain
Farmindustria and Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies (FENIN)

11.    Germany
Verband Forschender Arzneimittelhersteller (VFA)

12.    Denmark
Danish Health Authority

13.    Hungary
Hungarians National Code for Hungarian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association

14.    Finland
Pharma Industry Finland (PIF)

15.    Sweden
Lif Service AB (Lif)

16.    Norway
Norwegian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (LMI)

IADR Asia Pacific Region

17.    Australia
Medicines Australia Code of Conduct

18.    Japan
Japan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association (JPMA)

XII. Comments or Questions

Should you have any comments or questions regarding these corporate sponsorship policies, please contact the IADR at research@iadr.org.|