ERA Education Meetings

 

Definition and aims

The ERA Education Meetings are educational and interactive events to be held separately from the annual Congress and in collaboration with the National Societies of Nephrology (participating in the ERA National Societies Membership Project).

They are designed to be meetings with educational presentations focusing on clinical issues, from diagnosis to prevention and therapy.

Each event will last 2 half days, with lectures and practical/hands-on sessions.

The meetings are organised in the on-site-only format. No virtual or on-demand sessions are provided.

The content of the programme is prepared by the Meeting Scientific Committee and should normally be taken from the presentations given at the most recent annual ERA Congress, including the CME Courses, and/or any other relevant ERA educational content (i.e. Neph-Manual, E-seminars, etc.).

 

I. Scientific committee composition and election procedure

1. The ERA Education Meetings’ committee will have 7 members: a Chair and 4 ordinary members nominated by ERA and 2 ordinary members nominated by the National Society hosting the meeting
2. The Chair must be the Renal Science Chair
3. Committee members are the ERA Secretary General, the CME Chair, the SAB Chair and the YNP Chair
4. All Committee members will remain in the committee for the duration of their terms of the respective role;
5. 2 National representatives should be instead nominated by the hosting National Society of Nephrology
6. Communication among members of the ERA Education Meetings committee will normally be organised via teleconference with support from the ERA HQ
7. During voting held within the committee, in case of an equal number of votes/scores, the Chair has the casting vote

 

II. Duties of committee members

1. The main objectives of ERA Education Meetings are the following:
   • The organisation of high-quality educational events (e.g. interactive CMEs) addressing the educational needs of the local nephrological community using ERA educational content
   • Engagement of young investigators, particularly from the YNP
   • Acquisition of industry support (e.g. unrestricted grants)
2. The ERA Education Meetings’ Committee will prepare the general programme of each meeting considering the main objectives mentioned above specifically taking into consideration the most attended CME sessions of the previous Congress, based on the needs of the local National Society
3. The programme must then be approved by the Council
4. In defining the programme, the National Societies may eventually involve 1 or more ERA Working Groups and/or committees / task forces for consultation on specific topics
5. The ERA Education Meeting’s programme must be harmonised with the CME programme held during the Annual Congress: repetition from the CME programme may be accepted if the session was very well attended (a large number of participants, good feedback, etc.)
6. The ERA Education Meetings’ Committee is supported in its activities and duties by the ERA HQ and the officially appointed PCO (if any)
7. The ERA Education Meetings’ Chair must normally give a report to the Council on an annual basis, if an event is organized in the said year, both regarding the planning but, in particular, after the event for the final report (scientific/educational and financial)
8. Diplomas for the ERA Education Meetings’ Committee members. For this matter one should refer to the appropriate section in the “General Rules For ERA Committees”.

 

III. Open Call for National Societies

1. The main aim is to strengthen the collaboration with the National Societies of Nephrology participating in the ERA National Societies Membership Project. To this end, an open call will be launched each year to assign the commitment to 2 National Societies that will organise one event each
2. The ERA geographical area is divided into four geographical areas and the ERA Education Meetings are organised in those areas where the Congress is not held that year (to be defined year by year)
3. An open call is launched to involve the National Societies of Nephrology in hosting the meeting and thus being part of the ERA Education Meetings’ Committee (in charge of defining the programme topics and speakers)
4. The call will be normally launched immediately after the congress and remain open 6 weeks
5. The annual open call will include the following requirements (prepared by the ERA HQ in collaboration with the PCO):
   • Eligible countries
   • Dates of the two annual meetings
   • Minimum requirements for facilities (hotels, meeting rooms, etc.), accessibility, maximum costs, etc.
6. When applying, the candidate National Society of Nephrology must provide the following information:
   • Proposed programme and topics specifying the eventual ERA WGs involved
   • Only if hands-on courses are requested by the National Society, the National Society must be in charge of securing support (in kind support) of the company / companies in charge of providing the equipment needed to perform said course. The National Society is also in charge of finalising all the agreements with said company / companiesand ensuring that there are enough devices as well as patients available (if needed) to conduct the course smoothly. Any other equipment (i.e. disposables) needed to perform the course are also the responsibility of the National Society.
   • Proposed venues that are compliant with ERA’s requirements

 

IV. Various

1.Speakers

All the ERA Education Meetings’ Speakers must be ERA members. 50% of the speakers should be proposed by the local organisers. All speakers should receive the same benefits as the annual ERA Congress Speakers: all the details can be found in the appropriate section of the “Specifications for Organising the ERA’s Congresses and Meetings”.

Speakers of these meetings cannot use the ERA CME/Congress presentation slides prepared by other speakers.

2. Attendance

Each event is reserved to max 250 attendees. Only ERA members can attend the ERA Education Meetings. A registration fee is required. Discounted fee is reserved for YNP members.

3. Travel Grants

ERA Education Meetings’ participants can receive Travel Grants to attend. To apply for a Travel Grant an appropriate form must be filled in by all applicants. The Travel Grant amounts are calculated according to the residence of the ERA Member as indicated in the “Travel Grant chart for fellowships and CME”. The Travel Grant includes free registration to the event.

4. Organisation

The logistical and practical aspects of the ERA Education Meetings will normally be organised by the ERA with the eventual support of an appointed PCO.

5. Sponsorships

Sponsorships are welcome. If any are available these will be managed by the appointed PCO.

6. Finances

All costs to organize the meeting will be paid by ERA.

ERA’s appointed PCO (Professional Congress Organizer) will collect all the registration fees, the exhibition fees and other incomes from the event, and will pay all the bills related to the organisation of the event.

In case of a financial loss, ERA will sustain it without claiming any support from the National Society of Nephrology, similarly, if the meeting produces a surplus, this will be kept by ERA.

In the event of a profit, the funds will be used to provide additional travel grants for members to attend these types of meetings.

 

Last update: July 2024