Engagement with the IPC Industry

Purpose

As the peak body for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in the Australasian region, the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) recognises the important role commercial organisations have within IPC and our role in facilitating engagement between our members and industry.

This policy guides how ACIPC engages with commercial organisations in an open and transparent manner.

Scope

This policy applies to all engagements between ACIPC and commercial organisations. The policy applies to the board, committees, and individual members (including staff members, consultants and contractors).

Policy Statement

The College will always engage with commercial organisations openly and transparently and within the scope of these guidelines.

Conflicts of Interest

Any actual, perceived, or potential conflict of interest must be declared and notified in writing to the Executive Manager, executive@acipc.org.au.

Conflicts of interest will arise and should not be considered inherently wrong; they can and do occur without anyone being at fault. However, it is vital they are disclosed and managed effectively so members perform their roles in a fair and unbiased way. Conflicts of interest may arise through personal or financial relationships with organisations or individuals. Managing conflicts of interest openly and transparently ensures the College and individuals are protected.

Variations to Engagements

Any variations or engagements that are not covered by this policy require written approval. Please contact the Executive Manager, executive@conferencedesign.com.au.

ACIPC Annual Conference

ACIPC’s annual conference is our primary forum for commercial organisations to engage with the College and our members.

Sponsorship & Exhibition

The conference sponsorship and exhibition packages provide opportunities to promote commerical organisations to our members and to engage with conference attendees. These packages are commercially focussed and allow commerical organisations to promote their organisation, services and products. The packages available can be found on the conference website, acipcconference.com.au. Commercial organisations can discuss participation and the inclusions for different packages with our conference team.

Not-for-profits and Charities

The College provides special rates to exhibit at the conference for other not-for-profit organisations registered with the acnc.gov.au, charities.govt.nz or equivalent.

Conference Program

The conference program is not open to any commercial organisations or speakers from commercial organisations.

Funding Related to Submitted Presentations

ACIPC recognises the considerable contribution industry partners make to professional and research activities. The College recognises the need for transparency and the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by acknowledging these relationships in publications and presentations. All authors and presentations must include a disclosure of all funding sources.

Commercial Talks and Demonstrations

Sponsors and exhibitors may be invited to submit a talk or demonstration for presentation in the exhibition hall during a conference. This opportunity gives conference supporters the ability to enhance their profile and showcase products and services. Talks and demonstrations will be scheduled during conference breaks in the exhibition hall. All talks and demonstrations are subject to approval by ACIPC. Visit the acipcconference.com.au website.

Other Opportunities for Engaging Conference Attendees

After reviewing the conference packages, acipcconference.com.au, if commercial organisations wish to submit a variation of a package or a new package, they can submit a proposal in writing to the conference team. All proposals will be evaluated in line with our principals for engaging with commercial organisations.

Corporate Memberships

The College does not offer corporate memberships. Our individual memberships are open to anyone who has an interest in IPC, which includes representatives from commercial organisations in the IPC industry. Individual members from commercial organisations do not receive any priority, additional benefits, or waivers regarding our policy for commercial engagements.

Endorsements

The College does not provide any endorsements for commercial organisations, products or services. Co-hosting or co-branding events or participation in any event hosted by the College does not imply any endorsement.

IPC Consultancy

The College does not provide commercial IPC consultancy. For example, we do not provide reviews of IPC management plans, outbreak management plans, or policies for commercial organisations.

We do not recommend individuals for commercial engagements. It is important to note, not all our members provide IPC consulting services and not all IPC consultants are members of the College. You may wish to refer to our credentialling section to see members who are recognised as primary, advanced or expert Infection Control Professionals.

We do not provide contact details for any members. If an organisation is seeking to connect with an IPC expert, we have paid advertising options that can be considered. www.acipc.org.au/advertising.

Any College member engaged to provide IPC advice is not representing ACIPC. The engagement of a member does not indicate endorsement by the College. The College does not provide endorsement of individuals providing commercial IPC services.

Member Forums

No commercial material is posted or shared in our member forums, Infexion Connexion or Aged Care Connexion. Any commercial content posted will be deleted and the user may be removed without notice.

Paid Advertising

IPC NEWS newsletter advertising

The College produces a monthly A4 PDF newsletter IPC News for our stakeholders with updates on the College’s activities, journal articles, and general IPC news. All paid content will be labelled as ‘paid content’ when published. All content is to be approved by the College. More information is provided on our website:  www.acipc.org.au/advertising.

Latest News website advertising

The College has a latest news section on our website where we can share paid advertising. All paid content will be labelled as ‘paid content’ when published. All content is to be approved by the College. More information is provided on our website:  www.acipc.org.au/advertising.

Professional Development Events

The College is sometimes approached to co-host or co-brand IPC professional development events, such as webinars or roadshows. The College will only consider co-hosting or co-branding events that are solely educational and have no sales or product promotion in the program.

Co-hosting or co-branding requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and can be sent to office@acipc.org.au with the following information:

• The title of the proposed event
• An overview of the main topic(s)
• An outline of the educational outcomes expected for attendees
• Details of all presentations and speakers
• A professional profile of 200 – 300 words for each speaker demonstrating their IPC and/or subject matter expertise
• The proposed date and time
• The proposed format – in-person or online
• If the session will be recorded for members who cannot attend
• The proposed cost for our members to attend and what is included
• Confirmation that no commercial services or products will be promoted directly or indirectly during the program

Approval

The College will review the material provided and will confirm if we wish to co-host or co-brand the event. No discussion will be entered into if we decide not to co-host or co-brand an event.

Promotion by the College

If the College agrees to co-host or co-brand an event, the organiser will provide marketing collateral to the College, including graphics. We will determine how and when we promote the event to our members, including via our newsletter, email, website and/or social media. All promotion will be at our discretion, including the channels and frequency of promotion. No discussion will be entered into regarding promotion.

Host Requirements

The host organisation is responsible for:

• marketing collateral required by the College
• promoting the event through their own channels
• all arrangements and costs associated with the event, including marketing material, taking and managing bookings, venue, online platforms, speakers, catering, course materials.
• certificates of attendance, including confirming any continuing education points or hours
• public liability insurance for in-person events

Use of the College Name and Logo

The use of our name and logo on all material must be approved in writing.

Research Funding Partners

The College is committed to supporting innovative and collaborative research to facilitate better health outcomes. To achieve this, organisations, including commercial organisations, may be invited to contribute to a specific grant fund. Funding partners will not be involved in the assessment and selection of projects. Administration and governance of a grant fund will remain solely with the ACIPC Board and, where delegated, the Research, Grants, and Scholarships Committee.

Whilst contributing to research funding is not a commercial opportunity, the College will acknowledge funding partners in the grant documentation, for example, by listing partners and including logos. Contributing to an ACIPC grant fund does not provide any rights or benefits in relation to individual projects that receive funds through the grant fund.

Special Interest Group Support

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide networks for members with a particular interest to develop their professional skills, exchange views and information, and to guide the career aspirations of junior members. SIG membership and SIG events are open to all financial members of the College. Commercial organisations may wish to support a meeting of a Special Interest Group meeting by providing funding for catering. Any support is restricted to a maximum of $1,000 per meeting. Support will be acknowledged by the SIG chair but does not provide any benefits such as branding, logos, naming rights, speaking opportunities, displays, or distribution of marketing material. Commercial organisations are not permitted to host events for SIGs, such as dinners.