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As of 16 October 2012
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Registration
Q. How can I register to attend the Second Global Symposium and what is the cost of registration?
A. Registration (with information on fees) is now open until 31 August 2012. Early bird fees are available until 30 June. We recommend that you apply for your Chinese visa as soon as your registration has been completed (including payment) and you have received your official invitation / visa support letter.
Q. What is included in the registration fee?
A. The participation fee includes entry to all Symposium sessions, exhibition, poster area and the opening and closing sessions, as well as the welcome reception, refreshments during the meeting, three lunches, and one dinner.
Q. What methods of payment can I use? Can my payment be cancelled?
A. You can pay either by credit card (Visa and MasterCard) or bank transfer.If registration is cancelled before 1 October, 80% of the fee will be reimbursed. If cancelled after 1 October, registration is considered as definitive and the fee will not be reimbursed. Reimbursements will be processed in December.
Q. Can I pay in currencies other than Chinese Yuan (RMB)?
We are only able to accept payments in Chinese yuan due to banking regulations in China. All billing amounts in the registration system are shown in Chinese Yuan Renminbi.
Q. Is it possible to register and pay for a group of people?
A. If payment is being made for a group of people, the group coordinator should use the following process:
- Register each member of the group individually.
- At the end of the registration process, select “pay by bank transfer later”.
- RECORD THE ORDER NUMBERS, ONE FOR EACH PERSON, PROVIDED WITH REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION.
- When the group has registered, send the names and order numbers of all members to Bao (Alex) Xiaolan at .
- Bao Xiaolan will provide an invoice and bank transfer information for the entire group.
Late registration for the Symposium?
Q. I have missed all the deadlines for registration; can I still participate in the Symposium?
A. Yes. On-site registration is now possible. You should come in person to the Beijing International Conference Centre on 31 October. Opening hours are 07:00 – 17:00.
Late registration fees, which include membership in the new society Health Systems Global, are US$ 1,100 (RMB 6,820) for participants from high-income countries and US$ 500 (RMB 3,100) for participants from low- and middle-income countries. You may pay in cash (in US dollars and/or yuan) or by credit card (Visa and MasterCard).
Visa and accommodation
Q. Do I need a visa to enter China?
A. Nationals of almost all countries require a visa to enter China. We suggest that you contact the Chinese Embassy nearest to you for information. Delegates are strongly encouraged to apply for their visa as soon as possible to ensure that it is issued on time, as the procedure usually takes between 6 and 8 weeks, sometimes longer, depending on the season and the country in which you are applying.
Q. How do I get an official visa support letter to accompany my visa application?
A. Visa support letters will only be issued to delegates who have registered and paid (or participants who are being funded by the Symposium Secretariat to attend). Full passport details will be requested at the time of registration. Visa support letters will be sent (in electronic format) to the e-mail address provided in the registration form as soon as they have been processed. Your visa support letter will be faxed automatically to the Embassy to which you are applying for your visa.
The visa support letter does not financially oblige the Symposium organizers in any way. All expenses incurred in relation to the Symposium are the sole responsibility of the delegate.
Q. Who should I use as a contact in Beijing when completing my visa application form?
A. Professor Dong Zhe
Chief Operation Officer
Institute for Global Health
Peking University
Tel: +
Fax:
Email:
Q. How can I book accommodation in Beijing?
A. Hotel bookings, with preferential rates, can be made through the registration system.
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Interpretation and translation
Q. What languages will be used at the Symposium?
A. The official language of the conference is English. However all plenary sessions will be interpreted into French and Spanish. In addition, when concurrent sessions are running, the session taking place in the main hall will be interpreted into French and Spanish (between 9.30 and 18.00 for the Spanish). Chinese to English and English to Chinese interpretation will be available in the main hall during the morning of 1 November only.
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Abstract submissions and preparation
Q. Where can I submit an abstract to the Symposium?
A. Individual abstracts, organised sessions and film submissions are now closed.
Q. When will I know if my abstract has been accepted?
A. Acceptances and rejections of organised sessions have been conveyed to session organisers and presenters. If you have not heard anything, please contact the Symposium at
Q. Who selected the abstracts and decided how they will be presented?
A. All abstracts submitted to the Symposium have gone through a peer-review process carried out by an international review panel drawn from the Scientific Committee.
Each abstract was reviewed by an average of 5 reviewers, who each allocated a score. The highest scoring abstracts were then sent to the Programme Working Group for final selection. This committee will also decide which abstracts will be presented orally and as posters.
Q. When will I know on which day my presentation is scheduled?
A. The Symposium Secretariat will notify the accepted session organisers and the presenters of individual abstracts and films of the day their presentation is scheduled. You will also be able to verify the Programme agenda schedule on our web site by the end of August.
Q. Will I be able to make modifications on my session or update information on my abstract?
A. Yes, minor changes to your accepted submission (for an organized session, individual presentation, poster presentation or online book of abstracts) are permitted – EXCEPT for presenters’ names. Changes should be made before 15 August 2012 through the following link: http://hsr2012.abstractsubmit.org/. If you do not remember the username or password, you can request a password reset (which has a username reminder) by using the email address you used for the account at http://hsr2012.abstractsubmit.org/accounts/password/reset/.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Edits to organized sessions must be made by the person who originally submitted the organized session proposal.
- Requests for changes to presenter(s) must be submitted directly to the Symposium Secretariat at with a justification.
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Information for poster presenters
The poster presentation is an opportunity for presenters to share the results of projects and studies with other Symposium participants. The posters will be displayed in a central, high-traffic location next to the entrance of the plenary hall. Posters were selected for presentation based on the external review of abstracts by an objective and independent group of experts in the field. There will be a poster competition to help highlight exceptional presentations.
Q. Symposium Registration
A.All designated poster presenters must be registered to attend the Symposium for their poster to be shown. Please note that registration closes on 31 August 2012, after which those who have not registered will have their posters removed from the Symposium’s programme.
Q. Recognition
A. All poster presenters will receive a certificate of recognition. Additional distinctions can be earned through the poster competition.
Q. Poster schedule and display
A. Posters will be displayed on all three days of the symposium (1 November to 3 November) from 9:30-18:00. Each poster will be displayed for one day only. Presenters will be notified of the day of their poster presentation and will be expected to set-up their poster at an assigned location in the morning and take it down at the end of the day. Materials necessary for hanging the posters (tape or thumbtacks) will be available at the conference centre.
Q. Poster dimensions
A. Total poster size should be equal to or smaller than 100 cm in height and 80 cm in width.
Q. Production and transport
A. Posters should be printed prior to the Symposium on paper or lightweight cardboard. There will not be printing facilities at the Symposium. All materials must be transported to and from the venue by the presenter. It will not be possible to send the poster directly to the conference venue in advance of the Symposium.
Q. Design restrictions
A. All text should be in English. Efforts should be made to create posters that are as professional and visually appealing as possible. Posters that are clearly inappropriate – for example, using a font size that cannot be read from an arm’s length from the poster – may be removed. It is not acceptable to post the pages of a research article in place of a poster.
Q. The poster competition
A. his year the Symposium will feature a poster competition. Each presenter will have their poster judged collaboratively by a young researcher and a senior researcher. The judging criteria will include: effectiveness of spoken presentation, poster clarity and design, scientific rigour of research, and calibre of answers to judges’ questions.
There will be a small number of winners each day. All winners will be announced at the closing plenary session and will receive a certificate of distinction and small prize.
Best of luck to all poster presenters, we look forward to learning about your work!
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Satellite sessions and Marketplace
Q. What are Satellite sessions?
A. Satellite sessions take place either inside or outside the conference center -- outside the hours of the Symposium agenda -- and are fully organised and coordinated by the organisation hosting the satellite (private company, government agency, institution or NGO). Fees are based on the time and room capacity, and the Symposium Secretariat will allocate slots according to availability on the programme. The contents and speakers of the satellite meetings will be reviewed to ensure that they meet the scientific and ethical principles of the Symposium. Fee waivers may be provided for open satellite sessions organised by not-for-profit organisations.
Registration is open until 15 August.
Q. What is the Marketplace?
A. Satellite sessions are scheduled to allow organizations to take advantage of the presence of participants in Beijing. Some of these gatherings (such as board meetings) are by invitation only; others are open for participants to join in freely. The Marketplace is a large area at the Symposium consisting of exhibitions and networking areas, available throughout the event. It is an ideal opportunity to display your projects, new initiatives, research results, publications or present your point of view to other participants, provided that these are relevant to the theme of the Second Global Symposium for Health Systems Research. There are both booths and “take-away” tables available for a fee.
Q. What are the benefits of having a Marketplace stall?
A. All exhibiting organisations will be listed in the printed programme and on the Symposium website. All Symposium coffee breaks and lunches will be served in the Marketplace area, providing regular and extensive contact with all participants.
Q. Does Marketplace registration include a Symposium registration?
A. Payment for standard booths is for the booth only. Exhibitors must also be registered for the Symposium. That fee covers not only access to the sessions, but also lunches, the welcome reception, Symposium dinner and other social activities.
Registration (with information on fees and logistics) is open until 15 August.
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Travel awards and scholarships
Q: Is funding available to help people attend the Symposium?
Yes. Some participants from [PDF 22KB] will be fully funded to participate in the Symposium -- the costs of travel, food and accommodation, as well as registration fees, will be covered. Priority will be given to those whose participation will help enhance their work in their own communities and are able to assist in the transfer of skills and knowledge acquired at the Symposium, and to those whose abstracts or organized sessions have been selected for the programme.
Although every attempt will be made to assist as many people as possible to attend, we regret that the number of scholarships that will be allocated is limited. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to pursue funding from other sources as well.
Q. How do I apply for a travel award?
A. This is only available for those who have submitted abstracts, and abstract submission is now closed.
Q. I have applied for a travel award to present my abstract, but I have not received a decision from the Secretariat yet. I will look for other funding sources if I do not receive this, and consequently I do not want to miss the early-bird registration fee deadline of 30 June. What should I do if I do not hear about my travel request by then?
A. We anticipate that decisions will be made about all submitted abstracts by mid-June. Decisions regarding scholarships will be made between mid-June and the end of August.
If you have applied for a scholarship and are waiting to hear whether it has been accepted, please go online and register now BUT DO NOT PAY. If we are not in a position to fund your participation at the Symposium, we will extend the early bird registration rate to you until 31 August, given that a decision may not be reached about other financial support until after the early-bird deadline. Following registration, please forward your email confirmation to , including in the subject EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION, APPLIED FOR SCHOLARSHIP, Registration Order No. ...... and your Family Name.
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Other information
Q. Who are the Second Global Symposium organisers and partnering institutions?
The Symposium is being hosted by Peking University Health Sciences Centre, and co-sponsored by the World Health Organization through the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), and BRAC University. There are a number of Financial Contributors.
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Participant Information
