Criteria

  1. Must be a life member of the MASP for at least one year. Must be:
    1. presenting an oral free paper(s)/poster, or
    2. attending as an invited speaker, or
    3. representing the Society
  2. Must be attending one of the following meetings held outside Malaysia:
    1. World Congress of Pain (IASP)
    2. Congress of the Asian and Oceanic Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Management (AOSRA-PM)
    3. Congress of the Association of South East Asian Pain Societies (ASEAPS)
    4. Scientific Meeting/Congress of any ASEAPS member society
    5. Scientific meeting/Congress of any SIG of IASP (e.g. Neuropathic Pain SIG, Pain in Childhood SIG)
  3. Must apply in advance to the Executive Committee for approval before going for the conference
  4. For free papers, the study must not have been presented, in part or as a whole, at an overseas or international conference before. Note that
    1. Overseas conference refers to any scientific meeting/conference held outside Malaysia
    2. International conference refers to any scientific meeting/conference where the sponsoring body is a regional organisation
    3. Part of the study refers to previous presentation(s) in which similar conclusions were derived using data from the study.
  5. Must not have received a financial subsidy from the Society in the previous year, except when officially representing the MASP. This means that members are only allowed one subsidy every two years except when representing the Society.
  6. Must not have made any false declarations to the Society previously.
  7. Must obtain the agreement of the co-authors that he/she be allowed to present the paper.

Financial Consideration

  1. The amount of subsidy will depend on the region where the meeting is held, as well as the financial status of the MASP. As a guide, the maximum amounts are: •    The amount of subsidy shall not be more than the cost of conference registration (not including pre- or post- conference workshop), accommodation and airfare.
    •    Members who have received sponsorship from government agencies or private companies should declare in advance and are entitled to claim the amount for registration, accommodation and airfare that were not covered by the sponsorship, up to 50% of the subsidy for members who are fully self-funded. 
    •    For the World Congress on Pain (IASP), members who have received the financial aid award from the IASP are entitled to 50% of the maximum subsidy.
    1. Within ASEAN RM2000
    2. Asia/Australia RM3000
    3. Europe/Africa/North and South America RM5000
  2. Priority categories will be of the following order:
    1. Invited Key speakers (Plenary lecturers), with or without outside sponsorship
    2. Invited speakers without outside sponsorship
    3. Oral free paper presenters without outside sponsorship
    4. Invited speakers with outside sponsorship
    5. Oral free paper presenters with outside sponsorship
    6. Presenters of poster presentations, with or without outside sponsorship
  3. Designated Conferences
    At the beginning of each financial year, the Executive Committee will decide which upcoming conferences will be designated as conferences for which members may apply for a subsidy. The Exco will also decide the total amount of subsity that the Society can afford, based on its current financial status. 
  4. Priority will be given to IASP World Congress, AOSRA-PM Congress, ASEAPS Congress, and to conferences within the ASEAN region
  5. Limiting the total amount of subsidy per conference (Capping)
    1. The Executive Committee reserves the right to set a lower limit to the amount of subsidy to be given to each successful applicant, in accordance to the financial status of the Society as well as the number of applicants for subsidy
    2. Applications for subsidy are not automatically approved, even if they fulfil all the required criteria. In the event that there are more applicants than available funds, the Executive Committee reserves the right to prioritise the approval of applicants according to the following list: 
      1. Invited Key speakers (e.g. Plenary lecture, Keynote speaker), with or without other forms of sponsorship
      2. Invited speakers without other forms of sponsorship
      3. Oral free paper presenters without other forms of sponsorship
      4. Invited speakers with other forms of sponsorship
      5. Oral free paper presenters with other forms of sponsorship
      6. Presenters of poster presentations, with or without other forms of sponsorship 
  6. Delegates appointed by the Society will automatically enjoy the subsidy without need for further application. Such appointments must be recorded in the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings.

Approval of subsidy for invited speakers/presenters of free papers

  1. Selection Committee
    Composition:
    1. Executive committee of MASP, or any committee appointed by the Executive committee of the MASP
  2. Function:
    1. To review the submitted abstracts and make a decision
  3. Selection Process
    1. A copy of the letter of invitation or acceptance of poster / free paper, together with the abstract of the presentation, must be sent to the Executive Committee.
    2. The cover letter accompanying the application must include the following:
      1. a declaration by the applicant that all the criteria have been met
      2. a declaration by the applicant of all financial support obtained from other sources for the purpose of attending the conference. Note that if an application for financial aid has been made but the result is not yet known, this information must be included in the application.
      3. a declaration by the applicant that agreement of the co-authors, that the applicant be allowed to present the paper, has been received
      4. a statement by the applicant agreeing to the decision of the Executive Committee with regard to the application and amount of subsidy granted
    3. The Hon Secretary will inform unsuccessful applicants within a reasonable time interval. Unsuccessful applicants may appeal to the Executive Committee. The decision of the Executive Committee when considering an appeal will be final.
    4. Reimbursement will be done by the Treasurer after the conference with official receipt and proof of attendance. Documents for reimbursement must be received within 3 months of the conference. If relevant documents are not received, the Executive committee reserves the right to withhold the subsidy. 

This policy is subject to review from time to time by the Executive Committee and will depend on the prevailing financial position of the Society.

 

Adopted by Executive Committee on 18 March 2021