ESR Guiding Principles
The ESR has adopted guiding principles governing its activities and conduct, as well as its interaction with external stakeholders, including industry.
The European Society of Radiology (ESR) is an apolitical, non-profit organisation, dedicated to promoting and coordinating the scientific, philanthropic, intellectual and professional activities of Radiology in all European countries. The Society’s mission at all times is to serve the health care needs of the general public through the support of science, teaching and research and the quality of service in the field of Radiology.
The ESR has adopted below guiding principles governing its activities and conduct, as well as its interaction with external stakeholders, including industry.
- The ESR is guided by the principles of independence, quality, objectivity, and transparency when carrying out its mission.
- The ESR statutes and information on the ESR’s funding sources are publicly available on its website.
- The ESR members, convened in the General Assembly, are its ultimate decision making body.
- The members of ESR’s Executive Council, committees, subcommittees and working groups work for the society on a voluntary basis and do not receive remuneration other than coverage of their travel expenses.
- The ESR developed a code of ethics for its members, which represents a set of ethical principles and professional responsibilities to guide radiologists’ conduct in their relationships with patients, colleagues, employers, industry, authorities and society
The ESR recognises that partnerships are essential when striving to fulfil and advance its mission and that such partnerships may include the medical industry.
- In the course of its activities, the ESR may thus engage in partnerships with commercial or for profit entities and accept funding such as grants, sponsorships or fee for services from companies (such as participation in the industrial exhibition of its annual congress).
- Such funding is always based on the common respect of strict ethical principles governing the relationship between the radiology profession and the medical industry and should be governed by clearly understood and agreed upon terms.
- Both parties always maintain professional autonomy, independence and commitment to the principles of medical science and research.
- The ESR will disclose any grant from a commercial or for profit entity that specifically supports a given activity or specific project in the frame of this activity or project.
- In regard to the ESR’s CME and CPD activities, support from commercial or for profit entities shall be limited to the provision of educational grants to ensure that these entities do not exert influence on the selection of topics or other contents, the development of educational material as well as on the selection of speakers.
- Industry-organised sessions and symposia at the ESR’s congresses shall be clearly identified as such and shall not be considered CME activities.