FAQs

Following the success of last year’s first virtual Symposium and the ongoing challenges caused by the global pandemic, the MND Association’s 32nd International Symposium on ALS/MND in December 2021 will once again be held online.

As many of you know we were due to be hosted in Basel by Verein ALS Schweiz and we have consulted in detail with the team there, the International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations and other organisations closely affiliated to the Symposium in making this decision. While there is increasing confidence that current restrictions will be considerably reduced by the end of the year, we do not have the logistical or financial certainty we need to go ahead with planning an on-site event of the scale and international reach of the Symposium.

Instead we are looking forward to working with everyone involved to build on the success of the 2020 online event, which received such positive feedback from a record number of delegates and participating countries.

Further details, including abstract submission instructions, will be provided in the near future.

We hope you will join us to ensure that this year’s event is even more successful in fostering exchange of knowledge and information, and catalysing new ideas and collaborations that take us closer to understanding, treating and defeating ALS/MND.

We would be so grateful for your support. You can find the various sponsorship opportunities available for this year's virtual event on the Sponsorship page of the website.

Please contact Pauline Frear on +44 (0) 1604 611695 or pauline.frear@mndassociation.org, to discuss your requirements and find out if there is a bespoke package we can put together for you.

Registration rates for this year's event are TBC. We do not offer a day rate, as delegates are expected to attend all days of the conference.

There are no reduced rates for students.

Usually, people with MND are charged the early bird (discounted) rate, and one accompanying carer will be able to attend for free. Registration rates for this year's event are TBC.

Whilst the event is aimed primarily at scientists and healthcare professionals, there is an opportunity for people with MND to attend, via the Patient Fellows Programme managed by the ALS Therapeutic Development Institute (ALSTDI). This allows some people with MND to be funded to attend the Symposium and then share their experiences via an article or social media.

We are currently exploring the possibility for this year's event.

Unfortunately there will be no certificates of attendance supplied for the 31st Symposium from December 2020. Due to the event being virtual for the first time and an inability to accurately record individuals attendance the decision was made that we will be unable to provide these. However, you should have your receipt for registration and confirmation email should you require proof of registration.

For previous symposia, please email your request to our conference team at symposium@mndassociation.org.

Abstract submission dates for the 32nd Symposium in December 2021 will be available in due course. Sign up for regular Symposium updates so that you don't miss any important dates and announcements.

If you have any specific queries, please email abstracts@mndassociation.org.

After the abstract submission system has closed and the abstracts have been reviewed, corresponding authors will be notified about their abstract decision. If you have been accepted, further instructions on how to submit your presentation materials will be provided to you.

Successful abstracts are usually published and available to view on this website around November time.

Abstracts from previous years can be found online on the Past Symposia page and on the Taylor & Francis website.

At the Virtual Symposium, posters are available to view on-demand in the ePoster Hall so delegates can "virtually wander around" at any time during the event. Here, each poster was supported with a ‘lightning explainer’ video by the authors to summarise their research within 3 minutes, as well as their poster PDF and abstract as handouts, to allow work to be shared in an easily digestible format. Live Poster Sessions give presenting authors the opportunity to discuss their work live with small groups of delegates. Find out more on the poster presentation page.

Last year we had around 400 posters displayed at the Virtual 31st Symposium, you can read the abstracts online.

At the traditional Symposium, the Poster Prize is usually awarded to presenting authors of the best biomedical and clinical posters. Find out more about 2019 winners on the Poster Prize page. We are currently exploring the option for this at our virtual event this year.

For the Virtual Symposium, posters will not have to be printed but author(s) will have to submit a PDF of the poster along with a three minute ‘lightning explainer’ video (as a YouTube or Vimeo URL) to present their research in the ePoster Hall that is available to view throughout the meeting. Live poster sessions take place on each day of the event for authors to discuss their work live with delegates.

More information on the poster presentation page.

We also do not usually supply certification of poster presentation. Please use the confirmation of poster acceptance email should you require proof of this.