Programme Organisation
The programme will be organised into morning sessions of invited talks and discussion, all within a single session. This will be followed by oral presentations in parallel sessions from selected submitted abstracts. Two afternoon sessions of poster presentations will take place throughout the week. Poster sessions at ICQG are large and well attended, with ample time for discussion among colleagues.
Abstract Submission
When registering for ICQG7, you have to option to submit an abstract for either a poster or an oral presentation. Abstracts submitted for oral presentations will be reviewed by the ICQG7 committee and a number of these will be selected to be part of the programme. If your oral presentation is not selected, then you will be offered a poster presentation. Any area of Quantitative Genetics is welcome and we will prioritise unpublished results from researchers across career stages. We will also strive for a balance in the diversity in both the research areas covered and the presenters.
Coffee Breaks
During the session breaks, refreshments (coffee, tea, water and snack food) will be served free of charge to participants wearing name badges. To limit our environmental impact, the conference is exclusively vegetarian.
Lunch Breaks
Lunch will not be provided. However, within a ten minute walk is the city centre of Vienna and we will provide delegates with a list of affordable good quality lunch venues to suit all diets.
Sustainability
ICQG7 is committed to host an event that bears in mind the responsible use of resources, our environment and the use of sustainable conference materials. Hence, we would like to encourage all of our participants to keep these aspect in mind when attending the meeting.
What you can do: If travelling within Europe, please consider taking the lowest CO2 emission form of transport. You can also help by recycling your waste, using only the necessary amount of water and eating only those catering items that you know you will completely consume.
What we will do: To minimise waste, we will not be providing bags/pens and other plastic paraphernalia. Nor will we offer printed materials. Instead we will offer an online programme and an online abstract ebook. We will seek to provide a comfortable environment, whilst reducing air conditioning use to the absolute minimum.
Accessibility
The lecture halls and Arcaded Courtyard are wheelchair-accessible and each offer 4 wheelchair spaces. The stage area is accessible via a mobile ramp. The lecture halls all have an audio induction loop.
WIFI
WiFi is available throughout the conference venue and is free of use
Staff
If you should have any questions, the congress staff (recognizable by an orange t-shirt) at the registration area will be pleased to help you.
On-site registration opening hours:
Sunday, July 21: 13:00-19:00
Monday, July 22: 07:30-18:00
Tuesday, July 23: 07:30-09:00
Wednesday, July 24: 07:30-09:00
Thursday, July 25: 07:30-09:00
Friday, July 26: 07:30-09:00
Cloakroom and Luggage
There will not be a cloakroom or luggage storage area so please leave your suitcases in your hotel/accommodation luggage storage areas.
Conference Policy
Language
The official language of the conference is English. No simultaneous translation will be provided.
Pictures
Please note that taking pictures during the sessions is allowed, unless indicated otherwise by the presenter or the poster author. Persons who will not observe this rule will be excluded from the session by the chairpersons.
Smoking Policy
ICQG is officially a “No-smoking-Conference”. Note that smoking is banned in public buildings and private businesses – including restaurants, pubs, shops, public transport, entertainment venues and workplaces.
Social Media Guidelines
We support the use of social media to network with your colleagues and friends attending the meeting. Taking pictures in oral and poster sessions at the conferences is allowed, unless indicated differently by the author on one or all of their slides or their poster. Hence posting pictures or videos of presentations (in parts or as a whole) carrying a “no picture” symbol on any social media platform, blogs, or websites, etc., is strictly prohibited. Do not capture or redistribute data presented at conferences as this may jeopardise the subsequent publication of the data in a scientific journal. Powerpoint presentations marked with a “no picture” symbol must not be photographed under any circumstances. Do respect journal embargo policies and the work of your colleagues as we promote the presentation of unpublished results. The conference organisers reserve the right to use images taken at the conference with your photograph and/or likeness on social media. The conference organisers are NOT responsible for individual attendee’s use of your image or likeness.
Behaviour policy
ICQG7 seeks to foster a welcoming and productive environment. Harassment—sexual or otherwise—is antithetical to healthy scientific exchange. Delegates are expected to exhibit appropriate professional conduct in their interactions with all individuals whom they encounter in connection with their professional roles, including colleagues, students, researchers, laboratory and support staff, grantors, administrators, and others in the scientific community. Inappropriate professional behaviours include but are not limited to:
Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, colour, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, religion, disability, marital status, or other legally protected characteristics, and harassment or disparagement based on gender or other protected characteristics; Physical contact of any form that is uninvited and, in the situation, inappropriate, and unwelcome or coercive sexual attention; Intimidation, stalking, abusive, or threatening behaviour; Yelling at, or personally insulting colleagues or others in the scientific community, verbally or physically; Retaliation against individuals who raise conduct concerns or valid scientific criticism; Sales-oriented, self-promoting, or otherwise inappropriate comments.
The ICQG organisers reserve the right to assess whether an individual’s behaviour is consistent with these conduct expectations and, based on that assessment, the right to deny participation in the conference. We will take a zero tolerance policy and inappropriate behaviour will result in immediate delegate exclusion from the entire conference without refund.
Integrity
Delegates are expected to comply with the highest ethical standards such as honesty and courtesy. They should conduct themselves with appropriate behaviour and attitudes. Professional competence should be maintained which involves advancing knowledge and understanding of new scientific developments. Delegates are expected to: (i) abide by the prevailing ethical and legal norms of their profession; (ii) strive for objectivity in their professional activities through recognition, acknowledgment, and mitigation of intentional and unintentional biases; (iii) Act responsibly toward colleagues, the wider community and the public at large; (iv) treat colleagues and researchers with respect and courtesy, based on principles of equality and mutual respect for those with differing worldviews or from different cultures; (v) share research results and ideas honestly, giving proper credit for others’ contributions to their work; (vi) protect the privacy of individuals, families, and communities and maintain the confidentiality and security of genetic information and biospecimens; (vii) respect the confidential nature of research data entrusted to them.; (viii) follow best practices and abide by applicable laws in creating, storing, accessing, transferring, and disposing of personal health information and biospecimens; (ix) act fairly and provide complete, accurate and timely information to their colleagues, to the public, and to the media; (x) claim expertise only in fields where they have the necessary depth of knowledge, especially when contributing to public discussion or policy debate; (xi) not to make statements that are false, deceptive, or fraudulent concerning research, practice, or other work activities, or those of persons or groups with whom they are affiliated; (xii) present personal opinions as such; (xiii) disclose any potential conflicts of interest; and (xiv) report findings, including negative findings, accurately, completely, without distortion.
Cancellation of the conference
In the event that the conference cannot be held or is postponed due to events beyond the control of the conference organisers (force majeure), including but not limited to pandemic or epidemic situations, or due to events which are not attributable to wrongful intent or gross negligence of the conference organisers, the conference organisers cannot be held liable by delegates for any damages, costs, or losses incurred, such as but not limited to transportation costs, accommodation costs, costs for additional orders, financial losses, etc. Under these circumstances, the conference organisers reserve the right to either retain the entire payment and to credit it for a future conference, or to reimburse the buyers of the tickets after deducting costs already incurred for the organisation of the conference and which could not be recovered from third parties.
Modification of the programme
The conference organisers reserve the right to modify the programme. No refunds can be granted in case of cancellation of speakers, lack of space in the conference room or any other incidents during the conference which are beyond the control of the conference organisers. The delegate will be informed in time of any changes, postponements or cancellations. In case the conference is changed to a virtual format, all delegates can consume the services and content offered digitally via an interactive online live-stream, which represents an equivalent replacement for the services and content offered on-site.
Letter of Invitation
Individuals requiring an official Letter of Invitation from the conference organisers can request one through the online registration form or by contacting the ICQG 2024 conference email. To receive a Letter of Invitation, delegates must first register to the conference. The Letter of Invitation does not financially obligate the conference organisers in any way. All expenses incurred in relation to the conference, the registration and the attendance are the sole responsibility of the delegate.
Visa requirements
It is the sole responsibility of the delegate to take care of their visa requirements. Delegates who require an entry visa must allow sufficient time for the application procedure. Delegates should contact the nearest Austrian embassy or consulate to determine the appropriate timing of their visa applications. Note that Austrian embassies and consulates-general are independent decision-making agencies for visas. You cannot appeal against the rejection of a visa application, neither can the ICQG conference organisers intervene on your behalf in case of a rejection or to speed up the procedure. The conference organisers will not directly contact embassies and consulates on behalf of visa applicants.
Travel health-insurance: Individuals must have Schengen travel-health insurance for the duration of their stay. This insurance can be obtained from any approved insurer. Individuals need to check with the responsible embassy/consulate for a list of approved insurers available in their country. The visa will only be given for the dates that are covered by the insurance policy, which need to relate to the travel dates.
COVID-19 Measures
We wish to guarantee a safe conference for our delegates. To avoid the spread of Covid-19 and other infectious disease the conference organisers will strictly follow the rules stated at the time as issued by the Austrian authorities. In addition, the conference organisers have the right to implement even stricter regulations. For the duration of the conference, any legal regulations in force at the time of the event shall apply. Prior to the conference, delegate must inform themselves of all regulations on the official websites of the Austrian embassy or consulate in your country. With your registration and participation in the conference, you engage to comply with the applicable regulations. Please note, that regulations can change at short notice. Be aware that travel regulations may differ from country to country. By registering to the ICQG7 conference, the delegates agree to comply with all the national regulations and those stipulated by the ICQG conference organisers.
Data protection and sharing of contact details
The protection of your data and the observance of your right of informational self-determination with regard to the collection, processing and use of your personal data are important to us. The conference organisers will collect and store all personal data for the preparation and execution of the 7th International Conference of Quantitative Genetics 2024 (ICQG7). In accordance with data protection and other applicable laws, sensitive data will be deleted after the conference, whereas personal data, payment history and correspondence will be stored for the period prescribed by law (currently 7 years). As a rule the conference organisers will not store any credit card data. In order to facilitate border entry and visa applications, the organiser will share contact details of concerned delegates with Austrian immigration authorities, only if required by the authorities.
Further use of your data: Your consent provided, the conference organisers will contact you with regular newsletters ahead and during the meeting as well as with announcements of future ICQG conferences. You may unsubscribe of these mailings at any time, this will not affect official correspondence from the conference office. We will not provide any information to third parties.
Data Privacy information
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, processes the following personal data of the participants for the purpose of organising the event 7th International Conference of Quantitative Genetics 2024 (ICQG7) in compliance with data protection regulations:
- first name and surname
- address
Art 6 para 1 lit b GDPR serves as the legal basis for the aforementioned data processing. The processing of the aforementioned data is necessary for the fulfillment of the contract.
Unless otherwise stipulated by retention periods, your data will be stored for as long as necessary to fulfill the stated purpose.
The aforementioned personal data will only be passed on to third parties if this is permitted by law and is necessary for the fulfillment of a contractual relationship in accordance with Art 6 para 1 lit b GDPR.
For more information on how the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) processes your personal data, please refer to the general data privacy statement of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), which is available on the website https://ist.ac.at/en/data-protection/ .
Liability The delegate shall take part in the conference at his/her own risk. Oral agreements shall not be binding if these have not been confirmed in writing by the conference organisers. By purchasing a non-transferrable ticket for ICQG7, delegates agree that neither the organising committee nor the conference organisers assume any liability whatsoever. Delegates are requested to make their own arrangements for health and travel insurance. The non-transferrable ticket does not include insurance.