What kind of work can be submitted?

Any professional and innovative idea or research work from the field of aesthetic medicine can be submitted. Examples include, but are not limited to, pre-clinical or clinical work, innovations in the field of anatomy or novel observations from daily clinical practice.

 

Who can submit their work?

Submissions are encouraged from ambitious talents who wish to share their innovative concepts with a global community of experts. Candidates can be researchers or practitioners, including senior residents, fellows or clinicians in aesthetic practice.

 

The submitted abstract will be divided into two categories: HCPs with less than 5 years of experience and HCPs with more than 5 years of experience. An expert panel will consider the individual’s level of experience when evaluating the work. While co-authored works may be submitted, only the submitter will be considered for the competition. Current or past Merz consultants or trainers are allowed to submit a scientific abstract.

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Please be aware that employees of pharmaceutical/aesthetics companies cannot be considered for this initiative.

 

Where and when can work be submitted?

Your scientific abstract must be submitted at innovationforum.merz.com. The submission will start on January 25th 2022 and will end on May 8th 2022. Possible deadline extensions will be announced on the website.

 

Are there any formal framework conditions for the preparation of the scientific abstract?

Yes. The scientific abstract must be structured like a classic academic paper and should be structured as follows, separated by paragraphs:

Title

Name of Author

Introduction

Material and Methods

Results

Conclusion

 

The work must be described in a PDF with a maximum of 400 words and maximum 4 graphs/images in English language.

 

What happens after submission?

After the submission deadline, Merz Aesthetics together with an independent international expert panel appointed by Merz Medical Affairs will review all submitted work per category and chose each five best submissions. Criteria for the panel’s choices are: (1) level of innovation, (2) practical relevance/potential, (3) methodology, (4) presentation, (5) at the panel’s discretion. Merz will not use your work results for any other than the described purpose, unless explicitly agreed with the submitter. However, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

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What if my work is shortlisted?

The finalists per category are asked to produce a short video about their work. A professional video team will edit and cut the videos and publish them on an external online platform from Merz Medical Affairs. The winner will have the chance to give a live lecture during the Merz Aesthetics Expert Summit. Each lecture must be held in English.

 

How is the winner chosen and what is the prize?

The published video will be rated by the expert panel (50%) along with the aesthetic community (50%) by voting. The finalist with the highest score will be declared the winner of the Innovation Forum 2022 per category and will be invited to hold a lecture during the Merz Expert Summit 2022. The winner’s lecture must be held in English. The other 8 finalists will be invited to participate at the MEXS in-person in Vienna. Winner and finalists will be fully compensated for travel and accommodation. A honorarium will not be paid.

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