What is a Sponsor, what is Sponsorship?
Sponsors and sponsorship have very precise definitions established by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Canada:
A sponsor is an individual, group, corporation or organization who contributes funds, goods or services to support accredited educational activities, learning resources, or tools.
Sponsorship is the process by which individuals, groups, corporations or organizations provide support (financial or in-kind contributions) to a CPD organizer to support an accredited educational activity, learning resource, or tool.
CPD has many opportunities for industry to support continuing professional development programs. We make it easy to connect with over 38,000 global learners each year.
Download the Policy on Sponsorship for financial and in-kind support.
The Process and Next Steps
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As a general guiding principle, Continuing Education (CE) must be free of commercial influence, based on best scientific evidence, and focused on improving the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour of learners. Some key considerations:
- Health care professionals must maintain professional autonomy and independence in relations with industry
- Accredited events and programs must be fair, balanced and free of commercial bias.
- Acceptable commercial support must be distinct from activities intended to promote the marketing of a particular product
- The choice of speakers, subjects of presentations, travel arrangements, registration, expenses and honoraria must all be arranged and paid through event planners, and not through commercial sponsors or their agents
- Presentations must give a balanced view of all relevant therapeutic options available
- The purpose of the sponsorship or educational grant is to support the educational programming and to offset costs related to the CPD Activity including exhibitor booths (if applicable). Funds will not be used for hospitality, entertainment or speaker fees, nor will the funds be used to cover private expenditure, professional expenses or for the invitation of spouses/partners. All funds must be undirected and payable to the institution or organization planning the CPD activity.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities at the University of Toronto are subject to the National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities, CMA Guidelines for Physicians Interactions with Industry and the University of Toronto Policy on Sponsorship of Accredited CPD Activities. The intent of these is to safeguard the integrity of accredited CPD activities from the influence of sponsoring organizations that could lead to bias. Program Directors can customize the Sponsorship and Exhibitor Booking Agreement template (word document) to suit their program needs.