Regulations

 1. General Provisions

1.1. The organizer of the 3rd edition of the Interdisciplinary Scientific Conference SPINNAKER, hereinafter referred to as the “Conference”, is the Student Scientific Society at the Clinic of Developmental Surgery and Traumatology in Zabrze of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, the Sailing Section of the University Club of the Academic Sports Association of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, and the Academic Sailing Club SUMmare.

1.2. The aim of the Conference is to enable participants to present their own work and to encourage them to improve their qualifications in the fields of medicine and sailing. The Conference constitutes a bridge between the world of medicine and sport, in particular sailing and mountaineering.

1.3. The Conference is addressed to students of medical faculties, graduates of medical faculties, doctoral students, academic staff of medical universities, and all those interested in the subject matter of medicine and sport.

1.4. The Conference will be held on 24–26 April 2026 at the ODYS Recreation Centre, the Marina of the HALNY Sailing Club on Lake Żywieckie, and the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice.

1.5. Participants are obliged to comply with the regulations in force at the facilities where the Conference is held.

1.6. The Conference consists of three equal parts: the Interdisciplinary Scientific Forum and the Omega Class Sailing Regatta.

1.7. During the Conference, lectures and workshops on medical, high-mountain, and sailing topics will be held.

1.8. The Conference is nationwide in scope. The official languages of the Conference are Polish and English.

1.9. Submission of the application referred to in point 2.1 shall be deemed equivalent to acceptance of these Regulations.

1.10. The detailed Conference schedule will be published by 20 March 2026 on:

a) the website: spinnaker.med-conf.org,

b) the Conference Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550770179169.

1.11. The Organizer reserves the right to introduce changes to the Conference programme.

 2. General Rules for Participation in the Conference

2.1. In order to take part in the Conference, each participant is obliged to complete the online form available on the website spinnaker.med-conf.org by 15 March 2026 or until the registration limit is reached. The application must be successfully verified by the Organizer.

2.1.1. Active participants (suturing competition teams, authors of works presented during the scientific forum, regatta crews) designate the leader of their group, who is obliged to complete an additional registration form for the individual parts of the Conference.

2.2. Participation in the Conference is free of charge. For an additional fee, it is possible to use catering, accommodation, and evening social events at the ODYS Recreation Centre.

2.3. The Organizer shall not be responsible for incorrectly provided data during registration.

2.4. Each participant will receive an ID badge and a certificate of participation in the Conference.

2.5. During the Conference, participants have the right to use the hotel and catering facilities of the ODYS Recreation Centre, the Marina of the HALNY Sailing Club, and the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice.

2.6. During the Conference, short quizzes with prizes are planned.

2.7. The Organizer will reward the persons who most actively promote the Conference and its subject matter on social media.

2.8. Prizes are provided for the winners of the individual parts of the Conference.

2.9. At the end of the Conference, the title of SPINNAKER Champion will be awarded to the participant who achieves the best overall result in all three parts of the Conference combined.

 3. Rules for participation in the Academic Polish Championships in Surgical Suturing

3.1. Each participant wishing to take part in the Academic Polish Championships in Surgical Suturing, hereinafter referred to as the “Academic Polish Championships in Surgical Suturing”, is obliged to register via the main registration form available on the Conference website.

Note! The registration for the Championships on behalf of the entire team is submitted only by the leader.

3.2. Participants in this part of the Conference may only be students of medical faculties and persons within one year after graduation from medical studies.

3.3. Four-person teams shall participate in the competition, each of which must consist of at least three students. Team members may come from different universities. It is not possible to compete with a smaller team — in the event of one competitor’s inability to participate, with the consent of the Organizers it is possible to appoint a substitute.

3.4. The maximum number of teams participating in the Academic Polish Championships in Surgical Suturing is 22. Admission is determined by the order of registration, with priority given to teams also participating in the remaining parts of the Conference and teams constituting the only representation of a given university.

3.5. The Championships consist of five practical tasks in surgical suturing and a theoretical part comprising 15 questions in general surgery. The assessment includes, among others, the choice of suture material, suturing technique, tightness and aesthetics of the sutures, and the time of task completion.

3.6. The maximum time for completing the practical tasks is 70 minutes. Points are deducted for exceeding the time limit. The time for the theoretical part is 20 minutes.

3.7. The results are assessed by a jury appointed by the Organizer, in accordance with the criteria set out in Appendix No. 1 to these Regulations.

3.8. Diplomas and material prizes are provided for the three best teams. If fewer than six teams participate, only first place and a distinction shall be awarded.

3.9. The Championships consist of five practical tasks in surgical suturing and a theoretical part comprising 15 questions in general surgery. The assessment includes, among others, the choice of suture material, suturing technique, tightness and aesthetics of the sutures, and the time of task completion.

3.10. During the performance of the tasks, participants may use only the equipment and accessories provided by the organizer.

3.11. The decisions of the judging committee are final.

4. Rules for Participation in the Interdisciplinary Scientific Forum

4.1. Each participant wishing to take part in the Interdisciplinary Scientific Forum is obliged to register via the registration form available on the Conference website.

Note! In the case of several authors of a given work, the abstract submission to the Forum on behalf of the entire team is submitted only by the person presenting the work; however, all co-authors who will participate in the Conference are obliged to complete the main form.

4.2. Papers may be original, review-based, or case reports. Presentations of case reports and original/review papers will, where possible, be held during separate sessions.

4.3. The abstract may not exceed 350 words and should contain, in the case of original and review papers: introduction, aim of the study, materials and methods, results, conclusions, and in the case of case reports: introduction, case description / case descriptions, conclusions. The abstract should be written in Polish or English in accordance with the preferred language of the presentation.

4.4. Each participant may submit a maximum of one paper as the first author. A paper may be prepared by a maximum of 4 persons (excluding supervisors). The team may be represented during the presentation by 1 person. All authors take part in the discussion.

4.5. Qualification of the paper shall be determined by the substantive quality of the abstract; however, priority in registration shall be given to participants taking part in the remaining parts of the Conference and teams constituting the only representation of a given university in the Scientific Forum.

4.6. The presentation of the paper shall take the form of a multimedia presentation in pptx or pdf format or a poster in A0 format. Two sessions of original papers (to which review papers will also be qualified), two sessions of case reports, and one poster session are planned. It is required that the written content in each case be consistent with the language of the presentation, i.e. in Polish or English; the choice of the presentation language has no effect on the assessment of the committee.

4.7. Multimedia presentations must be sent to the address indicated by the Organizer by 06.04.2026.

Posters must be delivered and handed over during registration at the ODYS Recreation Centre.

4.8. The maximum time for an oral presentation is 7 minutes in the case of a multimedia presentation and 5 minutes in the case of a poster, after which a 3-minute question session from the Jury is provided.

4.9. The Organizer shall provide the multimedia equipment necessary to present the content of the paper, but shall not be responsible for any technical problems.

4.10. Papers shall be evaluated by the Scientific Committee in accordance with the criteria contained in Appendix No. 2 to the Regulations.

4.11. Prizes are provided for the best presentations. Diplomas and material prizes are provided for the authors of the 3 best papers in each session. A prize is also provided for the best speaker in each session, presenting their work in the most interesting way. If fewer than 6 teams take part in a given Forum session, only first place and a distinction shall be awarded.

4.12. The decision of the committee regarding the points awarded and places taken is final.

5. Rules for Participation in the Omega Class Sailing Regatta

5.1. Each participant wishing to take part in the Sailing Regatta is obliged to register by means of the registration form available on the Conference website.

Note! The registration on behalf of the entire crew for the Regatta is submitted only by the helmsman.

5.2. Three-person crews shall participate in the regatta. The helmsman must hold at least the Yacht Sailor licence issued by the Polish Yachting Association.

5.3. A maximum of 15 crews shall take part in the Regatta. Registration shall be determined by the order of applications; however, priority in registration shall be given to participants also taking part in the remaining parts of the Conference and crews constituting the only representation of a given university in the Regatta.

5.4. The Organizer shall provide the equipment necessary to participate in the regatta. Regatta participants are obliged to take care of the equipment entrusted to them and to use it in accordance with its intended purpose and in accordance with the art of sailing.

5.5. The detailed regatta rules and evaluation criteria will be presented during the technical briefing on the day of the competition. Safety and the proper conduct of the Regatta shall be supervised by the Judge designated by the Organizer and WOPR lifeguards. The participant is obliged to strictly comply with the instructions of the judge and lifeguards during the Regatta.

5.6. Diplomas and material prizes are provided for the 3 best crews. If fewer than 7 crews take part in the Regatta, only first place and a distinction shall be awarded.

5.7. All decisions of the judge concerning the Regatta — including the order of places taken (after consideration of any protests by competitors) — are final.

5.8. The Organizer reserves the right to cancel the Regatta in the event of weather conditions which, in the Organizer’s opinion, make the safe conduct of the regatta impossible.

5.9. During the Regatta, in favourable weather conditions, it will be possible to engage in recreational sailing on Omega class and DZ type yachts with helmsmen provided by the Organizer. Registration for recreational sailing shall be conducted through a Google registration form made available via the Facebook platform. The order of applications shall determine registration.

6. Workshops

6.1. All Conference participants are entitled to take part in workshops.

6.2. Participation in workshops requires prior registration via a Google form made available through the Facebook platform.

6.3. The workshops will cover topics related to medicine, mountaineering, and sailing.

6.4. The number of places in the workshops is limited. Participation is determined by the order of registration.

 7. Withdrawal from Participation in the Conference

7.1. A participant has the right to withdraw from participation in the Conference by informing the Organizer by e-mail no later than 30 March 2026.

7.2. Withdrawal from participation in the Conference after the indicated deadline may result in limitation of the possibility of participation in future editions of the event.

8. Complaints and Appeals

8.1. Any complaints of participants against the Organizer should be submitted by e-mail to: spinnaker.conference@gmail.com.

8.2. Complaints may be submitted within 7 days after the end of the Conference. After this time, they will not be considered.

8.3. The Organizer’s decisions regarding complaints are final.

9. Personal Data Protection

9.1. The controller of the personal data of Conference participants is the Organizer referred to in point 1.1.

9.2. Participants’ personal data will be processed for the purpose of registration, organization, and conduct of the Conference, including also for the purpose of preparing certificates and ID badges.

9.3. The Organizer may process participants’ personal data for promotional, educational, and science popularization purposes, including through the publication of photographs from the Conference on social media profiles.

9.4. The participant has the right to access their data, rectify and delete it, as well as to lodge a complaint with the President of the Personal Data Protection Office.

10. Final Provisions

10.1. Any disputes arising from participation in the Conference shall be settled by the court competent for the seat of the Organizer.

10.2. In matters not regulated by these Regulations, the provisions of Polish law shall apply.

10.3. The Organizer reserves the right to amend the Regulations at any time.

10.4. The Conference is a closed event and does not constitute a mass event within the meaning of the provisions on the safety of mass events.

10.5. The Organizer shall not be responsible for participants’ belongings which may be lost, damaged, or stolen during the Conference.

10.6. Participants bear full financial liability for any damage caused by them on the premises of the facilities where the Conference is held.

10.7. Submission of the participation application is tantamount to acceptance of the Regulations and consent to the processing of personal data and publication of image on the Organizer’s social media.

10.8. These Regulations enter into force on the date of their publication