• Basic Medical Sciences: research conducted within preclinical disciplines such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, histology, molecular biology, genetics, and laboratory-based investigations, etc.

• Clinical Medical: clinical studies, observational or interventional research, case series, investigations involving patients from clinical specialties, etc.

• Clinical Surgical: surgical case reports, and research projects related to surgical specialties, perioperative medicine, procedural interventions, etc.

Participants may submit their work in one of the following formats:

• Oral Presentation
• Poster Presentation

• Case Report: eligible for Poster Presentation or Oral Presentation
• Original Research: eligible for Poster Presentation or Oral Presentation.
• Review Article: eligible for Oral Presentation.
• Meta-Analysis: eligible for Oral Presentation.

The Scientific Committee reserves the right to reassign a submission to a different presentation format when deemed appropriate.

4.1 General Requirements

• All abstracts must be written in English.
• Abstracts must be submitted using the submission method announced by the Scientific Committee.
• References should not be included in the abstract. References are mandatory for the final Oral Presentation or Poster.
• The title, authors, affiliations, section headings, and keywords are not included in the word count.
• Any identifying information that may compromise the anonymity of the review process may be removed before evaluation by the Scientific Committee.

4.2 Oral Presentation and Poster Abstract Structure
The abstract should contain the following sections:

a.Original Research/ Review Article/ Meta-Analysis

1. Introduction

• • • Briefly present the scientific background.
    • Clearly state the objective(s) of the study.

2. Materials and Methods

• • • Describe the study design, population, methodology, and analytical approach

3.Results

• • • Present the main findings of the study.

4. Discussion

• • • Interpret the results and place them within the context of current scientific knowledge.

5. Conclusions

• • • Summarize the main outcomes and scientific significance of the work.

6. 3–5 Keywords

• • • Keywords should accurately describe the main topic and facilitate indexing of the abstract.

Maximum length: 400 words.
Abstracts exceeding the maximum permitted word count may be rejected without scientific evaluation.
The Scientific Committee reserves the right to exclude submissions that fail to comply with the formatting and structural requirements outlined in these Regulations.

b.Case Report

1. Introduction

• • • A brief overview of the topic presented.

2. Clinical Case

• • • Present the patient’s clinical history, diagnostic process, management, and outcome, while ensuring complete anonymity.

3. Discussion

• • • Discuss the uniqueness of the presented case.
    • Mention any limitations and considerations regarding the interpretation of the case, where applicable.

4. Conclusion

• • • Highlight the educational value, clinical significance, or lessons learned from the case.

5. 3-5 Keywords

• • • Keywords should accurately describe the main topic and facilitate indexing of the abstract.

Maximum length: 350 words
Abstracts exceeding the maximum permitted word count may be rejected without scientific evaluation.
The Scientific Committee reserves the right to exclude submissions that fail to comply with the formatting and structural requirements outlined in these Regulations.

4.3 Abbreviations and Scientific Nomenclature
All abbreviations must be defined at first mention in the abstract.
Internationally accepted scientific nomenclature, units of measurement, and terminology should be used throughout the submission.

4.4 Title Requirements
The title should accurately reflect the content of the submission.
The title must not exceed 20 words.
Abbreviations should be avoided whenever possible.

4.5 Authorship Criteria
First author of the scientific paper

• The First Author is considered the principal contributor to the submitted work.
• The First Author must be registered for HEART Conference edition 2026.
• The First Author is responsible for submitting the abstract and all subsequent materials using the submission method announced by the Scientific Committee.
• The First Author shall serve as the primary contact person for all communication with the Organizing Committee and Scientific Committee.

Co-Authors

• Each submission may include up to 3 Co-Authors.
• Co-Authors should have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, analysis, or interpretation of the work.
• Co-Authors are not required to submit the abstract through their individual accounts.

Scientific Coordinator

• Scientific Coordinators may include faculty members, attending physicians, researchers, residents, or other qualified healthcare professionals who supervised the work/case.
• Scientific Coordinators should be listed separately from student or Co-authors.

4.6 Submission Limitations

• Each participant may submit and present a maximum of 2 scientific papers as First Author.
• A person may be listed as Co-Author on a maximum of 2 submissions.
• The same scientific work may not be submitted in multiple categories.
• Duplicate submissions will not be considered for evaluation.

4.7 Affiliations

• Please make sure that all affiliations accurately reflect the institutions with which each author is officially associated.
• Medical students should generally include only the Faculty and University in which they are enrolled. If the research was carried out through a research programme, internship, exchange, or another institutional collaboration, this may be added as a separate affiliation, where applicable.
• Coordinators and other academic staff should include their full academic affiliation, including the relevant Discipline, Department, Faculty, University, City and Country, according to their institution’s official structure.
• If the study was conducted in a hospital or involved patient data, the coordinating author’s hospital or healthcare institution (for Romanian institutions, the institution’s proper name should be written in Romanian and enclosed in Romanian quotation marks) should also be included as a separate affiliation using its official name.
• Example:
  Ion Popescu¹, Maria Ionescu¹, Alexandru Radu ^2,3, Ana-Maria Stan^2,3

1) Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

2) Neurology, Department 9, Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

3) Neurology Clinic, Cluj County Emergency Clinical Hospital

4.8 Originality Requirements

• All submitted work must be original and represent the authors’ own scientific contribution.
• Submissions that have been previously presented at other scientific conferences, published in scientific journals, or accepted for publication elsewhere may be deemed ineligible for participation.
• The use of artificial intelligence-generated images, illustrations, text, or other materials must be clearly acknowledged within the presentation whenever applicable.

The Scientific Committee reserves the right to request additional information regarding previous presentations or publications related to the submitted work.

4.9 Submission Modifications

• Authors may modify their submission until the abstract submission deadline.
• Following the submission deadline, modifications may only be made upon approval by the Scientific Committee and only in exceptional circumstances.

The Organizing Committee reserves the right to request corrections regarding formatting, affiliations, author information, in compliance with the Conference guidelines.

4.10 Acceptance of Scientific Submissions

• The submission of a scientific abstract does not guarantee its acceptance for presentation. All submissions are subject to evaluation by the Scientific Committee in accordance with the Scientific Competition Regulations.
• If a submitted abstract is not accepted, the participant shall remain registered for HEART 2026 as a Passive Participant, provided that the applicable registration fee has been paid. Rejection of a scientific submission shall not constitute grounds for a refund of the participation fee.

5.1 General Requirements

• The first author must be the presenter. Any change regarding the presenter must be communicated to the Organizing Committee in advance.
• All presentations and posters must be in English and presented in English.
• All images, figures, tables, and graphical elements used in the presentation must comply with copyright regulations and be appropriately referenced where applicable.
• Patient confidentiality and anonymity must be strictly respected throughout all presentation.

5.2 Oral Presentation Requirements

• Presentations must be prepared in Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt or .pptx or .pdf) format.
• Presentation files must be submitted through the method and within the deadline communicated by the Organizing Committee.
• The presentation should follow the scientific structure of the accepted abstract.
• The first slide must contain: title of the presentation, name of the presenting author, names of co-authors and scientific coordinator(s), institutional affiliations, HEART Conference logo and your university logo.
• References must be included within the presentation, either on a dedicated slide or through a QR code linking to the reference list.
• The presentation duration is limited to 7 minutes. An additional 3 minutes will be allocated for questions from the jury.
• Exceeding the presentation time limit may result in a deduction of points from the final score, as determined by the Scientific Committee.

5.3 Poster Presentations

• Posters must be prepared in A1 format (594 × 841 mm), landscape orientation.
• Posters must be submitted in digital format (.jpg or .pdf) according to the instructions provided by the Organizing Committee.
• The poster must include: title, authors and affiliations, HEART Conference logo, main scientific content, references.
• No specific formatting requirements regarding colours, fonts, or layout are imposed, provided that the poster remains readable and professionally designed.
• The presentation duration is limited to 5 minutes. An additional 2 minutes will be allocated for questions from the jury.
• Exceeding the presentation time limit may result in a deduction of points from the final score, as determined by the Scientific Committee.

• Participants must be present at the designated location at least 15 minutes before the beginning of their session.
• Failure to attend the assigned presentation session without prior notification may result in disqualification from the competition.
• Both Oral Presentations and Poster must be delivered in person by the First Author. If the First Author is unable to attend, one of the listed co-authors may present the work on their behalf, provided that the Organising Committee has been notified.

• All presentations shall be evaluated by a jury appointed by the Scientific Committee.
• Evaluation shall be based on scientific quality, originality, presentation skills, clarity of communication, and the ability to answer questions.
• The decisions of the jury are final and not subject to appeal.

• The highest-scoring presentations in each category will be awarded.
• Winners will be announced during the Closing Ceremony of HEART Conference.
• The Organizing Committee strongly encourages all participants to attend the Closing Ceremony.

• All accepted abstracts will be published in the official HEART 2026 Book of Abstracts, ensuring that participants’ scientific contributions become part of the conference’s official scientific record and are recognised as part of the HEART 2026 programme.
• By submitting an abstract, participants consent to its publication in the official HEART 2026 Book of Abstracts, subject to compliance with the Scientific Competition Regulations and these Terms & Conditions.

• The Organizing Committee reserves the right to modify the present Regulations whenever necessary, in special circumstances. Any changes will be communicated through the official HEART Conference communication channels.
• Participation in the Scientific Competition implies full acceptance of the present Regulations.

For any questions regarding the Scientific Competition, participants may contact the Secretary Department at: heartcluj.secretariat@gmail.com