Call for Abstracts and Research Awards

Contents

The International Federation of Human Genetics Societies (IFHGS), in collaboration with the Red Latinoamericana de Genética Humana (RELAGH), invites researchers, clinicians, health professionals, trainees, and students working in human and clinical genetics to submit abstracts for presentation at the 15th International Congress of Human Genetics - ICHG 2027, to be held in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, from March 1 to 5, 2027.

Submissions must be directly related to human genetics, clinical genetics, genomics, genomic medicine, or related biomedical and population-based disciplines.

Accepted abstracts will be considered for oral presentation, digital poster presentation, or printed poster presentation. Selected abstracts of exceptional scientific quality may also be considered for research awards and special recognition.

1. Scope of the Call

Abstracts may be submitted in the following formats:

  • Original Research. Clinical, experimental, translational, population-based, genomic, or computational research.
  • Clinical Case Reports or Case Series. Reports with clear relevance to human genetics, clinical genetics, genomic diagnosis, genetic counseling, or patient care.
  • Computational Genetics and Bioinformatics Research. Studies involving bioinformatics, statistical genetics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, variant interpretation, database analysis, or computational methods applied to human genetics.
  • Implementation, Education, Ethics, Policy, or Health Systems Research. Studies addressing genomic medicine implementation, genetic counseling, workforce development, education, equity, ethics, regulation, or healthcare systems.

Submissions must be original and must not have been previously published or formally presented elsewhere. Abstracts accepted for publication before the submission deadline of this call will not be eligible.

2. Presentation Modalities

The Scientific Program Committee and the Abstract Review Committee will determine the final presentation modality based on scientific quality, relevance, originality, available space, and program balance.

2.1 Short Time Oral Presentation

Short Time Oral presentations will be delivered live during the Congress using slides in PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, or a similar offline-compatible format.

Short Time Oral presentations will be selected based on:

  • Scientific quality
  • Originality
  • Relevance to human genetics
  • Methodological rigor
  • Timeliness
  • Potential contribution to the field
2.2 Standard Time Oral Presentation

Standard Time Oral presentations will be delivered live during the Congress using slides in PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, or a similar offline-compatible format.

Standard Time Oral presentations will be selected based on:

  • Scientific quality
  • Originality
  • Relevance to human genetics
  • Methodological rigor
  • Timeliness
  • Potential contribution to the field
2.3 Digital Poster Presentation

Digital posters will be displayed on screens in the poster area during the Congress. Presenters assigned to this modality will participate in a scheduled virtual presentation and discussion session before the Congress. The recorded presentation may be displayed in the digital poster area and may be published on the official Congress website.

2.4 Printed Poster Presentation

Printed posters will be displayed on panels in the poster area during the Congress. Presenters will participate in an in-person poster discussion session with an assigned examiner.

Printed posters will not be published on the Congress website and will not be eligible for research awards unless otherwise determined by the Organizing Committee.

Posters that cannot be scheduled for digital poster presentation must be displayed in this format.

3. Thematic Categories

Authors must select the category that best fits their abstract. The Scientific Program Committee reserves the right to reassign abstracts to a different category when appropriate.

A. Molecular Genetics, Functional Genomics, and Gene Regulation

Includes gene regulation, epigenomics, transcriptomics, functional validation, systems biology, and mechanisms of genetic disease.

B. Genomics and Omics Technologies

Includes sequencing technologies, single-cell approaches, multi-omics, spatial omics, proteomics, metabolomics, and emerging genomic platforms.

C. Computational Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Artificial Intelligence

Includes statistical genetics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, variant prioritization, genomic databases, computational pipelines, and digital tools for genetic analysis.

D. Population Genetics, Genetic Diversity, and Genetic Epidemiology

Includes genetic diversity, ancestry, population structure, association studies, biobanks, genomic epidemiology, and underrepresented populations.

E. Rare Diseases and Mendelian Genetics

Includes monogenic disorders, diagnostic odysseys, genotype-phenotype correlations, novel disease genes, and genomic diagnosis.

F. Complex Diseases and Common Traits

Includes GWAS, polygenic risk scores, gene-environment interactions, complex trait genetics, and genomic approaches to common diseases.

G. Translational Genomics and Precision Medicine

Includes biomarkers, clinical implementation, genomic medicine programs, precision health, diagnostic pathways, and translational applications.

H. Cancer Genetics and Genomics

Includes hereditary cancer, somatic genomics, germline findings, tumor sequencing, precision oncology, and cancer risk assessment.

I. Developmental, Prenatal, and Reproductive Genetics

Includes prenatal diagnosis, preimplantation genetic testing, reproductive genetics, congenital anomalies, fetal genomics, and developmental disorders.

J. Experimental Models and Functional Studies

Includes animal models, cellular models, organoids, CRISPR-based approaches, and functional assays for variant interpretation.

K. Pharmacogenomics and Therapeutics

Includes drug response, pharmacogenetic implementation, therapeutic stratification, gene therapies, RNA-based therapies, and precision therapeutics.

L. Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues in Genetics and Genomics

Includes privacy, consent, equity, data sharing, return of results, governance, access, justice, and public engagement.

M. Genetic Counseling and Healthcare Systems

Includes genetic counseling models, service delivery, clinical workflows, implementation barriers, patient communication, and health system integration.

N. Education, Training, and Workforce Development

Includes genetics education, professional training, curriculum development, capacity building, continuing medical education, and public literacy.

4. Language

All abstracts, presentations, posters, slides, and related materials must be submitted and presented in English.

5. Abstract Submission Requirements

Abstracts must be submitted through this official Congress abstract submission portal.

Each submission must include the following information:

  • Abstract title
  • Full names of all authors
  • Institutional affiliation of each author
  • Country of each author's institution
  • Email address of the submitting author
  • Email address of the presenting author, if different from the submitting author
  • Mobile phone number of the presenting author
  • Selected thematic category
  • Preferred presentation modality
  • Disclosure of student or trainee status, if applicable
  • Full name and email address of the supervisor or mentor, when the abstract is submitted by a student or trainee
  • Disclosure of ethics committee approval or exemption, when applicable
  • Disclosure of informed consent, when applicable
  • Disclosure of industry sponsorship, industry participation, or other relevant conflicts of interest

The abstract must be structured as follows:

  • Background / Introduction
  • Objective(s)
  • Methods / Clinical Case Description
  • Results / Clinical Findings / Treatment / Patient Evolution
  • Conclusions

Abstracts must not exceed 300 words.

Accepted and selected abstracts may be invited to submit an expanded abstract of up to 3,000 words for publication on the official Congress website. Images may be included when appropriate. Videos will not be accepted as part of the expanded abstract.

6. Scientific and Nomenclature Standards

Authors are responsible for ensuring the scientific accuracy, ethical compliance, and editorial quality of their submissions.

Human gene symbols must follow official HGNC nomenclature. Sequence variants should be reported according to HGVS recommendations. Cytogenomic findings, including karyotype, FISH, chromosomal microarray, MLPA, and related analyses, must follow ISCN 2024 nomenclature when applicable.

When variant classification is included, authors are encouraged to use recognized professional standards, including ACMG/AMP recommendations or other internationally accepted guidelines, as applicable.

Authors should use standard scientific terminology, define abbreviations at first mention, and avoid unsupported diagnostic or therapeutic claims.

7. Ethical Requirements and Patient Privacy

All submissions involving human participants, patients, biological samples, clinical data, genomic data, images, pedigrees, or identifiable information must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards.

Authors must indicate whether the work received approval from an ethics committee, institutional review board, or equivalent body. If the study was exempt from formal review, this must be clearly stated.

For clinical cases, case series, images, pedigrees, or potentially identifiable information, authors must confirm that appropriate informed consent was obtained when required.

Abstracts must not include identifiable patient information, including names, initials, exact dates of birth, medical record numbers, facial images, or highly specific clinical/genomic details that could compromise privacy unless explicit authorization has been obtained.

The responsibility for ethical compliance, consent, privacy protection, and accuracy of the submitted content rests entirely with the submitting author and the presenting author.

8. Authorship and Eligibility Rules

The submitting author is responsible for the accuracy of all information provided during the submission process.

The presenting author must be clearly identified at the time of submission. The presenting author is responsible for presenting the abstract if accepted.

Each individual may be listed as first author on only one abstract. There is no limit to the number of abstracts on which an individual may appear as co-author.

The presenting author of each accepted abstract must complete Congress registration by November 8, 2026, 23:59 GMT-6, in order for the abstract to be included in the final scientific program.

Failure to complete registration by the deadline may result in withdrawal of the abstract from the program.

9. Review Process

Each abstract will be reviewed by the Abstract Review Committee or by expert reviewers appointed by the Scientific Program Committee.

Abstracts will be evaluated according to:

  • Scientific quality
  • Originality
  • Relevance to human genetics
  • Methodological rigor
  • Clarity of writing
  • Ethical compliance
  • Contribution to the field
  • Potential regional or global impact

If clarifications or minor revisions are required, the submitting author will have three calendar days to submit the requested changes.

Once the final version has been accepted, no further changes will be allowed. Accepted abstracts will be reproduced exactly as submitted. The content remains the responsibility of the submitting author and the presenting author.

The Scientific Program Committee reserves the right to.

  • Accept or reject any abstract
  • Request clarification or revision
  • Assign the final presentation modality
  • Reassign the thematic category
  • Exclude abstracts that do not meet ethical, scientific, or editorial standards
  • Declare a category void if submissions do not meet the minimum quality required for evaluation

Final decisions regarding abstract acceptance and presentation modality are not subject to appeal.

10. Conflict of Interest and Industry Participation

All authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest, including financial relationships, advisory roles, employment, consultancy, grants, honoraria, intellectual property, and industry sponsorship.

Abstracts originating from industry or developed with industry participation must explicitly disclose this relationship at the time of submission and during presentation.

Industry-supported research may be considered for presentation if it meets scientific and ethical standards. However, promotional material, marketing content, or abstracts primarily designed to advertise a product, service, platform, or intervention will not be accepted.

Reviewers and examiners must disclose conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from evaluating abstracts submitted by collaborators, trainees, institutional colleagues, sponsors, or direct competitors when appropriate.

11. Research Awards and Outstanding Abstract Recognition

Accepted abstracts assigned to oral and digital poster presentation modalities may be considered for research awards.

Recognition

Description
Best Short Time Oral Presentation Awards First Place; Second Place; Third Place

Best Standard Time Oral Presentation Awards

First Place; Second Place; Third Place

Best Digital Poster Presentation Awards

First Place; Second Place; Third Place

Outstanding Abstract Recognition

Selected abstracts of exceptional scientific quality may receive special recognition from the Scientific Program Committee.

 

Printed posters will not be eligible for research awards unless otherwise determined by the Organizing Committee.

The Award Evaluation Committee may decide not to grant an award in a category if the evaluated presentations do not meet the expected academic or scientific standard.

12. Abstract Grading Rubric and Award Evaluation Criteria

All abstracts considered for awards will be evaluated using a standardized 100-point grading rubric. The rubric is designed to assess scientific merit, clarity, methodological strength, relevance to human genetics, and quality of communication.

Each criterion will be scored according to five performance levels:

  • Exemplary - 100% of the criterion score
  • Proficient - 75% of the criterion score
  • Competent - 50% of the criterion score
  • Adequate - 25% of the criterion score
  • Needs Improvement - 0% of the criterion score

The maximum total score is 100 points.

Criterion

Maximum Points
Significance and Background 30 points
Objective 10 points
Methods 20 points
Outcome and Discussion 30 points
Language 10 points
Total 100 points
12.1 Significance and Background - 30 points

Performance Level

Score

Description
Exemplary 30 points Presents a clear and compelling gap, unresolved question, or unmet need. The significance is directly linked to concise and relevant scientific, biological, clinical, or public health context.
Proficient 22.5 points Establishes the biological or clinical context and identifies the problem, although the significance could be sharper or more explicitly framed.
Competent 15 points Provides background, but it is broad, generic, or only weakly linked to why the study was needed.
Adequate 7.5 points Provides minimal, generic, incomplete, or partly inaccurate background.
Needs Improvement 0 points Provides no useful background, rationale, or explanation of significance.
12.2 Objective - 10 points

Performance Level

Score

Description
Exemplary 10 points States a precise, testable hypothesis or objective that directly addresses the identified gap or unresolved question.
Proficient 7.5 points States a clear objective or hypothesis related to the study, although the wording may be somewhat general.
Competent 5 points Includes an identifiable objective, but it is vague or the exact research question is difficult to pinpoint.
Adequate 2.5 points The goal is obscured, buried in the text, or must be inferred by the reviewer.
Needs Improvement 0 points No objective, aim, research question, or hypothesis is stated.
12.3 Methods - 20 points

Performance Level

Score

Description
Exemplary 20 points Provides a concise and appropriate summary of the study design, genetic or genomic techniques, analytical methods, ethics, controls, validation strategy, or clinical approach, as applicable.
Proficient 15 points The primary methods are clear and most key details are present, with only minor omissions.
Competent 10 points The general approach is identifiable, but critical details are missing, such as cohort description, pipeline, statistical approach, validation strategy, or relevant controls.
Adequate 5 points Methods are confusing, incomplete, insufficiently described, or not fully appropriate for the stated objective.
Needs Improvement 0 points Methods are missing, incorrect, or incompatible with the stated objective.
12.4 Outcome and Discussion - 30 points

Performance Level

Score

Description
Exemplary 30 points Presents specific findings, preferably quantitative when appropriate, with strong interpretation of their relevance for biology, diagnosis, therapy, public health, or genomic medicine.
Proficient 22.5 points Presents the main findings and a logical conclusion, although the mechanism, interpretation, or broader impact could be developed further.
Competent 15 points Provides a qualitative or limited summary of results, with insufficient statistical, clinical, experimental, or supporting detail.
Adequate 7.5 points Presents sweeping, disconnected, or weakly supported results, with limited connection to the objective, hypothesis, or methods.
Needs Improvement 0 points Provides no clear results, outcomes, interpretation, or conclusions.
12.5 Language - 10 points

Performance Level

Score

Description
Exemplary 10 points Language is precise, engaging, scientifically appropriate, and tailored to the Congress audience. The abstract has no grammar, spelling, or formatting errors.
Proficient 7.5 points Communication is clear, with only one or two minor grammar, spelling, or style issues.
Competent 5 points Language is functional and understandable, but grammar, spelling, structure, or style require improvement.
Adequate 2.5 points The abstract is sometimes unclear, and grammar, spelling, or wording issues interfere with readability.
Needs Improvement 0 points The abstract is frequently unclear and contains major grammar, spelling, terminology, or communication problems.
12.6 Use of the Rubric for Awards

Award candidates will be ranked according to their total score out of 100 points. In the event of a tie, priority may be given to abstracts with higher scores in the following order:

  • Outcome and Discussion
  • Significance and Background
  • Methods
  • Objective
  • Language

The Award Evaluation Committee may decide not to grant an award if the evaluated abstracts or presentations do not meet the expected scientific, ethical, or academic standards.

For oral and digital poster awards, the abstract score may be combined with the presentation evaluation, when applicable. The final award decision will be made by the Award Evaluation Committee and will be final.

13. Presentation Guidelines

13.1 Short Time Oral Presentations

Each short time oral presentation will be evaluated by 10 assigned examiners.

The presenter will have:

  • 3 minutes for presentation
  • 2 minutes for questions and discussion

Presentations must use PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, or a similar file format that does not require an internet connection.

Oral presentations will be delivered live during the Congress. The date, time, and room assignment will be announced on January 8, 2027.

13.2 Standard Time Oral Presentations

Each standard time oral presentation will be evaluated by 10 assigned examiners.

The presenter will have:

  • 7 minutes for presentation
  • 3 minutes for questions and discussion

Presentations must use PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF, or a similar file format that does not require an internet connection.

Oral presentations will be delivered live during the Congress. The date, time, and room assignment will be announced on January 8, 2027.

13.3 Digital Poster Presentations

Each digital poster presentation will be evaluated by 2 assigned examiners.

The presenter will have:

  • 10 minutes for presentation
  • 5 minutes for questions and discussion

Digital poster presentations will take place by videoconference through Zoom during the pre-Congress evaluation period. These sessions may be recorded and displayed on digital screens in the poster area during the Congress.

Digital posters must be submitted as:

  • JPG file
  • 1,920 pixels wide
  • 1,080 pixels high
  • Landscape orientation

After acceptance, the presenting author will be asked to provide available dates and times for scheduling the Zoom presentation with the assigned examiners.

The final date and time of the Zoom presentation will be communicated in advance by email and/or WhatsApp.

The date and time when each digital poster will be displayed in the Congress poster area will be communicated on January 8, 2027.

Digital posters may also be published on the official Congress website.

If a digital poster presentation cannot be scheduled within the established evaluation period, the Organizing Committee may reassign the abstract to printed poster format.

13.4 Printed Poster Presentations

Each digital poster presentation will be evaluated by 1 assigned examiner.

The presenter will have:

  • 10 minutes for presentation
  • 5 minutes for questions and discussion

Printed posters must have the following dimensions:

  • 120 cm wide
  • 90 cm high
  • Portrait orientation

The date and time for printed poster presentations will be communicated on January 8, 2027.

Printed posters will not be published on the Congress website.

14. Recording and Publication Authorization

By submitting an abstract, authors acknowledge that accepted digital posters, expanded abstracts, and recorded digital poster presentations may be displayed or published through official Congress platforms.

The presenting author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors agree to the submission, presentation, recording, and potential publication of the work in Congress-related materials.

Clinical or patient-related material must only be included if appropriate consent and authorization have been obtained.

15. Key Dates

Activity

Date
Opening of abstract submission July 1, 2026
Abstract submission deadline September 17, 2026
Notification of acceptance and presentation modality October 16, 2026
Deadline for presenting author registration November 8, 2026
Start of Zoom presentations for digital posters November 22, 2026
End of Zoom presentations for digital posters December 18, 2026
Notification of presentation date, time, and location January 8, 2027
Congress dates March 1-5, 2027

All deadlines are based on GMT-6 / Mexico City time.

16. Contact

Questions related to abstract submission should be sent to:

support@relagh.org

Please include “ICHG 2027 Abstract Submission” in the subject line of your message.

17. Final Statement

The International Congress of Human Genetics seeks to promote rigorous, ethical, diverse, and globally relevant research in human genetics and genomics. ICHG 2027 welcomes contributions from all regions of the world and encourages submissions that advance knowledge, equity, clinical translation, and innovation in human genetics.

Submit now
Scroll up