Call for Abstracts
Abstract Submission will open in January 2026.
Abstract Submissions for ECP 2026
The scientific committee invites you to participate actively in this congress, which will be an extraordinary occasion for the exchange of thoughts and experiences. We look forward to receiving abstracts online for consideration and inclusion in the scientific programme as oral or poster presentation on-site or E-Poster.
The submitted abstracts should give a brief description of the title and topic. All abstracts will be reviewed by members of the working groups and / or the scientific committee. The reviewers will judge the abstracts according to the relevance to ESP, standard of English, objectivity of statement, description of what was done, suitability of methods to aims, conclusions confirmed by objective results, ethics, scientific value, potential clinical value, originality of work and overall impression. All accepted abstracts will be published in an abstract book which is a digital supplement to Virchows Archiv, and online on the congress website. There will be no printed version of the abstract book.
Out of all abstract submissions, the Best Abstract Prizes as well as the “ESP Prize for Innovation in Pathology” will be selected.
The deadline for abstract submissions is 8 April 2026.
Important Deadlines
General Guidelines
- Abstract submissions need to be completed online via the ECP Abstract Submission Platform. Abstracts sent by e-mail will not be accepted.
- Please note that abstracts can only be presented (and thus published) ON-SITE, not virtually! Please ensure that you are able to travel to Stockholm when submitting an abstract. This also applies for abstracts which are being accepted as E-Posters.
- A maximum of 5 abstracts per author will be accepted for submission. Additional submissions will not be considered (without further notice).
- Abstracts are to be submitted in English, the official language of the 38th ECP, should not exceed 300 words (in total; there is no limit per field) and be structured in the following specified subtitles: background & objective, methods, results and conclusion.
- Case reports should also be structured as much as possible following the aforementioned categories. If not possible, the authors should upload the abstracts using the most appropriate categories (in the respective text boxes in the submission form).
- An abstract which has been previously published cannot be submitted, unless there are new methods, findings, updated data or other acceptable reasons for submitting.
Draft Status
- If you do not click on the submit button (Step 4 of the abstract submission service), your abstract will be saved in Draft Status. You will then be able to review it and submit it later before the deadline.
- NB: Abstracts that are in draft status after the deadline cannot be processed and therefore will not be considered for selection.
Changes and Corrections
- If you need to view or edit your submission details, you can do so by logging in to your author account on the ECP Abstract Submission Platform.
- Corrections/changes are possible up until the submission deadline which is 8 April 2026.
Withdrawals
- In case you would like to withdraw an already submitted abstract, please notify us as quickly as possible at congress@esp-pathology.org stating the title and ID of the abstract to be withdrawn.
- Withdrawals are still accepted after the submission deadline.
Important Information
When submitting an abstract or a bursary application, please make sure to use the same e-mail address as for your ECP registration.
Failing to use matching e-mail addresses might result in your abstract not being published.
Title
- Please choose a title that clearly indicates the content of the contribution.
- Do not include authors, institutions, city names, trademarks, and abbreviations (exception: scientific terms) in the title.
- Please refrain from spelling abstract titles in CAPITAL LETTERS or in lower case.
Topic
- Please select the corresponding topic for your abstract.
- If need be, a second topic can be selected from a dropdown menu.
Presentation / Submission Type
Please select the preferred presentation type of your submission. The following options are available:
- Oral Presentation
- Poster
In case you would like to submit a bursary application please select either
- Bursary Oral Presentation OR
- Bursary Poster.
Abstracts submitted for ECPs will be accepted in three tiers:
- Oral Presentations (outstanding and very good abstracts; only 10% of abstracts)
- (Physical) Posters (good abstracts)
- E-Posters (decent abstracts)
In addition, please select the correect submission type of your abstract. The following options are available:
- Case Report
- Case Report Series
- Original Research
Content
- Abbreviations may be used in the text if they are defined when used first.
- Please make sure to use proper English (UK) language.
- Degrees, titles, street addresses and acknowledgements of support should be omitted in the abstract text.
- Tables, images, graphs, etc. are not permitted; abstracts are to be submitted in text format only. However, you can submit a supporting file with tables and graphs which will only be made available to abstract reviewers.
To provide maximum information in the abstract
- please state the specific background & objective of the study
- state the methods used, if pertinent
- summarise the results obtained
- state the conclusions reached
- ensure that the abstract does not contain spelling, grammar or scientific errors, as it will be reproduced exactly as submitted.
On behalf of
- Submissions on behalf of other authors cannot be accepted.
- The original author should submit her/his work and is considered to present it on-site in Stockholm.
Author Information
- The author‘s name (full first name, family name) and place of work (institution, city, country) should be indicated in the respective form fields, not in the abstract title.
- Please refrain from spelling co-authors’ names in CAPITAL LETTERS or in lower case (e.g., FIRST NAME LAST NAME or first name last name).
- In addition to co-authors, study groups can be added as part of the author’s list.
- Make sure to enter the full list of authors. Adding or removing authors after the abstract submission deadline is not permitted.
Funding
- When filling in information about the first/presenting author, you will have the opportunity to acknowledge any kind of funding (e.g. governmental grantes) which was received for conducting the study and needs to be published along with your work.
- In case there is no external funding, please leave the respective text box empty.
The abstract author needs to confirm that
- the abstract and all entered information is correct.
- the submission of an abstract constitutes consent to its publication.
- the abstract is submitted on behalf of all authors.
- the abstract submission constitutes a formal commitment by the first author to physically attend the ECP and present the abstract in the session and time slot assigned by the Scientific Committee.
- the abstract has not been previously published.
- the abstract was prepared without using the aid of AI tools (such as, but not limited to, ChatGPT).
Please make sure your submission fulfils all of the above criteria.
Important Information
- Proofread abstracts carefully to avoid errors before submission, check spelling and grammar.
- The abstract will be reviewed and published (if accepted) as it has been submitted!
- Do not forget to click on the ‘submit’ button to validate your abstract submission. After having submitted your abstract, you will receive an immediate automatic confirmation by email (please make sure to state your correct email address!) notifying you of the abstract ID. Please use this reference in all correspondence. If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact the abstract team at ecp.abstracts@abstractserver.com.
Reviewing of Abstracts
- All abstracts will be scored by a peer review committee consisting of members of the ESP Working Groups and / or the scientific committee.
- The reviewers will judge the abstracts according to the relevance to ESP, standard of English, objectivity of statement, description of what was done, suitability of methods to aims, conclusions confirmed by objective results, ethics, scientific value, potential clinical value, originality of work and overall impression.
Results
- Notification of acceptance or rejection by the Scientific Committee will be emailed to the submitting author.
- Detailed information in which format the abstract is accepted (oral or poster presentation or E-Poster), guidelines and recommendations for each abstract type as well as time allotment, date, hour, and venue will be sent to registered first authors.
Presentation of Abstracts
- The abstract submission constitutes a formal commitment by the first author to present their abstract in the session and time slot assigned by the scientific committee.
- Changes in authorship should be communicated to the ESP Events Team at congress@esp-pathology.org in order to ensure correct appearance in the printed programme.
- Should the first / submitting author, who is considered the presenter, turn out to be unable to present her / his poster, one of the co-authors should take over this responsibility. A change of the presenting author needs to be communicated to the ESP Events Team at congress@esp-pathology.org and will only be processed after acceptance of abstracts. Presenter changes, which are being addressed to the ESP before the official acceptance notification, will not be considered.
- All expenses (registration, airfare, hotel….) associated with the submission and presentation of an abstract, are under the responsibility of the presenter.
Registration and Publication
- As an abstract submitter, you will be able to register once the status of your abstract has been confirmed, so that any applicable presenter or discounted rate can be applied correctly.
- Registration will only become mandatory after acceptance of an abstract and needs to be completed by 25 June 2026 in order for the abstract(s) to be published in Virchows Archiv.
- If the author fails to register and pay before this date, her / his abstract will be excluded from the scientific programme and publication in Virchows Archiv.
Login and Accounts
- Please note: ESP members with active membership can login with their ESP membership account credentials to register for the congress. Non-members will need to create an account for registration and abstract submission.
- When registering, please make sure to use the same e-mail address as for your abstract submission or bursary application.
- Using different e-mail addresses might result in your abstract not being published.
ECP Abstract Embargo Policy
- Accepted abstracts are under embargo until one the first day of the Congress.
- At that time, the abstract book will be available vie the ECP Congress App.
- Submitted abstracts should not be published in any other journals and/or online publications or presented at any international congresses.
- Breaking of the Embargo Policy by a presenter or co-author will lead to the withdrawal of the abstract/presentation from the ECP Scientific Programme and retraction from all ECP publications.
For the 38th ECP in Stockholm, the ESP provides two different types of bursaries:
- Abstract-based bursaries to support the attendance of residents and trainees in pathology at the congress in Vienna
- Bursaries for pathologists from under-resourced countries
What is included in a bursary?
- Bursaries include a free registration to the congress as well as a monetary grant.
Please click on the below button to find further information on eligibility criteria for each category.
Need Assistance?
Please contact the ESP Events Team at congress@esp-pathology.org.
Abstract Submission is closed.
Thank you for your contribution for the 37th European Congress of Pathology!
Submission of abstracts
The scientific committee invites you to participate actively in this congress, which will be an extraordinary occasion for the exchange of thoughts and experiences. We look forward to receiving abstracts online for consideration and inclusion in the scientific programme as oral or poster presentation on-site or E-Poster. Please note that abstracts can only be presented (and thus published) on-site, not virtually! Please ensure that you are able to travel to Stockholm when submitting an abstract.
This also applies for abstracts which are being accepted as E-Posters.
The submitted abstracts should give a brief description of the title and topic. All abstracts will be reviewed by members of the working groups and / or the scientific committee. The reviewers will judge the abstracts according to the relevance to ESP, standard of English, objectivity of statement, description of what was done, suitability of methods to aims, conclusions confirmed by objective results, ethics, scientific value, potential clinical value, originality of work and overall impression. All accepted abstracts will be published in an abstract book which is a digital supplement to Virchows Archiv, and online on the congress website. There will be no printed version of the abstract book.
The deadline for abstract submissions is 8 April 2026.
Registration for abstract submitters
- For the 38th ECP it is not necessary to register before submitting your abstract.
- However, registration and payment will be mandatory for authors of accepted abstracts by 25 June 2026 to get their abstract(s) published in the digital supplement to Virchows Archiv.
- Please note: ESP members with active membership can login with their ESP membership account credentials to register for the congress. Non-members will need to create a (registration) account.
- When submitting an abstract or a bursary application, please make sure to use the same e-mail address as for your ECP registration.
- Failing to use matching e-mail addresses might result in your abstract not being published.
Abstract authors may register at the early registration fee by 8 April 2026. If no registration has been submitted by that date, the early registration fee will be made available again once abstract notifications have been sent out, up until 25 June 2026.
Guidelines for preparation of abstracts
- Please choose a title that clearly indicates the content of the contribution.
- Please avoid abbreviations in the title (exception: scientific terms).
- Abbreviations may be used in the text if they are defined when used first.
- Please make sure to use proper English language.
- Tables, images, graphs, etc. are not permitted; abstracts are to be submitted in text format only. However, you can submit a supporting file with tables and graphs which will only be made available to abstract reviewers.
- Please refrain from spelling abstract titles and co-authors’ names in CAPITAL LETTERS or in lower case (e.g., FIRST NAME LAST NAME or first name last name).
- The author‘s name (full first name, family name) and place of work (institution, city, country) should be indicated in the respective form fields, not in the abstract title.
- Degrees, titles, street addresses and acknowledgements of support should be omitted in the abstract title and text.
To provide maximum information in the abstract
- please state the specific background & objective of the study
- state the methods used, if pertinent
- summarise the results obtained
- state the conclusions reached
- ensure that the abstract does not contain spelling, grammar or scientific errors, as it will be reproduced exactly as submitted.
Guidelines for submission of abstracts
- A maximum of 5 abstracts per author will be accepted for submission. Additional submissions will not be considered (without further notice).
- Submissions on behalf of other authors cannot be accepted. The original author should submit her/his work and is considered to present it on-site in Stockholm.
- An abstract which has been previously published cannot be submitted, unless there are new methods, findings, updated data or other acceptable reasons for submitting.
- Abstracts are to be submitted in English, the official language of the 38th ECP, should not exceed 300 words (in total; there is no limit per field) and be structured in the following specified subtitles: background & objective, methods, results and conclusion.
- Case reports should also be structured as much as possible following the aforementioned categories. If not possible, the authors should upload the abstracts using the most appropriate categories (in the respective text boxes in the submission form).
- The abstract submission constitutes a formal commitment by the first author to present their abstract in the session and time slot assigned by the scientific committee.
- Changes in authorship should be communicated to the ESP at congress@esp-pathology.org in order to ensure correct appearance in the printed programme.
- Should the first / submitting author, who is considered the presenter, turn out to be unable to present her / his poster, one of the co-authors should take over this responsibility. A change of the presenting author needs to be communicated to the ESP at congress@esp-pathology.org and will only be processed after acceptance of abstracts. Presenter changes, which are being addressed to the ESP before the official acceptance notification, will not be considered.
- Registration to the congress and payment of the respective fee is mandatory to be able to present the abstract and get it published in the abstract book – and must be completed by 25 June 2026. If the speaker fails to register and pay before this date, her / his abstract will be excluded from the scientific programme and publication in Virchows Archiv.
- If a delegate has registered upon the condition that her / his abstract is accepted and the abstract is rejected, the registration fee will be refunded. The acceptance of abstracts by the scientific committee does not imply any financial assistance or fee reduction.
- Notification of acceptance or rejection by the scientific committee will be emailed to the submitting author. Detailed information in which format the abstract is accepted (oral or poster presentation or E-Poster), guidelines and recommendations for each abstract type as well as time allotment, date, hour, and venue will be sent in due time to registered first authors.
- Abstract authors may register at the early registration fee by 8 April 2026. If no registration has been submitted by that date, the early registration fee will be made available again once abstract notifications have been sent out, up until 25 June 2026.
Out of all abstract submissions, the Best Abstract Prizes will be selected.
Please click on the button in the right-hand menu to read more about the selection process.
Important Dates
- 8 April 2026 | Deadline for submission of abstracts and bursary applications
- early June 2026 | Notifications to be sent to authors
- 25 June 2026 | Registration and payment deadline for authors of accepted abstracts
Important Information
When submitting an abstract or a bursary application, please make sure to use the same e-mail address as for your ECP registration.
Failing to use matching e-mail addresses might result in your abstract not being published.