The Competition
DRPI is a Global Dissolution Research Presentations Competition for Young (Early stage) Pharmaceutical Researchers.
Abstracts are accepted from 5 regions:
- 1.India
- Rest of Asia
- Americas
- Europe
- Australia – New Zealand
under 2 categories:
- Category 1: For students enrolled in the Pharm.D., M.Pharm, M.S., MSc or M.Tech program (or graduated within the last six months).
- Category 2: For individuals pursuing Ph.D., Post Doctoral Trainees, and Industry Professionals. This category includes Ph.D.(s) who graduated within the last six months and Post Docs who left trainee-ship within the last six months.
in the areas of research related to:
- Dissolution & Solubility Modulation
- In vitro Release/Permeation Studies of Conventional & Novel Dosage Forms, including Herbals, Nutraceuticals & Cosmeceuticals
- Development of newer Release testing methods, Modified Dissolution Equipment & Methodologies, including Biomimetic membranes, Biorelevant Media & Automation
- Research using Computational Tools, PBPK Modelling
- Pharmacokinetics & IVIVC Studies
How to participate?
To participate in the competition, it is essential to carefully read and follow the provided guidelines for preparing the abstract and, if subsequently requested, a 10-minute oral video presentation recording.
- It is crucial that your research work presented in the abstract is original (i.e. not previously published as of July 05, 2025), and concisely and accurately presented. Please note that only one abstract per presenting author will be accepted for the competition.
- Please submit your abstract under one of the following two categories using the abstract submission form relative to your region only. [Regions include India, Rest of Asia, Americas, Europe and Australia – New Zealand]
a. Category 1: For students enrolled in the Pharm.D., M.Pharm, M.S., MSc or M.Tech program (or graduated within the last six months).
b. Category 2: For individuals pursuing Ph.D., Post Doctoral Trainees, and Industry Professionals. This category includes Ph.D.(s) who graduated within the last six months and Post Docs who left trainee-ship within the last six months. - Please make sure to select the category that best fits your qualifications. This will ensure that your submission is reviewed by the appropriate committee. Presenting author must be living in the same region under which he/she is submitting the abstract. [India, Americas, Europe, Rest of Asia or Australia – New Zealand]; submissions from trainees must reflect trainee’s work in the same region under which he/she is submitting the abstract.
- The abstract should be no more than an 800 words summary of research findings and up to two (2) images. The format should include only the Title, Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusion, and References (optional). References will not be counted towards 800 words. In optional REFERENCES section, reference any previously published material used in your research. Reviewers will be blinded, such that author/s and affiliation will not be available to reviewers during the review process. Other abstract elements should not reveal authors’ identity or affiliation.
- In a blinded fashion, abstracts will be reviewed and scored based on the following:
- Is the CONCLUSION of the research data driven?
- How EXCITING/NOVEL will viewers find this research?
- How well does the RESEARCH incrementally advance its field?
- Is the abstract WELL WRITTEN?
- Does the abstract reflect/follow INSTRUCTIONS? (e.g., related to dissolution, word count, does not reveal authors’ identify)
- Potential reasons for an abstract not progressing include:
- Failure to follow format guidelines (Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusions, References [optional]).
Lack of data. - Inconsistent or ambiguous data.
Lack of novelty or innovation. - Acknowledgements were included in the abstract, preventing a blind review.
- Affiliation or company name(s) were included in the abstract, preventing a blind review (product names are permitted).
Commerciality. - Reviews of literature.
- Previously published research.
- Failure to follow format guidelines (Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusions, References [optional]).
- Please submit all abstracts through the online portal as per given timelines. Abstracts received after the deadline will not be considered. (Abstract submission link is provided under ‘How to Participate?’ menu above)
- All abstracts will undergo a thorough review process by a team of experienced experts in the field. Following the review, the selection committee will announce their decision on the online portal and notify candidates via email. Some abstracts will progress, and those authors will be invited to prepare a ten-minute (maximum) recorded video presentation. This video presentation must be submitted on the online portal using the URL/guideline that you’ll receive on your registered email. If you are selected to submit a video recording presentation, please make sure to carefully review the presentation format and submission instructions available on the online portal. The uploaded video will be considered for all rounds of the competition. After the evaluation of the video presentations, a few candidates will be selected to give a live presentation. The candidates selected to do a live presentation will be announced on the online portal.
- The live online presentation will be a national event, featuring an on-line, professional gathering of students, faculty, researchers, and industry delegates. The live presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session with a panel of judges. We encourage all to attend the event.
- Each category will have potentially three prizes: first prize, second prize, and third prize at regional level. Details of the prizes could for each region and could be found in the regional page. There are six potential prizes in total for the two categories. The announcement of the winners will be made on the online portal, and they will also be notified via email
- Regional winners will get to compete in the international DRPI – World competition, where they will have the opportunity to showcase their work on a global stage.
- The international event is scheduled to take place online. Additional information regarding the event will be released on the website, and we strongly encourage all participants to stay up to date by checking the website regularly for the latest updates and details.
- The 1st prize winner of the DRPI – World finals event shall receive a prize of USD2000 under each category.
DRPI - World Final Awards
Top 3 winners of DRPI-World Finals receive cash award as given below under both the categories, Masters and PhD.
Please Note: The participant will be eligible for only one cash prize, whichever is higher under each category.
1st Runner-up
Cash award of
USD 1500
2nd Runner-up
Cash award of
USD 1000
1st Prize
Cash award of
USD 2000
Evaluation Criteria
The focus must be on research areas related to:
1. Dissolution & Solubility Modulation
2. In vitro Release/Permeation Studies of Conventional & Novel Dosage Forms, including Herbals, Nutraceuticals & Cosmeceuticals
3. Pharmacokinetics & IVIVC Studies
4. Modified Dissolution Equipment & Methodologies, including Biorelevant Media & Automation
5. Computational Tools, PBPK Modelling
A) Abstract screening/evaluation (Total marks: 50):
B) Poster Evaluation (Total marks: 100):
C) Semi-Finals & Finals: Evaluation Criteria (Total marks: 100):
Evaluation Criteria for Abstracts:
Each abstract is carefully evaluated, in a blinded fashion, on the following criteria on a scale of 1 to 5:
- Is the conclusion of the research data driven?
- How exciting/novel is the research?
- How well does the research incrementally advance its field?
- Is the abstract well written?
- Does the abstract reflect/follow instructions (e.g., word count, does not reveal authors’ or institution’s identity)?
Additionally, each reviewer will also assign an overall score on a scale of 1 to 9. With 1 representing exceptional and 9 representing poor. Ratings will be given in whole numbers without the use of decimals. Overall scores across reviewers will determine overall rank. No formula is used to derive the overall impact score from the individual criterion scores, and reviewers are instructed to weigh the different criteria as they see fit in deriving their overall scores.
Evaluation Criteria for Recorded Video Presentations:
Each video presentation is carefully evaluated on the following criteria on a scale of 1 to 5:
- Clarity and effectiveness of the presentation: The presentation should be clear, well-organized, and effectively convey the research findings to the audience.
- Quality of the scientific content: The presentation should demonstrate a sound understanding of the scientific principles and methods involved in the research.
- Use of visual aids: Visual aids should be clear, effective, and used appropriately to support the presentation.
- Originality and impact of the research: The presentation should showcase original and impactful research that contributes to the field of pharmaceutical sciences.
- Professionalism: The presenter should display professionalism and effective communication skills throughout the presentation.
- Ability to answer questions: During the final live presentation, the presenters will also be evaluated on their ability to effectively answer questions related to their research and demonstrate a deep understanding of the topic
Additionally, each reviewer will also assign an overall score on a scale of 1 to 9. With 1 representing exceptional and 9 representing poor. Ratings will be given in whole numbers without the use of decimals. Overall scores across reviewers will determine overall rank. No formula is used to derive the overall impact score from the individual criterion scores, and reviewers are instructed to weigh the different criteria as they see fit in deriving their overall scores.
Guidelines for the preparation of poster
Prepare Poster in size – 4 ft (height) x 3 ft (width).
- A poster should be prepared using provided template in such a way that the delegates are able to quickly read and grasp the idea as they move through in a busy room. Hence, they should be visually appealing and legible.
- Keep the design simple and avoid making it flashy. Emphasize on the important points.
- Use large fonts and thick lines, include diagrams, tables and figures. The contents should be easily readable from a distance of 1 meter, so that more people can read your poster at once.
Poster Session Etiquette
Your poster content should not deviate from the main idea/theme of your published abstract. In the poster contents
- Ensure that all claims and conclusions are supported by data on the poster or by references.
- Do not include speculative or unsubstantiated comments.
- You should be present at your poster at the dedicated time slots and at tea and lunch breaks to interact with the delegates as much as possible.
- If you wish, you may bring copies of your poster (on A4 size paper) to be distributed to interested delegates.
Guidelines for the preparation & submission of video
All the researcher whose Abstract gets accepted as per online list of accepted abstracts, should prepare PowerPoint slides, again distributed into Title, Background & Rationale, Method, Results, Data Analysis, and Conclusions. The References may be inserted in the slide towards the end or maybe inserted as Footnotes on individual slides.
Ensure that your slides are of high quality and clearly visible.
Nowhere in the Presentation should your identity or your organization’s identity be revealed. Do not add any acknowledgments, logos and/or sponsor names. Stick to purely technical Presentation. Your Presentation may get rejected in case your identity is revealed in any form.
The PowerPoint slides once ready, should be converted into a pre-recorded 10-minute Oral Video Presentation, wherein the clear video of the presenter shall appear on the top-right of the slides. Make sure the audio narration of the presenter is clearly audible and is pleasant to listen to it.
We expect a confident, enthusiastic, loud, and clear 10-minute Oral Video Presentation as the same presentation is evaluated at each stage ahead from Zonal to Semi-finals and All-India Finals, subsequent to selection at each stage.
You can use any platform to record your video Presentation. However, the instructions to use Free Zoom platform to record video Presentation is available here.
You’ll need to upload your 10-minute oral video presentation on YouTube and submit the link for further evaluation. Keep the ‘Visibility‘ setting of your YouTube video as ‘unlisted‘.
Please note: Before submitting the YouTube link of your video, please ensure that ‘Visibility’ setting of your YouTube video is not ‘Private‘. To ensure the same, visit your video link on a different device or browser without logging into your gmail/YouTube account or ask someone from family or friends to click on your video link and ensure that it is visible to all.
SOME IMPORTANT TIPS FOR PRESENTERS:
- Slides need to be prepared using the presentation template.
- Fonts should be plain (such as Arial) and of size at least 24 point (28 to 32 point font size is ideal).
- For graphs, axes should be clearly labeled, lines thickened, and highly visible colors should be used. If you use symbols to differentiate among data sets, make sure that there is no merging.
- If scanned images are used, make sure that they are sharp and clear, with all the text easily readable, preferably using a white background and black text.
- If image requires manipulation, use any good photo editor program to enhance the lines and/or change the color.
- A better option is to redraw the graph or image and the reference shall be given as a footnote starting with the statement ‘Adapted from…’.
- Avoid ‘busy’ slides packed with text or numbers. All text shall be presented as bullet points.
- If you represent an Industry, please treat your competitors, as you would want yourself to be treated. Being a young researcher presentation event, please avoid claims of competitive advantage.
- Practice your presentation in advance and time it within 10-minutes. If you cannot complete your talk in the allocated time of 10 minutes, reduce the number of slides.
- Presentation recording should be done by Presenting Author only. Any unethical practice adopted will lead to disqualification.
EVALUATION OF THE VIDEO PRESENTATION
The video Presentations will be reviewed by DRPI-India Scientific Committees and a list of Titles selected for the Semi-finals will be put up on the website as per the Key Timelines.
Semi-final round will consist of the evaluation of the pre-recorded 10-minutes Presentations followed by live Q&A session of up to 5 minutes.
Selected Presentations for DRPI-India Finals will be announced on the website as per the Key Timelines.
DRPI-India Finals would be conducted as per Key Timelines. This will also consist of the re-play of pre-recorded 10-minutes Presentation, followed by live Q&A for up to 5-minutes.
Semi-finals and DRPI-India Finals will be important National events with a large professional gathering of students, faculty, researchers and industry delegates.