REGISTRATION & REFUND POLICY

1. Transparent Anti-Predatory Academic Principles

ScholarVault Conferences operates under rigorous ethical governance standards designed to protect academic institutions, faculty, and student researchers from deceptive conference practices. Unlike predatory conferences that levy hidden submission fees or charge authors before review evaluation, SVRIAS 2026 maintains complete financial transparency across all conference passes and institutional partnerships.

2. Zero Upfront Financial Obligation (100% Free Submission & Review)

Manuscript and abstract submission to SVRIAS 2026 is 100% free of charge (₹0 / $0). Authors undergo comprehensive double-blind peer review and forensic integrity screening without paying any upfront submission or evaluation fee. Authors only pay registration fees after receiving formal peer-review acceptance. Non-accepted submissions incur zero charge.

3. Post-Acceptance Camera-Ready Non-Refundability Policy

Once a manuscript clears double-blind peer review and the camera-ready version is accepted, registration fees become strictly non-refundable once camera-ready papers enter formal ISBN proceedings pagination (ISBN: 978-81-181597-0-4) and permanent CERN Zenodo digital DOI minting. Because the secretariat commits digital indexing, metadata archiving, and presentation scheduling upon registration, fees cannot be reimbursed following camera-ready entry.

4. Free Author Substitution Guarantee (Up to 7 Days Prior)

If a registered presenting author is unable to participate in the live virtual session due to university examinations, medical emergencies, or conflicting academic commitments:

• Author substitution (transferring presentation credentials to an eligible co-author or student researcher) is permitted at zero additional fee.
• Substitution requests must be submitted to the Secretariat at least 7 calendar days before the summit (on or before 7 November 2026).
• The replacement presenter will receive the official digital Certificate of Presentation in their name, while co-author credit is preserved in the proceedings.

5. Institutional Academic Partnerships: Safeguards, Default Terms & Reversal

For universities partnering with SVRIAS 2026 under the Institutional Academic & Knowledge Partnership framework (including endowed 100% fee-waiver grant codes and the 25-registration cohort commitment):

• Milestone-Based Grant Activation: Dedicated institutional referral codes are activated upon receipt of written confirmation or a copy of the internal departmental circular or website announcement.
• 14-Day Circular Trigger: In the event that internal circulation or promotional notification is not initiated within 14 calendar days of dossier transmission, the Secretariat reserves the right to reallocate unused free grant slots to waitlisted student researchers.
• Bilateral Reversal & Cancellation Clause: Either institution may withdraw from the partnership with 7 calendar days written notice. In such event, institutional co-branding is respectfully retired; however, student papers already accepted and registered under the grant retain full presentation, publication, and DOI minting rights without penalty.

6. Fair Deal Logo Usage & Mutual Brand Protection

The institution's emblem/logo is utilized strictly under a limited, non-exclusive, revocable license to identify the department as an "Institutional Knowledge Partner" across conference web pages, proceedings front-matter, and virtual webinar backdrops. Logo usage does not constitute commercial product endorsement, institutional sponsorship liability, or financial underwriting. Both parties retain complete trademark and intellectual property autonomy.

7. Organizer Cancellation or Rescheduling Guarantee

In the unlikely event that the summit is canceled or postponed by the organizers due to technical infrastructure disruptions or unforeseen global force majeure events:

• All registered delegates will be offered an immediate 100% full refund of fees paid without deductions.
• Alternatively, delegates may choose to carry over their registration credit to the rescheduled summit or any other ScholarVault conference within a 12-month period.

8. Finance & Reconciliation Desk

To submit a formal author substitution or institutional billing inquiry, please email our finance and secretariat desk at secretariat@scholarvault.in / conferences@scholarvault.in with your Full Legal Name, Registration Reference ID, and paper title. Inquiries are processed within 24 to 48 hours.