Is ICCS independent, and how is it funded?

Updated

Yes. The International Children's Continence Society (ICCS) describes itself as an independent, nonprofit organisation aimed at advancing research and healthcare in pediatric continence disorders. Its stated funding model rests on two sources — membership fees and unconditional educational grants from the medical industry — and its board and associated experts are not paid for their work. The society also states that industry cooperation is governed by contracts designed to protect the independence of both parties.

What independence means in practice

The ICCS mission is to improve quality of life and life expectancy for growing individuals with deficient bladder function, expressed as problems of storage and evacuation of urine, by increasing knowledge across all aspects of this problem area. Independence matters here because the society's credibility with clinicians and families depends on its educational content and events being driven by clinical need rather than commercial interest.

The page evidence supports three concrete claims:

  • Nonprofit status and purpose. The ICCS is an independent, nonprofit organisation aimed at the advancement of research and healthcare.
  • Unpaid governance and expertise. The ICCS Board and associated experts get no payment for their work.
  • Two funding streams. Running costs are covered by membership fees and unconditional educational grants from the medical industry.

How the funding model is structured

Element What the ICCS states Why it matters to readers
Membership fees Contribute to running costs Member-funded core operations reduce reliance on any single funder
Industry grants Described as unconditional educational grants "Unconditional" and "educational" frame the limits of funder influence
Board and expert work Unpaid Reduces financial incentive tied to funders
Cooperation contracts Regulate cooperation and guarantee independence and protection of both parts Written terms, not informal arrangements

The phrase "unconditional educational grants" is doing real work in this model: it signals that industry support is directed at education rather than at specific clinical conclusions or product promotion. The contracts referenced on the site are the mechanism the society uses to formalise that boundary.

What this means if you are evaluating ICCS content

If you are a clinician, trainee, or parent using ICCS materials, the funding disclosure gives you a basis for judging the society's educational output:

  • For educational use. Position documents, e-learning, and congress presentations sit within a nonprofit, member-and-grant-funded structure with unpaid expert contributors. That is a reasonable transparency baseline, though it is a stated policy rather than an audited financial disclosure on the page.
  • For industry-facing questions. The society explicitly separates cooperation from governance through contracts. If you need the actual contract terms or a full financial statement, the website excerpt does not provide them — those would require contacting the society directly through its published contact channel.
  • For membership decisions. Because fees are one of two stated revenue sources, joining ICCS is also a way of supporting the member-funded portion of its operations, alongside access to member resources.

A practical example

Suppose you are preparing a teaching session on bladder storage and evacuation problems in children and want to cite ICCS position documents. The funding statement tells you the organisation is nonprofit, that its board and associated experts are unpaid, and that industry support is framed as unconditional educational grants under contract. You can cite the material with that context noted. What you cannot conclude from the page is the size of any grant, the identity of funders, or the exact contract language — so if your institution requires a conflict-of-interest check, request those details from ICCS directly rather than inferring them.

Bottom line

The ICCS presents itself as independent and nonprofit, funded by membership fees plus unconditional educational industry grants, with unpaid board and expert contributions and contractual safeguards for cooperation. That is a clear and checkable governance posture as stated; verifying the underlying financials or contract terms requires going beyond the public page.