Guidelines and Rules for Sponsorship

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1. Initial step

When contemplating URSI Sponsorship, organizers of meetings should contact either the URSI Secretariat or the relevant Commission Chair to obtain essential documents, such as the Application Form and the set of ICSU rules for the free circulation of scientists.

2. Approval procedure

(1) fill in the application form, choosing one of the modes (A, B or C) described in the Appendix. Additional details should be provided if financial support is requested (modes B and C);

(2) the advice of the relevant Commission Chair will be sought by the Secretariat. Note that the final decision is made by the Council (at a General Assembly) or by the Board (in between Assemblies). Approval depends on a set of conditions, such as :

  1. The meeting has a truly international character;
  2. The scientific level of the meeting is high enough;
  3. The local Member Committee (if it exists) has been consulted;
  4. The ICSU Rules on the free circulation of scientists are satisfied;
  5. There is no conflict with other URSI meetings or, most importantly, with the General Assembly, which must be sufficiently distant;
  6. Participation by Young Scientists (less than 35 years of age at the time of the meeting) is encouraged.

3. Registration fees for URSI Radioscientists

If the meeting is co-sponsored by URSI, we should ensure that the URSI Radioscientists receive the same reduced fee as the members of the other sponsoring organisations.

If the meeting is organised solely by URSI, without involvement of other organisations, then the registration fee for persons who are not URSI Radioscientists should be raised by EUR 30. After the meeting the organisers have to send the list with the names and addresses of these people and the EUR 30 per person to the URSI Secretariat. These new URSI Radioscientists will receive the Radio Science Bulletin until the next ordinary General Assembly.

4. Steps before the meeting

Sponsorship entails a few commitments, which are beneficial to both URSI and the meeting organizers :

(1) URSI's sponsorship must be mentioned in the various documents promoting the meeting. URSI logos are sent to the organizers, to be used in conjunction with the meeting literature. Such use is truly desirable, because one of the advantages URSI provides is the "blessing" which our Union gives to the meeting; the appearance of the logo makes this "blessing" evident.

(2) An official URSI representative must be chosen. His main task is to put the expertise of the URSI sponsoring Commission at the organizers' disposal. It should be somebody who would attend the Conference anyhow (his expenses cannot be covered by URSI). He is chosen by the Chair of the sponsoring Commission.

(3) Details on the meeting - such as the limit date for the submission of abstracts - must be communicated sufficiently early to the Secretariat to permit publication in "The Radio Science Bulletin" at an early stage. To ensure an efficient flow of information, please send copies of the scientific programme and the various announcements to the Secretariat.

It would be appreciated if the texts meant for insertion in "The Radio Science Bulletin" would be e-mailed to the Secretariat at rsb@ursi.org. Please enclose a copy of your text for comparison.

5. Steps after the meeting

(1) A suitable report on the meeting - 2 to 4 pages long - must be sent to the Secretariat shortly after the end of the conference. This report will be published in "The Radio Science Bulletin", thus providing free (and significant) advertisement to the meeting, a particularly important point if the latter is part of a series.

(2) A copy of the Proceedings - if they are printed - should be sent to the Secretariat, together with clear instructions for ordering additional copies. This information will be published in "The Radio Science Bulletin".

(3) If Young Scientists have been supported, their name, address and affiliation should be given to the Secretariat. The latter has a complete list of the Young Scientists who enjoyed our support since 1981. Such a cumulative index is of decisive importance in our efforts to obtain financial support from sources such as ICSU or UNESCO.

(4) A suitable financial report should be made in the case of B and C sponsorship.

Items (1), (2) and (3) are typically the responsibility of the URSI representative.

Appendix : Modes of Sponsorship

In order to promote the scientific objectives of the Union, URSI may sponsor scientific meetings of two kinds :

(a) URSI-generated meetings, which are organized by official bodies of URSI (Commissions, Scientific Committees, Working Groups), maybe with other bodies are co-sponsors ; they should be particularly encouraged.

Proposals made by Member Committees will also receive consideration provided the international character of the meeting is duly established.

(b) Meetings which are organized by scientific bodies outside the Union. A necessary condition for URSI to be mentioned as a sponsor or co-sponsor is that the Union should be adequately represented in the preparation of the meeting.

URSI sponsorship may be granted according to three Modes :

Mode A : URSI agrees to be explicitly mentioned as a sponsor or as a co-sponsor. This kind of moral support is granted only if the international character and scientific value of the meeting is ensured. No financial commitment is involved, but URSI will support the meeting by publicizing it in "The Radio Science Bulletin".

Mode B : URSI grants a fixed, unconditional sum. This type of financial support is strictly restricted to cover expenses of Young Scientists, key speakers, or other deserved scientists judged to be in need of financial support. The support for these people is typically EUR 500, it can be raised to EUR 1000, but only under special circumstances. It may not be used to absorb general expenses, and in particular meetings of the Organizing and Programme Committees. Receipts from the beneficiaries are required. The support monies will be paid, either directly to the beneficiaries, or by way of the Organizing Committee, which will then take care of payments to individuals.

Mode C : URSI grants a sum which is to be regarded as a loan. This sum may typically be used to cover preparatory expenses. It may be combined with an additional, fixed unconditional sum to be used in accordance with Mode B.

URSI will not agree to share financial responsibility in an event with a potential deficit. Guarantees about financial health are taken through participation of an appointed URSI representative on the Financial or Organizing Committee of the meeting. Financial support under Mode C will be granted only if the budget shows that the loan will be reimbursed to URSI. The Union should be adequately associated with profits, if any. In any case, the Union will not be liable for losses exceeding the loan granted under Mode C. A financial closing statement after the meeting is expected.

ICSU Statement on Freedom in the Conduct of Science

Application forms for URSI Sponsorship :

*       FORM 1 (due for modes A, B and C), downloadable form in MS Word 97

*       FORM 2 (fixed sum - due for modes B and C), downloadable form in MS Word 97

*       FORM 3 (loan - due for mode C), downloadable form in MS Word 97

*       FORM 4 (report of a scientific meeting), downloadable form in MS Word 97

*       FORM 5 (financial report - due for modes B and C), downloadable form in MS Word 97

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