version of October 2006
The purpose of this document is to describe the major procedures to be followed by a Member country hosting a General Assembly (GA). These especially relate to administration, finance, and publications. They are designed to protect the host from financial loss, while ensuring that URSI benefits from financial gain. URSI must rely on the GA as an important supplement to its income. Highlights of the financial arrangements between URSI and the host Local Organizing Committee appear in the last section of this document.
A major purpose of this document is also to provide an initial list of the minimum requirements for the venue for hosting an URSI General Assembly (GA). It must be recognized that a GA involves two equally important components: the technical meeting; and the meetings associated with conducting the business of URSI, including those of the Board, the Council, the Coordinating Committee, the Commissions, Working Groups, and committees. These business meetings actually span a longer period of time than the technical meeting, and may have somewhat different requirements in terms of facilities and support than the technical meeting.
Based on decisions made at the Toronto General Assembly, an effort will be made at future General Assemblies to minimize the number of Council, Coordinating Committee, and Board meetings held during the Monday through Friday scientific program.
The proposal to hold a GA should address, in detail, all of the items identified in this document as being requirements for the venue and for the Local Organizing Committee. It should also provide sufficient information to assure the Board and Council that the items in the other sections of this procedure will be adequately addressed.
After selection of the venue by the Council, the proposal provided by the host country for the GA will become the basis for a detailed budget. This budget must be agreed to and approved by the Secretary General, acting for the Board, before a commitment exists to hold a GA. As in the case of the proposal, the budget must address, in detail, all of the items identified in this document as being requirements for the venue and for the Local Organizing Committee. Once approved, the budget represents a contract between URSI and the Local Organizing Committee, and is to be followed by the Local Organizing Committee. Any substantial deviations from the budget must be approved by the Secretary General, including any unforeseen expenses. It is to be understood that the host organization and the Local Organizing Committee will be expected to abide by the budget, and must have the financial resources and be willing to take responsibility to cover any unapproved and/or unforeseen expenses. The mechanism to provide for this must be identified and explained in the proposal. By submitting a proposal, the Local Organizing Committee accepts that URSI will not accept nor be held responsible for any financial or legal liability associated with the GA. Any and all such liabilities are the full responsibility of the proposing entity.
The presence or absence of any statements in the proposal not withstanding, submission of a proposal shall represent an agreement by the proposing organization to accept and meet all of the requirements of this Procedure document if the proposal is accepted by the URSI Council.
2.1 Venue
The General Assembly should be held in a venue easily accessible from an international airport. Ideally, the site of a GA should be close to hotels and other accommodations. It must be no further than 20 minutes travel time (by public transport or special buses) from sufficient accommodations to house the expected number of attendees.
Other specific requirements for the venue are detailed in the rest of this document. All costs associated with the use of the venue must be included in the proposal and the budget.
2.2 Visas
URSI must have an assurance that there is no restriction on the issue of entry visas to bona fide scientists, and that the host country where the General Assembly will take place observes the ICSU Statement on Freedom in the Conduct of Science.
2.3 Date
URSI General Assemblies are normally held between mid-July and mid-September, and last for approximately seven days. Exceptionally, where climate conditions make the above dates unsuitable, Council may consider a GA in October. In addition, the GA may benefit from higher attendance from those in academia if held during what is commonly the summer break for many institutions, during mid-July to the end of August.
2.4 Local Organizing Committee
The Member Committee of the host nation should establish a Local Organizing Committee (LOC). This will take responsibility for the formal proposal, including the identification and all charges of a Professional Conference Organizer, except where the Local Organizing Committee feels able to undertake the work. The LOC should provide URSI with itemized quotations (in US dollars or Euros) for services associated with the proposal, including all expenses of the LOC. The proposal should include identification of the major members of the LOC and their responsibilities. At a minimum, these should include the following: General Chair, Vice Chair, Local Arrangements and Social Activities. The institutional associations and past experience with similar meetings should be given for the key people. It is important that there be a diversity of personnel and affiliations involved. The planning and execution of a GA takes place over several years, and the ability of a single institution or individual to carry forward with such a meeting can change in this time. It is thus important that the proposal provide assurance of an adequate reservoir of people with experience in URSI activities to insure a successful meeting.
2.5 Professional conference organizer (PCO)
Usually, it is advisable that the LOC employ the services of a PCO, where available. The PCO should provide URSI with a resume of their experience in organizing events comparable to a GA, as well as a sample contract. Any contract between the LOC and the PCO is to be approved by URSI. Note that all fees, expenses, and costs associated with the use of the PCO must be included in the proposal and the budget.
PCOs often derive a portion of their revenue from negotiations with hotels, the meeting venue, and other suppliers on behalf of a conference (note that in spite of such revenue to the PCO, a net savings to the conference and the attendees may result because of the negotiating experience and expertise of the PCO). The LOC (and URSI) should be informed of any such revenue, and should factor it into the costs associated with using a PCO. In particular, the net expense to URSI of using the conference venue and the net cost to attendees for hotel rooms – including the effects of any revenue to a PCO – should be less than or equal to what URSI and the LOC could obtain by directly negotiating with the conference venue and hotels, and/or using a competent travel agent.
3.1 Commission session rooms
It is very desirable that all Commission session rooms, as detailed below, be located within the same complex (preferably, within the same building). A one-to-two minute maximum leisurely walk between any two of the Commission session rooms is the most that is acceptable. Any more than this leads to an effective separation of the meeting into “mini-conferences.” Where climate renders it appropriate, satisfactory air conditioning should be provided. If the temperature in the meeting rooms, when occupied, is above 24°C (75°F), then air conditioning is needed. It is also important that the meeting rooms not be too cold. An ideal temperature for the meeting rooms, when occupied, is 20°-22° C (68°-72°F).
The meeting rooms should be equipped with 35 mm slide projectors where needed, overhead (vugraph) projectors, blackboards (and chalk) (or vugraph blanks and pens, or whiteboards and appropriate pens), computers and computer-driven projectors (e.g., for use with PowerPoint), a pointer, a timer for timing papers, and, where necessary, audio equipment (microphones and speakers for those addressing the audience). These facilities should be supported with an operator. The operator should be familiar with the operation of all of the equipment, and with the operation of the lights and audio facilities in the room to which he/she is assigned. Written instructions specific to each room, describing how to adjust the lights, the room-temperature control, and the audio levels, should also be provided for each room. The operator should have some rapid means of communication with audio/visual support services and with the Local Organizing Committee, so that if there is a problem with the audio/visual equipment, or if a session chair fails to show up on time, or there is some other emergency, the impact on the schedule of the session and the attendees can be minimized.
Some presentations will require the use of two projectors. For this reason, and to minimize “down time” in the case of equipment failure, several of each type of projector and all required related equipment should be available in addition to the one-per-room required. Spare bulbs should be provided with all projectors with easily replaceable bulbs. Equipment for projecting video should also be available to any of the Commission session rooms, if required by a presentation and scheduled in advance.
Each Commission requires a meeting room in which its scientific sessions (and business meetings) will be held. The seating arrangement should be consistent with a lecture hall: rows of seats with adequate aisles, facing a large and high screen. The minimum seating sizes for these rooms are given in Table 1. In recent General Assemblies, the sessions for Commissions A, C, D, and E have had somewhat smaller attendance than those for Commissions B, F, G, H, J, and K. Thus, if rooms of different sizes are available, the Commissions should be assigned accordingly. [Note that the values shown in Table 1 may be adjusted for a given GA as a result of what the Commission Chairs say.] Joint sessions are usually assigned to the Commission meeting room for the lead Commission: the Commission listed first.
Table 1. Minimum room sizes for scientific sessions and tutorials, by Commission.
|
Commission |
Scientific Sessions |
Tutorial Lectures |
|
A |
90 |
180 |
|
B |
200 |
200 |
|
C |
60 |
80 |
|
D |
70 |
85 |
|
E |
70 |
100 |
|
F |
100 |
120 |
|
G |
150 |
180 |
|
H |
120 |
150 |
|
J |
180 |
300 |
|
K |
190 |
200 |
Each Commission also typically holds a Tutorial Lecture during the General Assembly. These are intended to be of wide interest, and it is hoped that attendees whose interests may be primarily outside those of the Commission will attend the Tutorial Lectures. This leads to increased attendance. If rooms with only the minimum size for scientific sessions given in Table 1 are used, some provision for temporary use of a larger room by a Commission for its Tutorial Lecture should be made available to the Commission Chair during the planning of the technical program. Minimum room-size requirements for Tutorial Lectures are also given in Table 1. Ideally, the room available for each Commission will meet the size requirements given in Table 1 for the Tutorial Lectures, thus permitting all sessions and lectures for each Commission to be held in a single room assigned to that Commission for the duration of the GA.
If the meeting rooms have chairs with arm desks (and particularly if the arm desks are not collapsible), some additional chairs without arms or other obstructions should be provided for use by those who cannot use “class-room-style” chairs.
Drinking water should be available for use by the session Chair and speakers. Additional transparency sheets and marking pens should be available, so that speakers can draw figures or make notes to be seen by the audience during the discussion portion of a paper. A pointer should be provided in each room. If it is not obvious how to control the lighting in the room, a short, clear information sheet should be provided for use by the session Chair and the operator.
The start and end times of papers in all sessions are to be standardized at integer multiples of 20 minutes (including questions), and synchronized among the sessions (and these times will be printed in the program). Some means for those switching between sessions to know what paper is being presented when they reach a meeting room should be provided. One way to do this is to provide a large (approximately one meter high) poster showing the schedule of papers for the session on an easel at the entrance to each room. The operator for the room can then mark the paper currently being presented on the poster at the start of each session.
If the meeting rooms are not labeled with the names used to identify them in the program, signs on each room must be provided. If there is any possibility of attendees having trouble in telling where a particular room is located, signs should be placed at all “decision points” in the foot-traffic pattern in the building, directing attendees to the meeting rooms. Similar signs are required to direct people to the registration area, the office of the URSI Secretariat, and the other offices (see below). A map showing all of the facilities an attendee is likely to need should be included in the registration packets.
Adequate toilet facilities must be readily available close to all of the rooms used for the GA, and signs directing attendees to these must be posted near all rooms.
3.2 Opening ceremony
The Opening Ceremony is usually attended by 1000-1500 persons and is usually accompanied by some entertainment. A suitable, high-quality hall is required, with a podium for seating dignitaries and Officers during the Awards Ceremony. Appropriate audio-visual and lighting facilities are essential. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, seating, operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, apply.
3.3 Plenary sessions
A General Assembly normally includes General Lectures, which are attended by up to 1000. A room comparable with that of the Opening Ceremony is required on three to four occasions for such lectures. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, seating, operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, apply.
3.4 Poster sessions
Commissions typically include poster sessions in their technical program. These require a single spacious area, sufficient to accommodate up to 400 poster presentations. “Spacious” must include enough room in the aisles between posters so that people can easily move up and down the aisles even with three to five people gathered in front of each poster (e.g., 10m2 in front of each poster). Appropriate display boards should be provided, together with materials to support the posters. The display boards should be arranged so as to be in flat rows, instead of angled with respect to each other: an angled arrangement causes interference among those attempting to view and discuss adjacent posters. It must be possible to mount all of the paper associated with posters high enough so that it can be easily viewed with a group of people standing in front of it. The temperature requirements of the section on session meeting rooms apply to the poster area, and, in particular, they apply when occupied by a majority of the attendees. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, also apply.
Posters should be arranged in a logical order. Posters are organized into sessions, just as are oral papers. All of the posters for a given session should be arranged together, sequentially. The session should be identified by signs on the posters, and it should be possible for someone walking up and down the aisles of posters to easily tell that a given poster is paper N in Session X#, where “X” is the Commission letter and “#” is the session number (“XP#” will be appropriate where posters are related directly to Commissions rather than to specific sessions of Commissions). Sequentially numbering the posters and providing a mapping between that numbering and the session organization is not sufficient. It should be possible for someone viewing the posters to be able to readily relate each poster to the session to which it belongs. Signs with large, easy-to-read maps should be provided at frequent intervals in the poster area so that viewers can easily find where the posters for a particular session are located.
The Commissions will organize the poster sessions as part of their technical program. This includes specifying in which of the time slots available for posters a particular poster session is to be scheduled. It is critical that this organization be respected.
Posters should typically be put up well in advance of when the authors are expected to be available at the posters, and when the poster session is to be formally “open.” Also, those attendees who cannot visit the posters during the formal “open” time will want to be able to visit them during the rest of the time they are up. Thus, the poster area must be available without being used for any other function during this extended time. For example, with authors at one of two poster sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, each at 16:20 to 19:00, authors might be expected to put up their posters between 13:00 and 19:00 on the previous day and to remove their posters between 08:30 and 13:00 on the following day. Thus, the poster area involved would have to be available (in two shifts) from 13:00 on Monday to 13:00 on Friday.
3.5 Closing ceremony
A room to accommodate approximately 300 persons with a podium is required for the closing ceremony. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, seating, operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, apply.
4.1 Council and Coordinating Committee
A special room to accommodate 80 persons is required for the meetings of the Council and of the Coordinating Committee. It is preferable to use the same room for both types of meetings. Ideally, this room should be located reasonably close to (within a few leisurely minutes’ walk of) the session meeting rooms. An appropriate layout is required: for example, 10 rows of tables and a podium for the Officers. The availability of sufficient writing and working space for each person is important; an arm desk on a chair is not sufficient. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, apply. If a person in the audience cannot be easily heard throughout the hall when speaking in a loud voice, an audio system should be provided. If this is necessary, microphones need to be distributed such that there is at least one microphone within easy reach of every two people in the audience.
4.2 Board meeting
A comfortable room is required to accommodate 12 persons, with adequate writing and working space for each person. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, apply.
4.3 Committees (Standing and Ad Hoc)
Standing and Ad Hoc Committees normally meet over a working lunch. Four or five small rooms, accommodating a maximum of 25-30 people each, should be adequate. They may also be booked for national panel meetings, etc. Bookings should be made through the head of the LOC Secretariat, who should also be contacted in the event of problems arising in any GA rooms. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, seating, operator support, signs, and toilet facilities, apply. These rooms need to be within a few minutes’ leisurely walking distance of the session meeting rooms.
4.4 Officers and Commissions
A small room each for the President, Secretary General, and Treasurer are required, as are at least two additional rooms for the Vice-Presidents (possibly together) and the Past President (separately). At least one good-sized room should be available for working use by the Commission Chairs, with 10 good-sized tables, each with chairs for three people. It should be quiet (e.g., separated from noise due to copiers). A similar room should be available for working use by the Scientific Coordinator, the Chair of the Publications Committee, the Assistant Secretary General, and the Secretary.
The Assistant Secretary General and the Secretary should share an office, located adjacent to the office of the typists discussed in Section 4.5, and very close to the office of the Secretary General.
Desktop computers, with an appropriate number of printers, should be provided for the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General, and the Secretary. At least six additional desktop computers and two to three printers should be provided for use by the Commission Chairs, the Chairs of Committees, and the Scientific Coordinator. Requirements for the computers and printers should be coordinated with the Secretary General. There should be easy access to the photocopiers mentioned in Section 4.5 below.
A telephone with a separate line and unrestricted dialing access should be provided for the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General, the Secretary, and the President.
Provision for the secure storage of books, notes, briefcases, laptop computers, etc., in or near these rooms is required. This could be provided either by a locking cabinet in the room, or by the users being able to lock the room, itself. The other requirements in the section on session meeting rooms, relating to temperature, signs, and access to toilet facilities, apply. These rooms need to be within a few minutes’ leisurely walking distance of the session meeting rooms.
Access to these rooms may be required at all times, including late evenings and early mornings, in addition to the times associated with the technical program and the business meetings.
Additional office space may be required for the Chairman of the LOC, the Head of the LOC Secretariat, and other LOC needs. This should have convenient access to the on-site registration facilities: see Section 5.1 below.
4.5 Secretarial support
Provision should be made for typists who can deal with English material, and who are proficient with the photocopying machines. Typically, one such person is needed on the first, second, and last day of the GA, and two such people are needed on the other days. All must have a very good knowledge of English. A room for these people should be available, adjacent to the room for the Secretary. Two machines for duplicating documents rapidly (up to 1,000 copies, at a rate of at least 30 copies per minute) are required. These machines must also be capable of copying onto transparencies. These machines are to be for the sole use of the URSI Secretariat and URSI officials (members of the Board, Commission Chairs and Vice-Chairs, the Coordinator of the Scientific Program, and Editors of URSI publications). In addition, it is convenient to have another photocopying machine in the registration area or near to it, for use by those involved in registration and for general use by attendees. Such general use is on a pay-per-copy basis. A service mechanic must be quickly available in case of faulty operation or breakdown. Supplies for the copy machines and other requirements should be coordinated in advance with the Secretary General. Modern office facilities (word processing computers, high-speed Internet, fax, e-mail, etc.) must be available for use by the URSI Secretariat, and these along with the other aspects of secretarial support should be coordinated with the Secretariat well in advance of the GA.
5.1 On-site registration facilities
Provision should be made for a staffed registration desk to process pre-paid registrations and on-site registration. Volunteers may be used to reduce costs. Delegates will be issued a name badge (with lettering size to be read at no less than 2 m range), and a conference bag containing the Proceedings, local maps, and other information.
5.2 Meals and refreshments
Sufficient meal service must be available for attendees to be able to purchase lunch in the time allotted for the lunch break in the technical program. Typically, this means that there must be reasonably priced meal-service facilities (cafeteria, restaurants, cafes, etc.) capable of handling 1500 people in a period of one and one-half hours – including getting from the session meeting rooms to the food facilities, picking up the food or being served, paying for the food, and returning to the session meeting rooms – within a short walking distance of the session meeting rooms. If such service is not available, then provision for providing such service in or near the venue of the meeting rooms must be made.
Sufficient meal service for about 80 people should be available during the lunch breaks associated with the Council and Coordinating Committee meetings, and for about a dozen people during the breaks associated with the Board meeting. Note that some of these meetings will occur on Saturday and Sunday. The requirements are the same as in the preceding paragraph.
Morning and afternoon refreshments should be provided in the form of coffee, tea, and cold drinks for attendees of the technical program. Sponsorship may be sought for these events. If sponsorship is available, light food can also be provided. The refreshments must be sufficiently convenient to the session meeting rooms so that there is no impact on the schedule of the sessions. Similar refreshments should be provided during the Council and Coordinating Committee meetings.
5.3 Discussion area
Seating should be provided near (a) coffee bar(s) for 300 people for one-to-one or small-group discussions of URSI or other business.
5.4 Exhibition
The LOC may decide to offer exhibition facilities at commercial rates, which must produce a revenue surplus for URSI. This space may be shared with a discussion area (see Section 5.3) and/or a poster session area (see Section 3.4), but must not compromise those activities.
5.5 Mailboxes
A method of distributing papers, handouts, and messages to all of the attendees should be provided. At a minimum, a table for stacks of handouts for attendees with an announcement board behind it; a second, separate announcement board; and a separate labelled mailbox (or “pigeon hole”) for each Officer, Council, and Coordinating Committee member (including Commission Chairs and Vice Chairs), the Secretariat, and the Chairs of Standing Committees, should be provided. These should be located within less than five minutes’ leisurely walk of the session meeting rooms, and they should be similarly near to the rooms for the Officers, Secretary General, Commission Chairs, etc. The area where these are must not be closed until two hours after the end of the closing ceremony, and they must be accessible well before and after the sessions and other meetings during the GA.
5.6 Internet access
The URSI Secretariat will require Internet access in at least one of the Secretariat’s rooms. Internet access should also be available for use by the attendees in checking e-mail. This can be provided by a sufficient number of computers in a large room near to the session meeting rooms. Information detailing the type and nature of Internet access to be provided to the attendees should be included in the advance information provided to the attendees, and on any GA-related Web site(s).
5.7 Message boards
Message boards should be provided in an area that will be readily seen by all attendees, preferably in the area where the “pigeon holes” are located. Sufficient space for a general board, plus at least 1.0 × 0.5 m for each Commission, should be provided.
5.8 Computers
A minimum of six computers with two or three printers should be set up in one or two rooms for use by Commission Chairs, Council members, etc. in preparing presentations, reports, and memoranda. It would be helpful for these computers to have Internet access, as well. It is also desirable for computers to be set up in the area of the meeting rooms and/or the pigeon holes for people to access the Proceedings CD-ROM.
5.9 Trials room
A room with facilities for trials of vugraphs, slides, and, if used, computer-driven projectors (e.g., for use with PowerPoint) should be provided. This room needs to be within a few minutes’ leisurely walk of the meeting rooms, and must be available throughout the day, including at least two hours before and after the times for the sessions.
5.10 Banking support for the Secretariat
Immediately before and during the GA, the URSI Secretariat may require access to substantial sums of cash in local currency (among other reasons, for the support of the Young Scientists). There are at least two possible ways of addressing this problem: by using the credit and banking arrangements of the LOC and/or the host Member Committee; or by establishing credit and money-transfer arrangements well in advance of the GA. It is the responsibility of the LOC to work with the URSI Secretariat well in advance of the GA to see that these needs are met.
6.1 Reception
A reception following the Opening Ceremony should be provided for delegates and accompanying persons. Sponsorship may be sought for this event.
6.2 Banquet
A banquet for 300-600 persons is traditional, and is usually held in an attractive location. The LOC is responsible for the cost of the banquet, which may be charged separately to the participants. Sponsorship may be sought.
6.3 Young Scientists Reception
A reception for a total of 150 persons should be planned. The LOC is responsible for the cost of the reception. Sponsorship may be sought.
Hotel accommodation should be reserved at discounted rates across a range of categories. Low-cost lodging in university-type residences should be available for Young Scientists and other delegates. Climatic conditions may require air-conditioning in these facilities (the same temperature requirements as for session rooms apply).
Provision should be made for buses between the hotel accommodation and lodging and the GA site, if these are not in close proximity and public transport is not readily available. Similar arrangements should apply to social events. Climatic conditions may require air-conditioning on these buses (the same temperature requirements as for session rooms apply).
Accommodation should be made for parking by those attendees who drive. If necessary, parking permits should be available for purchase in the advance program.
An interesting program of local visits should be provided for companions of the attendees. Charges for this should be identified in advance, so that they can be collected with the registration fee, either pre-paid or on-site. This activity should be financially self-supporting.
If possible, there should be a designated area for companions to meet (possibly in the discussion area mentioned under Section 5.3), where the provision of coffee would be much appreciated. The latter could be provided by a sponsor.
11.1 Setting the registration fee
The registration fee will be set by URSI when a budget for all itemized charges is received and agreed to.
11.2 Revenue to URSI
URSI is to receive 20% of the gross registration fee paid by every registrant. URSI is also to receive a fixed amount per registrant (typically included in the registration fee) to cover the cost of each registrant becoming an URSI Radioscientist for the triennium. The amount of this fee will be fixed by URSI when the registration fee is set; currently, it is 40 Euros.
11.3 Local financial arrangements and payment of revenue to URSI
Well in advance of the GA, the
Local Organizing Committee will work with the URSI Secretariat to provide local
financial arrangements prior to and during the GA according to the requirements
provided by the Secretariat. This may include provisions for making a portion of
the revenue to be paid to URSI available to the Secretariat at the GA, for use
in on-site payment of support to Young Scientists (for example). Any and all
remaining revenue due to URSI shall be paid to URSI in a manner specified by the
Secretariat no later than six months after the GA.
12.1 Arrangements
The technical program arrangements will follow those of previous General Assemblies, as modified by the decisions made at the most-recent GA, and will be overseen by the Scientific Coordinator. These are described in more detail in a separate document, “Requirements for the Scientific Program for URSI GA.”
Any theme(s) for a GA must be agreed on at the first meeting of the Coordinating Committee (i.e., at the end of the prior GA), in order to ensure that Commission Chairs can take note of this when they start to plan their scientific program of sessions and joint sessions. This early planning is usually immediately after a GA, and some potential conveners are approached at that time.
12.2 Preparation of GA publications
The LOC is responsible for the preparation, printing, mailing, and translation into French where applicable, and the cost of doing this, for the following GA publications;
The First and Second Announcements, printed in both English and French
Full-size posters, printed in both English and French
The provisional and final program booklets, printed in English with the general information also in French
The Proceedings on CD-ROM
The responsibilities for preparation, coordination, and approval of texts for these items are detailed in the “Preparation of the Scientific Program for the URSI GA” document.
12.3 Young Scientist Program
The LOC is responsible for the cost of the Young Scientist Program. This includes the costs of the lodging of the Young Scientists during the General Assembly, the cost of a per diem for the Young Scientists during the General Assembly, and the cost of the Young Scientists reception. The number of Young Scientists to be supported and detailed cost information should be included in the proposal to host the GA and in the budget.
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in association with the financially responsible proposing entity is responsible for all expenses incurred locally in connection with the organization of the General Assembly. At a minimum, this includes the following costs:
The cost of paying 20% of the gross revenue of the registration to URSI.
The cost of the rent of the conference facilities and the cost of a professional conference organizer, if used.
The cost of all the expenses of the LOC.
The cost of the Young Scientist program. This includes the cost of the lodging of the Young Scientists during the General Assembly, the cost of a per diem for the Young Scientists during the General Assembly and the cost of the Young Scientist party.
The cost of the organization of the Opening Ceremony and the cost of the welcome cocktail party or reception after the Opening Ceremony.
The cost of printing, mailing and translation into French where applicable of the following conference publications:
The First and Second announcement, printed in both English and French
Full size posters, printed in both English and French
The provisional and final program booklets, printed in English with the general information also in French
The Proceedings on CD-ROM
The cost to accommodate the conference centre for the General Assembly, including:
Mailboxes, message boards
Poster panels
Computer-driven projectors, overhead projectors, and, where necessary, audio equipment, and an operator for all these items in all Commission session rooms and in the trials room, including some spare equipment
Internet access for the participants in order to be able to check their e-mail
The cost of light refreshments for the conference participants for morning and afternoon coffee breaks.
The cost for the accommodation of the URSI Secretariat:
Two administrative secretaries with proficient knowledge of English and French
A fast copying machine (at least 30 copies per minute) and 25000 pages of A4 paper
One fax line with unrestricted dialling access and one telephone line with unrestricted dialling access
Five personal computers with a recent version of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Professional
Two printers
Unrestricted Internet access
The cost for the accommodation of the URSI Secretary General:
One telephone line with unrestricted dialling access
One personal computer with a recent version of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Professional
Unrestricted Internet access
A reliable safe
The cost of the registration of 35 URSI Officials, the names of whom are provided by the URSI Secretariat
The cost for the accommodation of the Commission Chairs and other officials:
Six personal computers with a recent version of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Professional
Two printers
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) in association with the financially responsible proposing entity is responsible for the following items, the cost of which can be charged to the participants separately:
A banquet
Sufficient meal service at noon for those who which to purchase lunch
A social companions’ program
URSI is responsible for the following costs:
The travel costs of the Young Scientist awardees from developing countries and former Soviet countries
The travel costs and per diem of the URSI Officials and URSI Secretariat
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