Call for Proposals to Host XVIII IASC Biennial Conference 2021 (IASC)

The International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) is now accepting preliminary proposals from individuals/organizations interested in

Hosting the IASC 18th Biennial Conference in 2021

IASC Biennial Conferences bring together commons scholars and practitioners from around the world. The benefits of hosting these conferences for your organization include an expanded network of both global and regional commons scholars, substantial organizational capacity building, and a major opportunity to place a spotlight on the needs of people dependent on commons in your region. The past few conferences have drawn 450-800 participants, from up to 90 countries.

Those interested should submit a statement identifying your interests in hosting an IASC conference.

The proposal should include the following detailed information:

1.      Title of the conference

2.      Proposed conference themes and sub-themes

Mention the themes and subthemes you are proposing for the conference, explaining their global relevance

3.      Description of Host Institution

·        Name of institute or department within the institution that is carrying out the conference and give reasons to why it has been chosen

·        Relationship with IASC and its members:

o   Have you attended IASC conferences?

o   If yes, which ones?

·        Ongoing research, activities and publications on commons and related themes

·        Exemplify the institution’s possibilities to organize this academic event. Mention experience, academic, administrative and logistic capacities and personnel

4.      Conference Chair and co-chairs

·        Listing of qualifications

·        Brief description of past events organized by the chair or co-chair

5.      Conference Team or Secretariat

·        Main people involved and their roles before, during, and after the conference

·        Brief description of past events organized by the team

6.      Conference venue, size and dates

·        Describe the venue, stating why it is convenient for hosting a global conference

·        Give proposed dates to hold the conference

·        Estimated number of participants and countries to come to the conference (past conferences have drawn 450-700 participants; state if you expect your proposed conference to draw fewer or more participants)

7.      Rationale for hosting the IASC Biennial Conference

·        What is the impact you intend to achieve with the organization of the conference? Include issues such as: academic advancement, impact on policy or grassroots action, IASC-membership, and post- conference dissemination of information and activities

8.      Proposed keynote and invited speakers

·        Names

·        Affiliations

·        Topics

9.      Proposed logistical arrangements

·        Field trips

·        Other proposed activities (parallel sessions, pre-conference workshops)

·        Accessibility of the venue and travel and transportation cost

·        Visa or other document arrangements for international participants

·        Lodging

o   Availability of dormitories or hotels at or near the conference venue

o   Approximate cost of lodging

10.  Projected budgetary information

·        Include an itemized budget considering amounts for a global conference, using the outline (Annex 1)

11.  Potential co-sponsors

·        List the possible co-sponsors for the conference mentioning the connection with them and the relevance of their participation

·        Please do notice that the IASC will not be funding or sponsoring the conference, other than in-kind support via the IASC-Secretariat

12.  Funding agencies for the conference

·        Considering that the responsibility of sourcing funds to hold the Conference rests with the host institution and IASC may only assist to derive additional sponsorships, name the potential funding sources to be approached

·        Please do notice that the IASC cannot provide funding to the conference other than in-kind (i.e. support by IASC secretariat)

Proposals must be submitted electronically no later than 15 April 2019 to René van Weeren, IASC Executive Director at iasc@iasc-commons.org

For additional information, please contact René van Weeren, IASC Executive Director, iasc@iasc-commons.org

ANNEX 1 – Budget in US$ (TENTATIVE, based on…. participants (expected number of paying participants)*

Item

Unit/cost

Total Cost

Organizing Team and Support Staff**

Sponsored keynote speaker(s)

Venue/facilities charges

Facilities venue locations

Transportation

Catering (coffee, lunches if to be included in registration fees)

Conference materials (printed program and memory stick with conference papers, etc.)

Signposting

AV registration keynote lectures and opening and closing event, incl. broadcasting via online streaming

Web design and registration system

Sponsorships / Travel Subsidies

Necessities for staff members

Social activities

Contribution to IASC***

USD 50/participant [fixed fee]

Credit card costs

Promotion materials

Unforeseen

Anticipated sponsorships

Registration fees (early bird)****

IASC members ### * US$ ###

non-IASC members ### * US$ ###

Income book exhibit

Additional Costs*****:

Field Trips

Banquet

Potential Sponsors:

in {local currency}

in USD

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

{Partner organization / Sponsor}

*                 Note: Sponsorships plus registration fees will need to cover costs; field trip and conference banquet can be charged separately.

**              For the proposal, only real costs should be mentioned; in the final estimates (after selection) in-kind-contributions can be added.

***            As the revenues of the IASC are based on conferences and memberships only, a fee of USD 50/participant applies to all IASC-conferences, to be paid by the local organizers to the IASC.

****         Please notice that the IASC uses a grid system for entrance fees, based on income and moment of registration. The final grid should include 8 several entrance fees: 1 for each income category (see https://www.iasc-commons.org/membership-options for the categories), and for each income category both an Early Bird and a Regular fee. The difference between the fee for IASC-members and nonmembers should at least be equal to the annual membership of that category.

*****      Field trips, conference banquet, and lunches can be charged separately and should be cost-covering.