Call for Workshop Proposals

(Returning proposers, please read instructions in full, as the proposal submission process has changed from years past)

What is an EMBC Workshop?

Workshops are hands on sessions which are focused on current and future trends in life sciences, biomedical engineering, and technology development in health care; facilitated by a group of leading researchers and pioneers in their respective areas.  Each successfully submitted workshop proposal is reviewed closely by the conference organizing committee, to ensure a balance of content for the conference program,  and will be either accepted or rejected for inclusion in the conference.  Workshops are defined as either Full Day or Half Day:

Full Day Workshops =  Approximately 7     hours of In-Session Time

Half Day Workshops=  Approximately  3.5 hours of In-Session Time

Who-is-who in a workshop?

Workshop Organizer

The workshop organizer is the individual who submits the proposal to the conference committee, acts as the leader and coordinator for the session development, and ensures the successful and timely execution of the session. The organizer’s responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Proper Submission of the Proposal on the approved template and via the approved submission medium.
• Open and prompt communication with the organizing committee and/or staff.
• Ensuring that all deadlines and requirements for the session planning and execution, as defined by the organizing committee, are met.
• Timely execution of the session.

Workshop Speaker(s):

Will along with the organizer facilitate the workshop as proposed and accepted by the committee to the conference attendees.

Workshop Attendees:

The customer who registers, pays and attends the workshop, on location, at the conference venue.

When is the workshop?

Workshops will take place on Day 1 of the conference schedule.  Day one of the conference is reserved only for workshops. No other sessions or conference activities take place on day one of the conference.  Workshops are not schedule during any other days of the conference

Are workshop organizers or speakers requires to pay anything?

For approved workshops that complete the confirming steps, EMBS, as a part of its conference planning,  will arrange and finance the venue/space, coffee break refreshments, audio visual resources, and registration and administration for the workshop. Workshop Speakers and Workshop Organizers are expected to be present at and facilitate the workshop by his or her own means and provide any materials required for the workshop; financial support, travel support, and/or travel reimbursements or grants are not extended to workshop speakers.  Workshop organizers and Workshop speakers are encouraged to secure any funding required for travel or facilitation of the workshop before committing to the workshop.

Are workshop speakers required to register for the workshop and/or the conference?

Whereas workshops take place on Day one of the conference, where only workshops take place, workshop organizers and speakers are not required to register or pay to attend the workshop which he or she is organizing or facilitating.

If a workshop organizer or workshop speaker would like to attend another workshop on day one, or attend any other days of the conference, the workshop organizer and/or speaker(s) must register as a conference attendee at the published and applicable registration rate.

Are Paper submissions or publication opportunities included with workshops?

Papers are not accepted or reviewed for workshop organizers or workshop speakers, as related to the workshop.  Workshop Speakers and Workshop Organizers are welcome to submit papers through the general paper submission process for the conference.

Should I recruit speakers before I propose and organize the session?

Yes. Whereas potential speakers must be included on your proposal submission. It is critical to make sure they are willing, able, and committed to traveling to EMBC to present and are committed to participating in the proposed session.  A strong proposal will include a list of speakers who have committed to attend.

How many speakers can I Include?

Workshop sessions should have the number of speakers required to facilitate the workshop.  We recommend no more than 6.

Are organizers or speakers required to pay anything?

For approved Workshop proposals that complete the confirming steps, EMBS, as a part of its conference planning,  will arrange and finance the venue/space and audiovisual resources for the session. Workshop Speakers and Organizers are expected to be present at and facilitate the session by his or her own means and provide any materials required for the session; financial support, travel support, and/or travel reimbursements or grants are not extended to Workshop speakers or organizers.   Organizers and Workshop speakers are encouraged to secure any funding required for travel or facilitation of the session before committing to participate in the session.

Are Paper submissions or publication opportunities included with Workshops?

Papers are not accepted or reviewed for Workshop organizers or speakers, as related to the proposed session.  Workshop organizers and Speakers are welcome to submit papers through the general paper submission process for the conference.

How do I submit my proposal?

Creation of the Proposal Document

• Use the approved template to create your session proposal document

Initial Submission of the Proposal

• Start a new Submission via the conference subscribed submission system using the “Workshop” Path.
• All confirmed speakers must be included on the proposal both on the face of the proposal document and in the submission system.
• When prompted to advise “How Many Proposers does this proposal have” the organizers and speakers should be included in the number of proposers.
• Example: If there are to be 6 speakers and organizers in the session, the number 6 must be selected in the drop down.
• Each organizer and speaker must have a username (pin) and password to the submission system.
• You will be required during the submission process to provide the username (pin) for each speaker and organizer included in the proposal.
• The submission system will require that one of the names listed on the proposal be the “corresponding author/proposal”. The corresponding author is synonymous with organizer, as defined above.
• Attach your proposal to the submission and submit
• Click here for Video Example of a sample Proposal Submission
• You may update and make changes to your submission until the submission deadline.
• After the deadline for submission, no further changes can be made
• It is important to log into the system periodically and to promptly follow up to any notifications you receive related to the submission which require action steps.

 

Review and Decision for the Proposal

• The committee will begin reviewing proposals after the initial submission deadline has passed.
• Following the review, the committee will advise the corresponding proposer of either the acceptance or rejection of the proposed session.
• If rejected there is no further action, and the session will not be included in the conference program.
• If Accepted the proposal will move into the Final Submission Step.

Final Submission

During the final submission step the corresponding proposer/organizer must on or before the deadline:

• Submit the Final Draft of the Session Synopsis using the approved template
• Confirm the list of organizers and speakers in the Session
• Ensure that all those included in the session register to attend the conference.

Scheduling

• Shortly after the final submission deadline, the program committee will schedule the sessions which met the required steps and provide a date, time, and room assignment for the session.

 

Successful Execution of the Session on the scheduled date and time

What take place if no one signs up for my workshop after it is scheduled?

Whereas each workshop attendee registers and pays to attend a workshop for a fee; a fee which is charged in addition to his or her conference admission item, workshops carry more of a requirement to be of broad interest, attractive, and to meet a full workshop experience for the attendees who registers and pays.  Therefore, workshops are expected to be a classroom experience to workshop attendees, with hands-on learning and networking with a minimum of approximately 10 workshop attendees, who share an interest in the subject matter.

In the unfortunate event that a workshop is accepted and scheduled, but does not meet the required workshop attendee registration, the organizing committee reserves the right to cancel a workshop due to lack of interest. In such a case, the workshop organizer would be advised of the decision to cancel up to 30 days before the event, and all workshop attendees who registered in advance for the canceled workshop would be given the option to receive a refund for the workshop fee or to select another workshop or their personal interest.

Workshop organizers are encouraged to promote their scheduled workshop and to actively engage with the society in promotional efforts for the workshop.