Proposal Submission for Workshops

Call for Proposals for Workshops

We are now accepting proposals for workshops to be held in conjunction with the 8th International Conference on Systems Biology, which will be held October 1-6, 2007 in the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California USA.

Tutorials: 1 October
Conference: 2-4 October
Workshops: 5-6 October

Deadline for Proposals for Workshops: 27 July
Notification of Acceptance: 17 August

Conference Theme: "Sea Changes in Biology"

Since 2000 the annual International Conferences on Systems Biology (ICSB) have ushered in a new era in biology, marked by a focus on understanding the complexity of life through the study of systems and networks, and powered by approaches drawn from engineering, computer science, mathematics, and physics. A phenomenal amount of progress has been made using these new interdisciplinary approaches, affecting all areas of biology.

Session topics this year will include the following focus areas:

• Morphogenesis
• Regulatory Systems
• Multiscale Networks
• Synthetic Biology
• Mathematical Frontiers
• Technological Frontiers
• Systems Bioinformatics
• Systems Biomedicine

Workshops are a key component of the ICSB conference. Workshops length can vary from a half day (approximately 3 hours) to two full days. The proposal shall describe the purpose, background, estimated number of attendees, possible names of speakers, and general format of the workshop. Strong consideration will be given to workshop proposals that are of interest to an interdisciplinary community, and provide a framework for future research agendas. Early decisions may be made for some workshops that require advanced preparations as well as for workshops that are held regularly with ICSB.

Examples of Workshops Held at Prior Meetings:

• Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) Forum
• Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN) Forum
• Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) Workshop
• Synthetic Approaches to Cellular Functions
• Yeast Systems Biology Workshop
• Systems Biology & the Human Health Risks of Environmental Chemicals
• Integrative Cancer Biology Program
• Systems Level Studies of Model Microbial Cells
• Gene Network Models and their Applications
• Vertically Integrated System Modeling

Venue
Meeting rooms will be provided on a space-available basis in the convention center. Space for up to nine workshops to be held simultaneously is available, with capacities of 63 to 96 people (classroom-style seating) or 140-210 people (theatre-style seating).

Each workshop room will be supplied with one digital projector and internet access will be available.

A single morning and afternoon coffee-break will be provided by ICSB.

Lunches will not be provided, however, there are ample venues within walking distance of the convention center for individuals to purchase their own lunch.

Registration and Fees
Organizers of accepted workshops will be charged a fee of $1000 per full-day workshop (academic/non-profit only). The charge for longer or shorter workshops will be pro-rated accordingly. This charge will partially offset the cost of using the facility during these days.

Commercial workshops may be presented at a cost of $2000 (per full-day workshop). Commercial workshops are workshops that primarily focus on using specific commercial products or systems, or at which commercial products are advertised, promoted, or sold, or which are primarily taught by the distributors or producers of those products. The program committee will make the final determination of whether or not a workshops is commercial.

Organizers may choose to offset this cost by charging for attendance. ICSB, however, will not take responsibility for the collection of fees or registration for the workshop. Workshop organizers are expected to provide a web-page and a method for registering workshop attendees and the collection of any fees that they deem necessary.

Organizers will provide a list of names of attendees who have pre-registered by September 15, 2007 so that appropriate badges can be prepared by ICSB. Workshop attendees are not required to register for ICSB.

Other Requirements
No duplication, document preparation, or software distribution support will be provided by ICSB. The organizers are responsible for all such fees and arrangements. The Long Beach Convention Center requires the use of specific contractors for certain services, including catering, audio-visual, telecom and internet services. Alternative catering/coffee-service is not permitted.