Congress Proposal Guidelines
Prior to every congress, the ISE Board solicits bids for hosting the congress scheduled to take place approximately four years from the formal Call for Congress Proposals. Below are the general guidelines for preparing a proposal, but please note that they may be subject to minor changes before the formal Call for Proposals is made.
General Guidelines
Please include the following information and address the following criteria in your proposal in a maximum of 10 pages (not including maps, photos and supporting documents).
The ISE Board will evaluate and rank proposals based on these criteria. The Board may contact you for additional information and clarification. Finalists are invited to make presentations to the ISE General Assembly at the next Congress. Finalists are strongly encouraged to represent their proposal in person, but a presentation by proxy is also acceptable. Decisions are made by membership vote.
Please submit a brief narrative answering the following questions (in order):
1. Why do you want to host the ISE congress?
2. How will the congress that you host further the goals of the ISE (refer to ISE mission statement)? Outline any other goals (for example, to bring attention to a local issue or international interaction with a local group).
3. What are your preliminary ideas for congress themes?
4. How will your organizing team incorporate information sharing structures into the congress beyond conventional academic formats?
5. How will you achieve the central goals of the ISE of using the congress to create a productive space for exchanges between diverse political, cultural and epistemological views in ethnobiology?
6. How would you describe the host organization or institution’s strengths in relation to ethnobiology and related fields? What is the host organization’s capacity and experience in relation to organizing a major event of this kind?
7. Why would ethnobiologists be interested in meeting in the host country and region? What points of geographical and historical interest exist in the region? Please make special reference to cultural and biological diversity; ability to interact with local ethnobiologists and with indigenous, traditional, and/or local communities; and to contacts with other relevant organizations and institutions.
What is your team’s proposed organizational plan including: specific congress location; local organizing committee; infrastructure and services; institutional, governmental and other support, and a well developed funding strategy? Maps and photos of the proposed location and region can be included as supporting materials. Please make sure you provide details on the following criteria:
a. Logistics: Please provide estimates of travel cost and convenience (how well the location is connected to the rest of the world). Do adequate facilities exist for accommodation? Is local administrative support available for logistics? Are visas easy to obtain? What strategy do you have to help participants get visas? Are interesting field sites present nearby and accessible?
b. Institutions, infrastructure, and communications: Do appropriate cultural or scientific institutions exist in the proposed congress location? What is the state of local communications and congress facilities? Is local administrative support available for communications and correspondence (through fax, email, and message posting on the web)?
c. Organizational and funding support: Is your team able and willing to establish a strong and active local organizing committee to work on the congress program, logistics, and fundraising? How will the team maintain good communication with and involvement of the international organizing committee, ISE Board and ISE staff?
d. Additional criteria: Does your team have the ability to develop and regularly update a detailed web page for the congress?
e. Proceedings: Does your congress organizing team have an interest in, and ability to compile and oversee publication of Congress Proceedings, either electronically or in print? Note: it is expected that at least 50% of royalties from Proceedings are donated to the ISE to support ongoing organizational costs.
Please note that final decisions (vote by membership) will be based on the information you provide as well as other considerations, such as rotation among continents. Proposals must be received by the due date (once announced) to allow sufficient time for members to read them online before the General Assembly. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have as you consider your proposal submission.
