Changes to IEEE Computer Society Policy Regarding Conferences Beginning on 1 June 2007, the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE CS) will be changing the Technical Meeting Request Form (TMRF) and our policies and procedures. These new changes will not affect meetings that have submitted their TMRF prior to 1 June 2007, nor will effect meetings that have already been approved. However, beginning 1 June 2007, the old TMRF form will not be accepted and all new policies will be enforced. This message is to inform all organizers what changes will be made and how the new rules will be enforced. The Conference Business Model team has spent the last few years studying almost 180 conferences the IEEE CS currently sponsors or co-sponsors, and has made the decision that this is best for the majority. Conference Administrative Fees and Charges Presently, conferences are required to budget for a 10% contingency (15% for new meetings), an administrative fee of 14% (excluding social expenses), and a 10% surplus. The new policy does not require budgeting for surplus funds. The administrative fee will be changed to 20% of all expenses, or a minimum fee of $5,000, whichever is greater. The fee will be reduced by $1,000 for a completed TMRF received 10 or more months prior to the event, but there will be a late fee of $2,000 for any request within seven months of the event. Fees are apportioned according to the percentage of IEEE CS sponsorship. TMRF Approval Process for Existing IEEE CS Sponsored/Cosponsored Meetings The approval of an existing TMRF will have the following changes: 1. The TMRF will not be approved if (a) there is more than one outstanding final report from a previous instance of the conference, or (b) the TMRF is submitted less than four months prior to the event. 2. All meetings must be endorsed by the sponsoring Technical Committee or Task Force. Without this endorsement, the meeting will not be approved. 3. For conferences not meeting reassessment expectations (see below) the budget contingency will be increased to 15% (from 10%). 4. Since IEEE charges CS a penalty fee for overdue final reports starting in the 13th month, any late final report fee for a conference must be paid in the next instance’s (current) budget or covered by its sponsoring Technical Committee (TC). 5. Conferences with peer-reviewed papers (intellectual property or IP) are required to include papers in the CS Digital Library (CSDL) and the IEEE Digital Library called IEEE Xplore. Publication of conference proceedings through IEEE CS Conference Publications handles this automatically. The goal is to increase the value to our members and subscribers by expanding access to content. For conferences without peer-reviewed IP in Xplore, a fee will be instituted to cover lack of IP revenues.
TMRF Approval Process for New (First Time IEEE CS) Meetings The approval of a new meeting (or one that is a new meeting for the IEEE CS) will have the following changes: 1. A new meeting TMRF must be received 12 months prior to the proposed meeting date. The year lead time is necessary to obtain TC review and endorsement, negotiate the hotel contract, review and approve the TMRF and allow time to advertise. 2. New meetings must be endorsed by the appropriate TC(s) prior to being considered by the IEEE CS. The TC will determine if the meeting should be a stand-alone or co-located with another conference. Without the endorsement of the TC, the meeting will be denied. 3. Expected attendance must be at least 50 people and IEEE CS sponsorship must be at least 50%. Final Reports The final report process has also had some changes. 1. The deadline for submitting final reports will be extended from four months to six months. 2. For conferences that meet the six month deadline, the sponsoring TC receives 50% of any surplus after covering all expenses including the administrative fee. 3. For conferences closing seven to nine months after the meeting date, the sponsoring TC receives 35% of the surplus. Conference organizers may request a grace period of up to three months under extenuating circumstances, approved by the Vice President for Conferences and Tutorials. 4. For conferences closing between 10 to 12 months, the TC will receive 20% of any surplus. 5. For conferences closed after 12 months, the TC will not receive any share of the surplus.
The Conference and Tutorials Board thanks you for your continued support. The policy changes mentioned above have come about after two years of studying the different meetings the IEEE CS sponsors or co-sponsors. However, this is an ongoing process. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please feel free to contact Susan K. Land, Vice President, Conference and Tutorials, at skland@computer.org or Anne Marie Kelly, Associate Executive Director, IEEE Computer Society, at amkelly@computer.org.