The deadline for making a proposal is June 6, 2014 (No, it’s June 20, 2014 according to a June 6, 2014 announcement from the conference organizers) for the 2014 Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia from Oct. 15 – 17, 2014. Here’s more about the call from the CSPC (Canadian Science Policy Conference) Call for Proposals webpage,
Sessions should fall under one of the specified themes of the conference.
- Canadian Science and Technology Strategy: Looking Towards 2020
- Advancing Canadian Economic Development with S&T
- Science and Risk in an International Context
- Innovation in Partnerships
Proposal should identify both the approach to the theme and identify experts who have been (or will be) approached to participate and who can provide substantial contributions to the theme. Please note the proposals in each theme will compete with each other and some themes may be more popular and, hence, more competitive.
Here are the formats,
Format 1 – Standard Panel – expert panellists provide their independent opinion on an issue framed by the Chair/moderator
- Total time allocation – 90 min
- Panellists – Chair/moderator plus max of 4 presenters
- Max time for panellist presentations – 60 min; 30 min to be reserved for discussion
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the issue in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- Why this panel is the right group to address the issue?
- What are the intended outcomes?
Format 2 – Green Paper Discussions – discussion focussed on issues raised in papers available to participants in advance and catalyzed by the commentary of expert respondents
- Total time allocation – 90 -120 min
- Possible approach:
- Chair/moderator to set context – 5 min
- Green paper author(s) – 15 min (paper should be available to participants in advance)
- Respondents – 3 @ 10 min each
- Discussion – 30-45 min
- Chair/moderator to lead discussion on next steps
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the issue in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- Why the proposed Green Paper authors and respondents is panel constitute the right group to address the issue?
- What are the intended outcomes – e.g. transforming the Green Paper to a White Paper and who is the target audience?
Format 3 – Case Studies – a means of learning from diverse experiences relating to the theme issue – from Canadian and international sources:
- Total time allocation – 90 to 120 min
- Panellists – Chair/moderator plus max of 4 case studies
- Max time for panellist presentations – 60 min; 30 to 60 min to be reserved for discussion
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the key issue being addressed in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- Why these case studies, both individually and collectively, provide critical insights on the identified issue?
- What are the next steps envisioned as a result of reviewing these case studies?
Format 4 – Lightning/TED-type Talks – a means of engaging up to 8 participants in presenting their perspectives on a specific issue within a theme in very brief highly focused presentations (with visuals).
- Total time allocation – 90 min
- Participants and role:
- Chair/moderator to outline issue and approach (5 min)
- 6 to 8 presenters (5 min each; strictly managed) (40 min)
- Discussion – 30 min
- Respondent/synthesis of issues – 10 min
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the key issue being addressed in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- Why a collection of lightning talks is a good way to address the issue?
Format 5 – Interactive Learning Session – an approach to engaging participants in a hands on learning/participatory activity – in any format. A bare minimum of formal presentation should be envisioned for such a format
- Total time allocation – 60 to 90 min
- Participants and role:
- Chair/moderator to outline issue and approach (5 min)
- Interactive session – 50 – 80 min
- Wrap up – 10 min
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the key issue being addressed in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- What will be the take-away for the participants?
Format 6 – Debate Format – expert panellists with different opinions get to engage in a debate to provide insights on a particular issue. The session will be heavily moderated by a Chair/moderator
- Total time allocation – 90 min
- Panellists – Chair/moderator plus max of 4 presenters
- Max time for panellist presentations – 60 min; 30 min to be reserved for discussion
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the issue in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- Why this panel is the right group to address the issue?
- What are the intended outcomes?
Format 7 – At Issue Format – expert panellists provide their independent opinion on series of issues in an interactive session framed by the Chair/moderator
- Total time allocation – 90 min
- Panellists – Chair/moderator plus max of 4 presenters
- Max time for panellist presentations 4- 6 blocks of 10-15 minutes for each topic
- Rationale required for submission:
- What is the issue in the context of the 2014 themes?
- Why it is important?
- Why this panel is the right group to address the issue?
- What are the intended outcomes?
I suppose it’s a bit early to announce the keynote speakers but organizers have announced honorary conference co-chairs: Frank McKenna, Deputy Chairman of the Toronto Dominion Bank and John Risley, President and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Clearwater Fine Foods.
In light of these corporate co-chairs, it’s interesting to note this about the criteria being used to evaluate the submissions, from the CSPC (Canadian Science Policy Conference) Call for Proposals webpage,
Quality is the primary criterion in ranking proposals for CSPC sessions. Quality will be assessed on the following basis:
- Content and Topic:
- Timely and relevant to Canadian science policy
- Provides a compelling understanding of the S&T policy dimensions of the issue
- Speakers:
- Knowledge and experience
- Ability to garner public attention
- Profile in science and innovation policy, both in Canada and internationally
- Format:
- Proposals should identify the format of the proposed CSPC session and the rationale for the choice of that format. CSPC is seeking creative approaches that will engage the participants and lead to tangible outcomes.
- Delivery:
- Evidence of coordination and communication among speakers
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the ‘ability to garner public attention’ associated with the quality of a policy or, for that matter, academic presentation. I wonder what impact getting Pamela Anderson (in the past, she has been quite vocal about animal testing and scientific research) or Justin Bieber (perhaps he has a song about science?) to be a panel member would have on your chances of an acceptance?
Facetiousness aside, all conference organizers want to encourage attendance and getting someone who attracts attention to your conference is par for the course. I just wish these organizers would also consider the possibility of creating science ‘superstars’ and part of that process means building up excitement about someone who may not be well known.