Call for Symposium Proposals

The 44th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society (JNS) invites members of the JNS to submit symposium proposals. Approximately 40 symposia, including those planned and led by the JNS and the Program Committee, will be held in the meeting. We seek proposals of timely and innovative projects and interdisciplinary collaborations.
Submission Period: August 20 (Thu) - October 30 (Fri) 17:00 Japan Standard Time (JST), 2020　*Closed

1. Selection Criteria
2. Symposium Proposals Submission Guidelines
3. Grant for Junior Researchers’ Symposia
4. Grant for Joint International Symposia
5. Corporate Sponsorship
6. Symposia Co-Organized with Grant-in Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas
7. How to Submit your Proposal

1. Selection Criteria

Choice of a topic

In addition to universal values in science and novelty, we pay special attention to interdisciplinary topics that encompass multiple specialist fields and emerging topics. In order for us to take up innovative topics from a broad range of fields as much as possible, proposals that deem highly similar to those selected in the annual meetings in the last two years will have lesser priority than the others in the selection process.

Promotion of internationalization

To promote internationalization of the meeting, symposium proposals that involve overseas-based researchers (regardless of nationality) as speakers will be preferred. Symposia co-organized with overseas-based researchers are eligible to apply for the Joint International Symposium Grant.
The global spread of Covid-19 is restricting travel to and from overseas, therefore, there may be obstacles to the planning of a symposium involving invited speakers from abroad. Please contact the secretariat if you have any questions. We are willing to help in any way we can. As the call for symposium proposals is to be carried out under unusual circumstances, a Q&A session on the matter will be held in early October.

Symposia with diverse speakers

Preference will be given to symposium proposals that involve speakers and co-organizers diverse in age, gender, and affiliation. To include female or young researchers is highly encouraged. Symposium proposals with non-JSN member speakers or co-organizers from other related academic or clinical societies are welcome from the perspective of developing multidisciplinary research fields. Junior researchers who have obtained their doctoral degree within the last 10 years are eligible to apply for the Junior Researchers’ Symposia Grant as an organizer of a symposium, which is described in section 3 below.

2. Symposium Proposals Submission Guidelines

1. The duration of a symposium should be 120 minutes (tentative) with 4 to 6 speakers. Presentations are to be held in English, although discussions following the presentations may be in either English or Japanese.
2. The main organizer must be a regular or junior member of the JNS. A co-organizer may be added to co-chair the session; however, it will be the main organizer’s responsibility to plan, schedule, and moderate the session.
3. Organizers should personally obtain consent from all the speakers of their symposia before they submit their proposals. Please be sure to inform the potential speakers that the holding of the symposium is not fixed until the proposal is accepted.
4. Registration fees for the annual meeting will be waived for symposiasts who are not members of the JNS.
5. Organizers who wish to receive financial support in inviting overseas-based speakers should enter their requests including a justification in the “Special Notes” section of the application form. When financial resources are secured, the Program Committee will examine the requests and decide whether to provide financial support.
6. The Program Committee may ask the organizers to combine their symposium with a similar symposium proposal, rearrange speakers, change the titles, or incorporate an oral presentation into their symposium.
7. One can submit one abstract to present as a first author. Speakers of a symposium cannot present in other symposia or oral/poster sessions. Organizers should convey this policy to the speakers when they ask for their consent to speak in their symposia.
8. Acceptance/non-acceptance of the proposals (including combined proposals) will be announced in late November 2020 (tentative) after the Program Committee’s review. The main organizers of the accepted symposia should then responsibly request all speakers to submit their abstracts (in English) during the period of call for papers.

3. Grant for Junior Researchers’ Symposia

Symposia organized by junior researchers who have obtained their doctoral degree not more than ten years prior to October 30, 2020, the deadline for the submission of symposium proposals, may be financially supported as Junior Researchers’ Symposia. At least one overseas-based researcher should be included as a speaker in the symposium if you are to apply for this grant. When financial resources are secured, grants of ¥100,000 - ¥300,000 will be given for travel expenses of invited speakers. We look for ground-breaking and enthusiastic proposals.

<How to apply>
Please select “Apply” for the “Grant for Junior Researcher’s Symposium” on the application page and upload a CV of the main organizer.

4．Grant for Joint International Symposia

Symposia that invite non-Japanese overseas-based researchers as co-organizers and are expected to promote international collaboration will be actively supported. When financial resources are secured, preferential grant of ¥100,000 - ¥300,000 per symposium for travel expenses of invited co-organizers will be considered.

<How to apply>
Please select “Apply” for “Grant for Joint International Symposium” on the application page and upload a CV of the co-organizer.

5．Corporate Sponsorship

Companies may offer financial support for your symposium. After a symposium proposal is accepted, the organizer will be notified of the sponsorship offer if there is any.

<Sponsored Symposia>

1. Expenses necessary to hold a symposium (travel expenses of the speaker invited from overseas, etc.) will partially be supported.
2. Some companies may ask to publish their company names following the title of the symposium, such as “Sponsored by XXXX”, on the website of the annual meeting or in the program book.
   They may ask to place a link to their website on the texts of their company names on the website of the meeting as well.
3. Materials related to the sponsor companies to be distributed on-site of the symposium are limited to those that are given permission by the meeting and symposium organizers.
4. When organizers are to seek sponsorship from companies by themselves, we ask them first to contact the secretariat to get some advice on sponsorship fees arrangements. When organizers submit their proposals after they have found sponsors, please be sure to inform them that the holding of the symposium is not fixed until the proposal is accepted.

6．Symposia Co-Organized with Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas

If you wish to co-organize your symposium with Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, please enter the name of the area on the application page. Joint sponsorship fees for the meeting are not necessary. Using rooms or equipment lent by the meeting is for free, however, putting up signage or using other equipment will be charged.

7．How to Submit your Proposal

Go to the application page from the link below, fill in the form with the following information, and submit your proposal. A person in charge of the proposal, i.e. the main organizer, should responsibly submit the application.
The organizer (and co-organizer, if applicable) should assume the role of chair(s) of the symposium in principle.

1. Symposium Category (choose from the drop-down category list)
2. Symposium Title
3. Information about the main organizer (a regular or junior member of the JNS only): name, affiliation, and contact information (email address and phone number)
4. Information about the co-organizer (if applicable): name, affiliation, and contact information (email address and phone number)
5. Aim and synopsis (approximately 400 characters)
6. Information about each speaker: name, affiliation, email address, and phone number
7. Abstract title of each speaker (tentative titles may do)
8. Key publications of each speaker (1 to 2 papers per speaker)
9. Keywords for the entire symposium (5 words)
10. Request to co-organize the symposium with Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas
11. Financial resources secured for travel expenses of overseas speakers
    e.g.: Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas
12. Special Notes (400 characters)
    Please describe your intended contribution to this meeting, or relevance to clinical practices if applicable.

 

Contact: Secretariat of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society 6th floor, Shin-Osaka Grand Bldg.,
2-14-14, Miyahara, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka,
532-0003, JAPAN (c/o A & E Planning, Co., Ltd)
TEL: +81-6-6350-7163
E-mail：jns2021@aeplan.co.jp

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