Daily Archives: 14 February 2021


News related to COVID-19 circumstances

IEEE MCE and MGA guidelines and support on how to handle conferences during COVID-19 circumstances

New IEEE-Branded Video Conferencing Virtual Backgrounds

Since many IEEE activities are now being conducted virtually, you may want to use the new series of IEEE-branded virtual backgrounds for your upcoming virtual conference. The 10 tech-inspired virtual background images are designed for video conferencing tools, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and On24. View and download virtual backgrounds, plus instructions on how to upload the background images for meetings.

 

Useful information about IEEE Event Cancellation Insurance

 


Statement of Authority

The Conference Coordination Subcommittee (CoCSC) shall:

  1. Encourage Region 8 Committees and Sections to develop conferences to meet the specialized interests of their members. Use the accumulated experience of the Region to help ensure early success of such ventures.
  2. Act as the focal point for information about IEEE conferences being scheduled in Region 8.
  3. Periodically review the effectiveness of all conferences sponsored or co-sponsored by Region 8. Recommend improvements as appropriate to the conference leadership, hosting section and associated activities. Suggest new conferences where a need is recognized and suggest termination of conferences no longer needed or posing undue financial liability.
  4. Assist with conference related questions.
  5. Assist in creating the content for Region 8 conferences web pages.
  6. Maintain an awareness of the availability of professional conference management services and suggest the use of such services where appropriate. Give assistance in the negotiation of contracts for service. Review all such contracts where Region 8 might have financial liability and make recommendations to the Region 8 Operating Committee regarding approval of such contracts.
  7. Solicit invitations from Sections in Region 8 to host the flagship R8 conferences in accordance with Region 8 and IEEE Bylaws.
  8. Develop & maintain general guidelines for IEEE Region 8 sponsored conferences to ensure a high quality of the related conferences end products and services, and revise as appropriate.
  9. Make all conference leaders aware of potential schedule conflicts between conferences without undue concern where geography or different technical interests limit the impact of schedule proximity.
  10. Manage the budget of the Conference Committee if R8 is financially liable.
  11. Maintain historical records, and obtain, develop and keep current documentation on Region 8 conferences.
  12. Submit pertinent and timely conference information to the Region 8 Newsletter Editor.
  13. Represent the Region at IEEE Conference workshops and meetings.
  14. Coordinate area and/or region wide conferences offering dates and locations of conferences to avoid overlaps.
  15. Consolidate a list of all technical society conferences with associated information that are coming into Region 8.
  16. Distribute information on Region venues to technical societies.
  17. Cooperate with Region 8 Membership Development Committee and Industry Relation Subcommittee (IRSC).

IEEE Region 8 Events Sponsorship

You are welcome to apply for the IEEE Region 8 sponsorship of a technical event that you are planning. Please refer to the descriptions of our sponsorships. IEEE Region 8 annually supports an appreciable number of conferences, especially located in Europe, Africa, and Middle-East.

 

Please note that using the IEEE Region 8 logo or announcing an IEEE R8 sponsorship of a technical event before applying for sponsorship and obtaining approval from the IEEE R8 Vice-Chair, Technical Activities is strictly forbidden.

 

There exist two main types of sponsorship of conferences <further details>:

1. Financial sponsorship or co-sponsorship

In this case, the IEEE R8 is involved in technical, financial, publicity and administrative aspects of the conference. Two cases are possible:

  • Sole Sponsorship: indicates full and sole R8 involvement in the conference. The R8 accepts complete responsibility for the technical, financial, publicity and administrative aspects of the conference.
  • Co-Sponsorship: indicates a shared involvement (in the technical, financial, publicity and administrative areas of the conference) between the R8 and other entities. These entities are other IEEE Organizational Unit(s) and other “Not-for-Profit” non-IEEE organizations.

2. Technical Co-Sponsorship

In this case, the IEEE R8 is involved solely in the organization of the technical program of the conferences. The R8 has no financial involvement in the conference. Technical co-sponsorship may or may not include proceedings acquisition for IEEE Xplore.

 

Please note that conferences with approved technical co-sponsorship (no IEEE unit is involved as financial sponsor) will be charged a fee of $1,450 plus $22 per paper sent to IEEE Xplore to compensate for the IEEE technical co-sponsorship. No additional fee will be requested by the IEEE Region 8.

 

An exception to this general policy – MGA will continue to pay these fees if the external (non-IEEE) financial sponsor has a National Society Agreement with IEEE or has a Sister Society Agreement with one or more of the IEEE Societies <link>.

 

R8 Sponsorship Requirements:

IEEE Region 8 may co-sponsor (FCS), or technically co-sponsor (TCS) other conferences, including workshops, symposia, and similar meetings, that serve to advance its mission and purposes and the interests of R8 IEEE members.

 

Conference co-sponsorship is regarded as shared management. Region 8 provides the following benefits and requires some conditions as presented below:

Benefits of R8 Conference Sponsorship

Flagship

Portfolio

FCS TCS

Concurring

1.        Repayable Loan -seed funding (to be returned after conference closing)

USD 5k

USD 5k

     
2.    R8 Steering Committee

x

x

     
3.    Guidance of the organizing committee (by an assigned CoCC liaison member)

x

x x x

x

4.    E-notices to R8 members

5

5 4

3

 
5.    R8 media publicity (R8news, social media, R8Today, …)

x

x

x

   
6.    Organizing side R8 CoCC workshop/session/meeting

x

x

     
7.    Assistance for conference Application/MoU

x

x

     
8.    R8 Director participation in the opening session

x

x

     
9.    Participation of a R8 CoCC representative

x

x

x

   
10. IEEE R8 booth

x

x

     
11. Announce conferences in R8 website

x

x x

x

 
12. Organizing special events in cooperation with R8 Committees (SAC, YP, WIE, AfI, etc.)

x

x#

x+

   
13. Free plagiarism check provided by IEEE

x

x x x

x

14. IEEE Web hosting and IEEE domain for the conference website and email address provided by IEEE for each flagship/portfolio conference

x

x

   

 

Requirements for R8 Conference Sponsorship

Flagship Portfolio FCS TCS

Concurring

1.  Region 8 FCS (%)

>=30%

>=30% * >=5% 0%

NA

2.  Local Organizing Section FCS (%)

>=50%

>=50% *

>=5%

   
3.  Local OU officer(s) involved as program committee co-chair(s)

x

x

     
4.  R8 Senior/Fellow members involved as conference co-chairs (CC), technical program co-chairs (TPC), program committee (PC) members

all CC and TPC

all CC and TPC at least 1 CC,

1 TPC,

5 PC

at least

1 TPC,

5 PC

at least

1 TPC,

1 PC

5.  Program committee members from different R8 countries

x

x x x

 

6.  Progress meetings of the organizing committee with the R8 CoCC representative (liaison)

Monthly

at least 4 at least 2 email

email

7.  Involvement (FCS/TCS) of local Section and at least two local Chapters (or Societies / Councils/ IEEE Technical Communities/IEEE OUs) in the conference field

x

x x

x

 
8.  Free Registrations for R8 representatives (including R8 student paper contest – SPC) that conference must provide

Up to 8

Up to 4 Up to 2 1

 

9.  Submit R8 Conference Final report (link)

x

x x x

x

10.   Previous R8 involvement

NA

at least 1 edition as R8 FCS

At least 1 edition as R8 TCS

   
11.   Promote the R8 Voluntary Contribution Fund (VCF)

x

x

x

   

* Unless otherwise stated in a specific Operations Agreement

# Only when the conference takes place in R8

+ This possibility will be evaluated by the R8 case by case

Important Notes:

  • The relationship between sponsoring organizations must be explicitly defined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed following the submission of the IEEE conference application form <link> (application form screenshots)(application checklist).
  • The IEEE Region 8 may cancel the approved MOU at any time if the technical quality issues are not considered.
  • Plagiarism check of all submitted papers (first and final versions) is required using crosscheck.ieee.org
  • Registration fees must include reduced fees for IEEE members: a minimum of 10%.
  • Conference applications must be submitted before 10 months. Applications received after these deadlines most likely will not be approved.
  • Conference committee members should complete the Training online courses <link>
  • The dates should not conflict with other IEEE Region 8 conferences in related field.
  • The conference application should include the contacts of all conference chairs, technical chairs, publication chair, and the treasurer. Incomplete applications will be returned without processing.
  • Any revisions to a previously approved budget, deadline extension, program, etc., must be submitted to the conference coordination subcommittee for re-approval.
  • The quality report and the conference proceedings should be submitted within 30 days to the conference coordinator in Region 8.
  • The conference organizers should offer free registration fees for at least two IEEE student members. These two students could help in the local arrangement issues.
  • An IEEE booth should be organized in the conference venue.
  • The IEEE Region 8 is committed to approve or decline your sponsorship request within one month.
  • Become familiar with:
    • IEEE Brand guidelines <link>
    • Conference Organizer Roles and Responsibilities <link>
    • Financial Sponsor: Receives a portion of the surplus or are liable for a portion of the deficit resulting from a conference, plus have direct and substantial involvement in the development of the technical program
    • Technical Sponsor: Has a direct and substantial involvement in the development of the technical program, but no financial stake in the conference surplus or deficit
    • Patron: Organizations that help financially the conference without any involvement in organizing the conference
    • Recommended Practices to Ensure Technical Conference Content Quality <link>
    • Guide to Scope and Quality Criteria <link>
    • IEEE Conference timeline <link xls file> <link pdf file>
    • IEEE Author Ethics Guidelines <link>
    • IEEE Policy regarding Authors rights to post accepted versions of their articles <link>
  • Respect of the:
    • IEEE Code of Ethics (section 7.8 from the IEEE Policy Manual) <link>
    • IEEE Publications Operations Manual <link>
    • IEEE Technical Activities Operations Manual (Section 6) <link>
    • IEEE MGA Operations Manual (Section 10) <link>
  • Please be advised that per IEEE Policy:
    • The term “IEEE” shall be used in the names of sole sponsored and co-sponsored conferences where IEEE is at least 50% financial sponsor (in total for all IEEE co-sponsors).
    • The use of the term “IEEE” could be used in the names of co-sponsored conferences in which IEEE is less than a 50% but at least a 25% financial sponsor (in total for all IEEE co-sponsors) (recommended but not required).
    • The term “IEEE” shall not be used in the names of co-sponsored conferences in which IEEE is less than a 25% financial sponsor (in total for all IEEE co-sponsors). This includes conferences in which IEEE is only a technical co-sponsor or is not a sponsor in any form.
  • If it will be your first request of IEEE R8 sponsorship, we recommend to follow steps <link>. Don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] before the submission of your conference application.

 

IEEE Meeting & Conference Management (MCE)

IEEE conference services are provided for IEEE sponsored conferences (by IEEE R8 and/or other IEEE units). Numerous services includes:

  • Overall guidance
  • Organiser/OU education and training
  • Identifying and facilitating sponsorship
  • Finance, budgeting, insurance, contract review and approval
  • Banking and credit card processing
  • Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)
  • Publication of your proceedings
  • Webpage design
  • Marketing your conference
  • Site location, event management, meeting logistics
  • Contract negotiations, food & beverage planning, supplier management

Further details are available in:

 

IEEE Convene

 

 

 

Convening the Conference Community
16-17 July 2020 Copenhagen, Denmark.

IEEE Convene, the annual event for leading scholarly conference organizers around the world, has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://ieeeconvene.org

IEEE Convene post-event report

August 2018  (PDF, 1.3 MB)

 

The IEEE Convene (previously IEEE Panel of Conference Organizers (POCO)) is the annual event for leading scholarly conference organizers around the world. IEEE organizes this event to share resources and ideas with all scientific associations and non-profit conference organizers. Convene convenes thought leaders and decision makers to address conference leadership practices, discuss challenges in the conference landscape, envision the future, and launch new conference initiatives.

 

On-Demand Conference Education Resources Available:

MCE Conference Education provides a comprehensive set of education resources, including 25 eLearning courses plus 28 on-demand webinars on a wide range of conference topics. All courses are available in the IEEE Center for Leadership Excellence (CLE). Conference role-specific learning paths help you gain the knowledge and skills to be successful. Learning paths are provided for: Conference Treasurer, Technical Program Chair, Conference Publications Chair, Event Planning. <Conference Education Programs>.

 

Webinars:

  • 28.05.2020 Strategic Approach to Plagiarism Screening for IEEE Conferences: Learn more about strategically implementing plagiarism screening using Similarity Check (formerly CrossCheck) for your IEEE conference. Understand the various workflow options and learn the difference between similarity and plagiarism. View Playback
  • 30.06.2020 Peer Review – Overview

Frequently asked questions and guidelines / templates

1. IEEE Region 8 Publicity Service

IEEE Region 8 technically and financially co-sponsored conferences have access (after MOU approval) to a unique service of sending their conference promotional materials to IEEE Region 8 members, via:

Please make sure your message is clear, understandable and accurate. The IEEE Region 8 OpCom and Conference Coordination Subcommittee maintain the right to reject the message, for example in case of false advertising.

2. Training material

IEEE Members or Volunteers interested in setting up an IEEE conference in partnership with one or more technical IEEE organizational units (OUs) in Region 8, please refer to the training material:

3. Guidelines and Procedures for Bidding to host IEEE Region 8 Flagship Conferences

4. IEEE Region 8 Conference guidelines and rules (“conference organizer’s handbook”)

5. New GDPR Regulation

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), originating in the European Union, is expected to have far-reaching implications on how organizations, like IEEE, conduct business worldwide, including conferences.

This regulation places new obligations on organizations that market, track, or handle personal data. This legislation goes into effect on 25 May 2018.

IEEE is reviewing policies and business processes that involve personal data and continues to take steps towards compliance.

IEEE aims to ensure that we are able to communicate with our conference related audiences in our volunteer activities in a compliant and efficient manner. One of the key items for compliance is ensuring your current IEEE data is compliant with the GDPR.

Personal data collected without consent of an individual may not be compliant. This means that use of existing lists may no longer be allowed. (Attendee lists, Excel spreadsheets, Listserv, etc.)

IEEE will be providing solutions over the next several weeks and months. In addition, training will be available shortly.

More information is available here: http://sites.ieee.org/gdpr/

 

Please select an expense category from the picklist to classify this transaction. If your transaction captures expenses extending across multiple categories please select the category which covers the majority of the expense.

 

6. Expense Type

  • Management Services: Payments to management companies, professional conference organizers, MCE Services/Sales etc.
  • Registration: Fees incurred on gross revenue income and cost of setting up a registration platform.
    • Equipment rentals
    • Badges and badge printing, ribbons
    • Onsite registration booth rental
    • Online registration processing fees & registration website development and management.
  • Promotion: Costs incurred on materials for promoting the conference.
    • Calls for papers
    • Advertisements in periodicals and magazines
    • Website & promotional management fees
  • Publication: Cost of proceedings, papers, printing, publication shipping etc.
  • Exhibits: Booth/table and site setup, exhibit room fee (depends on hotel contract), per‐diem, and exhibit commission reimbursement (for combined conferences).
  • Local Arrangements: Hotel room or convention center charges, equipment, computer, copy machine, LCD, projector, onsite temps, conference room signage, decorations, attendee gifts, hotel penalties, gratuities, securities, transportation. Fees paid to local IEEE sections/chapters for their time spent in setting up local arrangements. (costs for committee members that are being covered by the conference should be included in Committee Expenses).
  • Social Functions: Costs related to Food and beverage, breaks, excursions, or ceremonies, not covered in conference registration fees.
  • Program: Speaker expenses, expenses for additional courses, attendee souvenirs, awards and honoraria.
  • Administration: Includes bank charges, account fees, wire transfer fees, foreign exchange commission, secretarial fees, accountant fees, additional insurance coverage, student grants, stationary, printing, shipping items to and from the event (excluding promotional shipping), grant administration, office supply, telephone, fax, and staff travel.
  • Society Admin Fee: A fee sometimes charged by an IEEE Society for their assistance in facilitating or sponsoring a conference.
  • Audit Fee: Fee of audit if the conference requires audit by IEEE Policy (if the conference generate gt; 250k in revenue or expense AND has an IEEE financial sponsorship over 50%).
  • Committee: Organizing committee expenses related to stay, transportation, gifts, calls, and food.
  • VAT Owed: Indirect tax payments incurred.
  • Other: Contingencies, overhead expenses, petty cash, and other miscellaneous expenses that do not fall under the categories listed above.

IEEE Region 8 Flagship & Portfolio Conferences

 

Call for Bids – R8 flagship & portfolio conferences 2026

The R8 Conference Coordination Committee is inviting you to apply for organization of one of the R8 flagship and portfolio conferences in 2026, with the following expectations:

  1. 23th IEEE MELECON 2026 (150 participants)
  2. 9th IEEE ENERGYCON 2026 (150 participants)
  3. 10th IEEE RTSI 2026 (150 participants)

The timelines for proposals:

  • 1st step: Upload the following documents: 30 November 2023
    • Letter of Intent: It should be sent by the local organizing committee chair stating their intention to organize the conference in a particular city (specify the university/venue, if already known) and listing the organisations providing technical and organizational support (specify university/ies, chapters, other not for profit organizations). Include the experience of the team in organizing IEEE international conferences and any other information useful to consider the proposed site and team as appropriate to organize the R8 conference. This letter is typically one single page and should not exceed 3 pages.
    • Endorsement letter: It should be signed by the IEEE Section Chair as representative of the Section that fully supports the organization of the event as stated in the letter of intent. Participation of the Section as financial co-sponsor shall be indicated with the percentage of financial involvement. Participation of Societies, Chapters, and Affinity Groups as TCS is well recommended. Any additional information regarding the bid and the organizing team is welcomed. This letter is typically one single page.
  • 2nd step: upload Final bid (presentation + budget): 31 December 2023
    • Detailed presentation of the proposal
    • Detailed budget
    • Other supporting documents

Submissions for the two steps should be done via the same form <submission form link> (requires IEEE Google app access)

 

Selection results will be announced during the R8 Spring Committee meeting in March 2024.

 

The submitted final bid should includes the following material for evaluation by the committee:

  • A detailed presentation (ppt) showing

    • Brief information on the hosting country (include list of restrictions, if any)
    • Details on the proposed venue facilities and at least one possible backup
    • Details on how national and international researchers can reach the venue (Travel facilities)
    • Technical topics covered within the conference
    • Proposed organizing committee (Conference chairs, Program committee chairs, Treasurer, Publication chair) <more details>
    • List of involved IEEE units and List of partners
    • Expected industrial financial support (Patrons)
    • Expected impact of the conference for the IEEE OUs (section, subsection, chapter) vitality
    • Budget summary, registration fees, and balance for the expected case, worst case, and best case; according to the number of paid participants (consider fully physical attendance)
    • Details on your plan if virtual/hybrid model will be required, budget, and registration fees
    • Highlight the positive aspects of organizing the conference at the proposed section/subsection, How the local members will benefit, How IEEE will benefit
    • Other useful information
  • A detailed budget <template> for fully physical attendance model
    • Given the nature of these Conferences, it is important to keep the registration fees for IEEE members low
    • Includes all envisaged sponsorships (industrial, governmental, academia, etc) enabling for reduced registration costs
    • Includes all envisaged expenses
    • Gives an indication of the surplus (recommended to be around 20%). The conference budget should be realistic according to the number of expected participants. The financial sponsorship share should be a minimum of 30% for Region 8 (except for IHTC: R8 FCS is 60%, R7 and R9 FCS 20% each). The rest of the financial risk/reward balance and assessment percentage should be for the IEEE OUs (section, subsection, chapter)
  • Other supporting letters supporting your proposal

Eligibility:

  • IEEE Region 8 flagship and portfolio conferences are intended, among other things, to support IEEE OUs in the Region. Therefore, a bid to host one of the IEEE Region 8 Flagship conferences should originate from the host IEEE Section (or Subsection or Chapter, in cases where no Section exists in the host country).
  • Conference committee members should complete the Training online courses <link>.
  • General conference chairs and finance chairs must be of Senior Member grade residing in R8 and well involved in the preparation of the bid.
  • The general chair should present the bid during the conference committee meeting.
  • The conference management and registration platform(s) should be approved by IEEE R8. The organizers should use the previous IEEE conference domain website and the IEEE Concentration Banking account for financial management. Exceptions require approval from the R8 OpCom.

 

Selection Criteria:

  • The R8 conference coordination committee selects proposals based on the following criteria and presents the selected proposals for R8 committee approval during the spring committee meeting:
    • Section/Subsection vitality (number of events in the previous year, ontime submission of events and financial reports, recruitment % to goal, retention % to goal) – 30 pts
    • Venue facilities (main venue and backup) – 10 pts
    • Travel facilities to venue – 15 pts
    • Committee – Experienced volunteers and R8 senior members – 20 pts
    • Involvement of IEEE units and partners – 20 pts
    • Industrial financial support (Patrons) – 10 pts
    • Low registration fees – 30 pts
    • Discussion of expected case, worst case, and best case; and if needed: in fully virtual – hybrid – fully physical – 20 pts
    • Impact of organizing the flagship conference to the section activities – 15 pts
    • Proposal highlights / presentation – 15 pts
    • Endorsement / support letters – 1 pts / letter (max. 5 pts)
    • No R8 flagship / portfolio conferences organized previously – 5 pts
    • No same conference title organized previously in the section – 5 pts

 

Notes:

  • Learn further details about
    • Timeline to organize an IEEE conference <link>
    • Guidance and ressources on how to organize an IEEE conference <link>
    • How to organize hybrid and virtual events <link>
    • Recommended Practices to Ensure Technical Conference Content Quality <link>
  • The IEEE Region 8 financial supports its Flagship conferences with some seed funds up to a maximum of US $5,000 depending on the size of the conference and as decided by the IEEE Region 8 Committee. This is the maximum risk that IEEE Region 8 will be exposed to. It also technically supports the conference and helps with the distribution of the Call for Papers and advertising. The seed funding must be returned to the Region 8 within one month after the end of the Conference, revenue permitting.
  • The conference committee should respect the following:
    • IEEE Code of Ethics (section 7.8 from the IEEE Policy Manual) <link>
    • IEEE Publications Operations Manual <link>
    • IEEE Technical Activities Operations Manual (Section 6) <link>
    • IEEE MGA Operations Manual (Section 10) <link>
  • List of sections / subsections chairs <link>
  • List of Conference Coordinators <link>
  • If you have any questions or need more information, please, fell free to contact us by e-mail <[email protected]>.

 


Call for New R8 flagship / Portfolio Conferences & Technical Events

The R8 Conference Coordination Committee is looking for ideas for new R8 flagship conferences/technical events on cutting edge topics and sectors, that can be organized as financial co-sponsored conference at the beginning, and the successful ones can be promoted to flagship conferences in the future.

 

If you have ideas for new events, please, fell free to contact us by e-mail <[email protected]>.

 

Learn more about IEEE Conferences and how to organize hybrid and virtual events <link>.

 


 

Region 8 flagship conferences:

  • MELECON: biannual (even years), held in one of the Mediterranean Sections
    • MELECON is a major international forum presenting design methodologies, techniques and experimental results in emerging electro-technologies. MELECON is one of the flagship conferences of the IEEE Region 8 with participants from all over the world. The purpose of this conference is serve as catalyst for the technical exchange between researchers and practitioners from different technological fields including Control Systems, Communication and Information Technology, Mechatronics, Nano- & Micro-Electronics, Electrical Power Systems, and Signal & Image Processing. The technical program includes plenary sessions, regular technical sessions, special sessions, poster sessions and tutorials.
  • ENERGYCON: biannual (even years), about energy topics, held anywhere in R8
    • ENERGYCON is a flagship event of IEEE Region 8 (Europe, Middle East and Africa) held every two years in a different Country. ENERGYCON is an international forum for the exchange of ideas and innovative technologies on Sustainable Generation, Transmission and Distribution, Conversion and Utilization of Electrical Energy. It is also the premier IEEE Region 8 forum for the application of Electronics, Instrumentation, Information and Communication Technology in the Electrical Energy Industry.
  • EUROCON: biannual (odd years), held in a European Section
    • EUROCON is an IEEE Region 8 flagship conference on the European continent. Topics cover the full area of IEEE, e.g., Communications, Networks, Electronics, Energy, Mobile Computing, Cloud Computing, Software, Engineering, Nanotechnology, and E-learning.
  • AFRICON: biannual (odd years), held in an African Section/subsection
    • AFRICON is an IEEE Region 8 flagship conference on the African continent. Topics cover the full area of IEEE, e.g., Communications, Networks, Electronics, Energy, Mobile Computing, Cloud Computing, Software, Engineering, Nanotechnology, and E-learning

Region 8 portfolio conferences:

  • HISTELCON: binannual (odd years), about history of electrical technologies, held anywhere in R8
    • HISTELCON aims to increase the understanding of the origins and of the early developments of electrical technologies – in particular of telecommunications. Original and innovative contributions are invited in areas including, but not restricted to:
      • Origins and early developments of electro-technologies
      • Milestones in different fields of electro-technology, both early and modern
      • Scientists and Technologists involved in the above
      • Museum items and educational methods illustrating the above
  • RTSI: annual, Research and Technologies for Society and Industry, held anywehere in R8
    • RTSI is an annual meeting of researchers and industry professionals in the field of electrical, electronic, and information science and engineering. Specifically, the main purposes of the event are:
      • to promote and strengthen partnerships and cooperation between Academia and Industry;
      • to increase understanding and awareness of how engineering and technology can positively affect quality of life;
      • to promote discussion between the research community and government bodies about effective and successful research policies;
      • to disseminate recent advancements, discoveries and applications;
      • to discuss ideas and promote cooperation between researchers working in different research areas.
  • IHTC: annual, Multi-Regional Humanitarian Technologies Conference Series rotating between R7 (Canada), R8 (Africa, Europe and Middle East), and R9 (Latin America and Caribbean)
    • IHTC is an inter-disciplinary conference series focuses on showcasing challenges, success stories, lessons learnt, case studies and technological innovation related to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ICT4D and the application of Humanitarian Technologies (including Disaster Relief and Disaster Recovery) and facilitating engagement stakeholders from the public, private, education and research and societal sectors around the world. We place a particular emphasis on facilitating participation by key stakeholder groups from low and lower middle-income countries as well as low resource communities.

 


R8 Flagship and Portfolio Conference Archives

AFRICON

  1. 1983: Nairobi, Kenya, December 7-9
  2. 1987: Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Nov. 30-Dec. 2
  3. 1992: Mbabane, Swaziland, September 22-24
  4. 1996: Stellenbosch, South Africa, September 24-27
  5. 1999: Cape Town, South Africa, Sep. 28-Oct. 1
  6. 2002: George, South Africa, Oct. 2-4
  7. 2004: Gaborone, Botswana, Sept 15-17
  8. 2007: Windhoek, Namibia, September 26-28
  9. 2009: Nairobi, Kenya, September 22-25
  10. 2011: Livingstone, Zambia, Sept 13-15
  11. 2013: Mauritius, September 9-12
  12. 2015: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sept 14-17
  13. 2017: Cape Town, South Africa, September 18 – 20
  14. 2019: Accra, Ghana, September 25 – 27
  15. 2021: Arusha, Tanzania, September 13-15
  16. 2023: Nairobi, Kenya, September 20-22
  17. 2025: Abuja, Nijeria

ENERGYCON

  1. 2010: Manama, Bahrain, Dec 18-21
  2. 2012: Florence, Italy, September 9-12
  3. 2014: Dubrovnik, Croatia, May 13-16
  4. 2016: Leuven, Belgium, April 4-8
  5. 2018: Limassol, Cyprus, June 3-7
  6. 2020: Tunis, Tunisia, September 28 – October 1
  7. 2022: Riga, Latvia, May 9-12
  8. 2024: Doha, Qatar, March 4-7

HISTELCON

  1. 2008: Paris, France, September 11-12
  2. 2010: Madrid, Spain, November 3-5
  3. 2012: Pavia, Italy, September 5-8
  4. 2015: Tel Aviv, Israel, August 16-21
  5. 2017: Kobe, Japan, August 7-8
  6. 2019: Glasgow, Scotland, September 18-19
  7. 2021: Moscow, Russia, August 18-20
  8. 2023: Florence, Italy, September 7-9

EUROCON

  1. 1971: Lausanne, Switzerland, October 18-22
  2. 1974: Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 22-26
  3. 1977: Venice, Italy, May 3-6
  4. 1980: Stuttgart, Germany, March 24-28
  5. 1982: Copenhagen, Denmark, June 14-18
  6. 1984: Brighton, United Kingdom, September 26-28
  7. 1986: Paris, France, April 21-23
  8. 1988: Stockholm, Sweden, June 13-17
  9. 2001: Bratislava, Slovakia, July 4-7
  10. 2003: Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 22-24
  11. 2005: Belgrade, Serbia, November 21-24
  12. 2007: Warsaw, Poland, September 9-12
  13. 2009: Saint-Petersburg, Russia, May 18-23
  14. 2011: Lisbon, Portugal, April 28-30
  15. 2013: Zagreb, Croatia, July 2-5
  16. 2015: Salamanca, Spain, September 8-11
  17. 2017: Ohrid, Macedonia, July 6-8
  18. 2019: Novi Sad, Serbia, July 1-4
  19. 2021: Lviv, Ukraine, July 6-8
  20. 2023: Torino, Italy, July6-8
  21. 2025:

MELECON

  1. 1981: Tel-Aviv, Israel, May 24-28
  2. 1983: Athens, Greece, May 24-26
  3. 1985: Madrid, Spain, October 8-10
  4. 1987: Rome, Italy, March 24-26
  5. 1989: Lisbon, Portugal, April 11-13
  6. 1991: Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, May 22-24
  7. 1994: Antalya, Turkey, April 12-14
  8. 1996: Bari, Italy, May 13-16
  9. 1998: Tel-Aviv, Israel, May 18-20
  10. 2000: Limassol, Cyprus, May 29-31
  11. 2002: Cairo, Egypt, May 7-9
  12. 2004: Dubrovnik, Croatia, May 12-15
  13. 2006: Torremolinos(Málaga), Spain, May 16-19
  14. 2008: Ajaccio, France, May 5-7
  15. 2010: Valletta, Malta, April 26-28
  16. 2012: Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia, March 25-28
  17. 2014: Beirut, Lebanon, April 13-16
  18. 2016: Limassol, Cyprus, April 18-20
  19. 2018: Marrakesh, Morocco, May 2-4
  20. 2020: Virtual, June 16-18
  21. 2022: Palermo, Italy, June 14-16
  22. 2024: Porto, Portugal, June 25-27

CompEuro (series discontinued)

  1. 1987: Hamburg, Germany, May 11-15
  2. 1988: Brussels, Belgium, April 11-14
  3. 1989: Hamburg, Germany, May 8-12
  4. 1990: Tel-Aviv, Israel, May 8-10
  5. 1991: Bologna, Italy, May 3-6
  6. 1992: The Hague, Netherlands, May 4-8
  7. 1993: Paris-Evry, France, May 24-27

SIBIRCON (series discontinued)

  1. 2008: Novosibirsk, Russia, July 21-25
  2. 2010: Irkutsk Listvyanka, Russia, July 11-15

RTSI

  1. 2015: Torino, Italy, September 16-18
  2. 2016: Bologna, Italy, September 7-9
  3. 2017: Modena, Italy, September 11-13
  4. 2018: Palermo, Italy, September, 10-13
  5. 2019: Firenze, Italy, September, 9-12
  6. 2021: Virtual, September 6-9
  7. 2022: Paris, France, August 24-26
  8. 2024: Lecco, Italy, September 18-20
  9. 2025: Tunis, Tunisia, August 24-26

IHTC

  1. 2014: Montreal, Canada, June 1-4
  2. 2017: Toronto, Canada, July 20-21
  3. 2021: Virtual, December 2-4
  4. 2022: Virtual, December 2-4
  5. 2023: Cartagena, Colombia, November 1-3
  6. 2024: Bari, Italy, November 25-27

 


Conference Coordination Committee (CoCC)

Conferences are among the most important activities in Region 8 because of the important opportunities that they provide, especially for networking in Europe, Africa, and Middle-East. Additionally, an important intellectual property is generated through the Region 8 conferences and published in IEEE Xplore.

 

IEEE Region 8 Conference Coordination Committee (CoCC) has been running since more than 20 years ago. The CoCC aims to facilitate the planning, development, implementation, coordination, and to monitor and to provide oversight for Region 8 conferences, conventions and technical events sponsored or cosponsored by Region 8, and liaise with and advise Societies and Technical Councils planning conferences in Region 8.

 

For further details about the IEEE R8 Conference Coordination Committee, please have a look into:

  • IEEE R8 CoCC Operations Manual <link>
  • IEEE Technical Activities organizational chart <link>

 

If you have any questions related to our conferences or would like to know more how to be involved in our activities, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

 

2024 Team:

Tiziana Tambosso

(Italy)

Chair

Habib M. Kammoun

(Tunisia)

Past Chair

Abdellah Kouzou

(Algeria)

Member

Shaun Kaplan

(Germany)

Member 

Nadezda Kunicina

(Latvia)

Member

Robert Bierwolf

(Benelux)

Member

Sergio Rapuano

(Italy)

Member

Katerina Papanikolaou

(Cyprus)

Member

Aleksandar Mastilovic

(Serbia)

Member

Pascal Lorentz

(France)

Member & Finance Committee Liaison

Paul M. Cunningham

(Ireland)

Member & Climate Change Committee liaison

2024 Members – ex officio (Members of the IEEE Conferences Committee (ICC)):

  • Peter Nagy (Hungary), Member-at-Large
  • Antonio Luque (Spain), Appointment, IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board
  • Maciej Ogorzalek (Poland), Appointment, IEEE Educational Activities Board

Section Conference Coordinators:

The IEEE Region 8 Conference Coordination Committee is working closely with the section conference coordinators in order to provide the best service to the community. Click <here> to contact your section conference coordinator and start planning your conference.

 


Workshops

  • March 16, 2021: Conference coordination meeting, as part of the 116th IEEE Region 8 Meeting Series. <slides>
  • May 20, 2021: R8 Conference Leadership Workshop, online
  • July 15, 2021: R8 Conference Organizers Workshop, online
  • June 13, 2022: R8 Conference Leadership Workshop, Palermo, Italy
  • November 3, 2022: R8 Conference Organizers Workshop
  • March 24, 2023, R8 Workshop on Conference organization and sponsorship, Bucharest, Romania <agenda>
  • July 5, 2023, R8 Workshop on Conference organization and sponsorship, Torino, Italy <agenda>
  • December 5, 2023: R8 Workshop on Conference organization and sponsorship <agenda>
  • March 1, 2024: R8 Workshop on IEEE Conference Impact and Development, Vienna, Austria <program and slides>
  • June25, 2024: R8 Workshop on Conference organization and sponsorship, in conjunction with R8 MELECON, Porto, Portugal <registration link tba>

 

COVID-19 circumstances

As the situation is dynamic and the affected areas continue to shift, many conference organizers, professional team members, and participants may have questions. The health and safety of our conference participants and the IEEE team is our top priority; therefore, significant expertise and support is being provided to our communities via the following <link>.

 

Best Practices for Virtual Events Course:

 

 

 


IEEE Region 8 Flagship and Portfolio Conferences

Region 8 hosts the following flagship conferences:

  • MELECON: biannual (even years), held in one of the Mediterranean Sections
  • ENERGYCON: biannual (even years), about energy topics, held anywhere in R8
  • EUROCON: biannual (odd years), held in a European Section
  • AFRICON: biannual (odd years), held in an African Section

Region 8 hosts the following portfolio conferences:

  • HISTELCON: biennial (odd years), about history of electrical technologies, held anywhere in R8
  • RTSI: annual, Research and Technologies for Society and Industry Innovation, held anywhere in R8
  • IHTC: annual, Humanitarian Technologies Conference, held in R8, then in R7, then in R9

Interested to organize one of the IEEE Region 8 flagship or portfolio conference? click <here> for further details.

 

 

 


IEEE Region 8 Sponsored Conferences

Upcoming R8 Flagship and Portfolio Conferences:

  • June 25-27, 2024, 22th IEEE R8 MELECON, Porto, Portugal
  • September 18-20, 2024, 8th IEEE R8 RTSI, Lecco, Italy
  • November 25-27, 2024, 6th IEEE IHTC, Bari, Italy
  • June 4-6, 2025, 21st IEEE R8 EUROCON, Gdynia, Poland
  • August 24-26, 2025, 9th IEEE R8 RTSI, Gammarth, Tunisia
  • September 6-9, 2025, 11th IEEE R8 AFRICON, Abuja, Nigeria
  • September 30 – October 2, 2025, 9th IEEE R8 HISTELCON, Bonn, Germany
  • February 2-4, 2026, 23rd R8 MELECON, New Cairo, Egypt
  • August 19-21, 2026, 10th R8 RTSI, Espoo, Finland
  • October 27-29, 2026, 9th R8 ENERGYCON, Paris, France

 

Upcoming R8 Financially Co-sponsored Conferences

 

Upcoming R8 Technically Co-sponsored Conferences

 

Archive: List of previous R8 TCS/FCS Conferences <link>


How to apply for IEEE Region 8 Sponsorship

If you would like to apply for the sponsorship of a technical event that you are planning, please refer to the descriptions of our sponsorships. IEEE Region 8 annually supports an appreciable number of conferences, especially located in Europe, Africa, and Middle-East.

 

Please note that using the IEEE Region 8 logo or announcing an IEEE R8 sponsorship of a technical event before applying for sponsorship and obtaining approval from the IEEE R8 Vice-Chair, Technical Activities is strictly forbidden.

 

There exist two main types of sponsorship of conferences:

1. Financial sponsorship or co-sponsorship

In this case, the IEEE R8 is involved in technical, financial, publicity and administrative aspects of the conference. Two cases are possible:

  • Sole Sponsorship: indicates full and sole R8 involvement in the conference. The R8 accepts complete responsibility for the technical, financial, publicity and administrative aspects of the conference.
  • Co-Sponsorship: indicates a shared involvement (in the technical, financial, publicity and administrative areas of the conference) between the R8 and other entities. These entities are other IEEE Organizational Unit(s) and other “Not-for-Profit” non-IEEE organizations.

2. Technical Co-Sponsorship

In this case, the IEEE R8 is involved solely in the organization of the technical program of the conferences. The R8 has no financial involvement in the conference. Technical co-sponsorship may or may not include proceedings acquisition for IEEE Xplore.

Important Notes:

  • The relationship between sponsoring organizations must be explicitly defined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed following the submission of the IEEE conference application <link>.
  • Conference applications must be submitted before 12 months. Applications received after these deadlines most likely will not be approved.
  • Incomplete applications will be returned without processing.
  • Any revisions to a previously approved budget, deadline extension, program, etc., must be submitted to the conference coordination committee for re-approval.
  • Read more details about Requirements and benefits for IEEE Region 8 Sponsorship <link>.
  • If it will be your first request of IEEE R8 sponsorship, we recommend to contact us at [email protected] before the submission of your conference application.

 

 

IEEE Meeting & Conference Management (MCE)

IEEE conference services are provided for IEEE sponsored conferences (by IEEE R8 and/or other IEEE units). Numerous services includes:

  • Overall guidance
  • Organiser/OU education and training
  • Identifying and facilitating sponsorship
  • Finance, budgeting, insurance, contract review and approval
  • Banking and credit card processing
  • Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)
  • Publication of your proceedings
  • Webpage design
  • Marketing your conference
  • Site location, event management, meeting logistics
  • Contract negotiations, food & beverage planning, supplier management

Further details are available in:

 


CoCC Posters:

Region 8 Athens meeting (March 2018):

 

 

 

Region 8 Malta meeting (March 2019):

  • Information about conference organization is available here as PDF.

 


Former CoCC teams:

  • 2023: Tiziana Tambosso (Italy, chair) Habib M. Kammoun (Tunisia, past-chair), Abdellah Kouzou (Algeria), Shaun Kaplan (Germany), Robert Bierwolf (Benelux), Nadezda Kunicina (Latvia), Sergio Rapuano (Italy), Fatma Taher (UAE), Ana Madureira (Portugal), Pascal Lorentz (France)
  • 2021/2022: Habib M. Kammoun (Tunisia, chair), Ljupco Karadzinov (North Macedonia, past chair), Robert Bierwolf (Beneleux), Tiziana Tambosso (Italy), Nadezda Kunicina (Latvia), Eric Kuada (Ghana), Ridha Hamila (Qatar), Albert Lysko (South Africa), Marios Antoniou (Cyprus), Margaretha Eriksson (Sweden)
  • 2019/2020: Ljupco Karadzinov (North Macedonia, chair), Peter Nagy (Hungary, past chair), Tomislav Capuder (Croatia), Robert Bierwolf (Beneleux), Khaled Mokhtar (UAE), Vikass Monebhurrun (France), Boris Dumnic (Serbia)
  • 2017/2018: Peter Nagy (Hungary, chair), Adel Alimi (Tunisia), Tomislav Capuder (Croatia), Shaun Kaplan (South Africa)
  • 2015/2016: Adel Alimi (Tunisia, chair), Jan Haase (Germany, past chair), Peter Nagy (Hungary)
  • 2013/2014: Jan Haase (Austria, chair), Dirk van Hertem (Benelux), Stefano Zanero (Italy)
  • 2011/2012: Carl Debono (Malta, chair), Karl Gudmundsson (Iceland), Jan Haase (Austria)
  • 2009/2010: Marian Kazmierkovski (Poland, chair), Gerhard Hancke (South Africa), Gerard-André Capolino (France), Baldomir Zajc (Slovenia)
  • 2007/2008: Francisco Sandoval (Spain, chair), Gerhard Hancke (South Africa), Marian Kazmierkovski (Poland), Gerard-André Capolino (France), Peter Farkas (Czechoslovakia, past chair)
  • 2005/2006: Peter Farkas (Czechoslovakia, chair)
  • 2003/2004: Magdalena Salazar Palma (Spain, chair)
  • 2001/2002: Tariq Durrani (UKRI, chair)
  • 1999/2000: Baldomir Zajc (Slovenia, chair)