The African Genetic Biocontrol Consortium requests proposals for Symposia to be presented at the 1^st Global Congress. The Symposium format is intended to allow a broad and synthesized review of a given topic with ample time for discussion. Proposals addressing the theme “New and Emerging Genetic Biocontrol Technologies: Progress made in the Science, Research, Testing, and Environmental Release of Experimental Genetically Modified Biocontrol Products” are welcome. Other topics that fall within the Congress thematic areas are also welcome.

Symposia are limited to a maximum of 2-hour sessions. The organizers of a given Symposium will consider 3-4 talks, depending on the time allocated by the proposer.

Proposals must be received through the online submission form by 12:00 Midnight East African Time on May 15, 2023. Any proposals sent by email or after the deadline will not be considered.

Quality of submission

Proposals should include original data and/or concepts that promote broad debate and synthesis presented by experts in the field. They should have a cohesive theme, clear objectives and a detailed description of the content. All talks should have a descriptive title. Priority will be given to proposals in which presentations and speakers are identified and described in sufficient detail. Provide a brief background and areas of expertise for all speakers.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

All proposals will be peer-reviewed and ranked by reviewers selected by the Consortium Scientific Committee. The Committee may accept or decline a given proposal or offer you the opportunity to present your work in an alternative forum (organized oral session, workshop, or special session) during the Congress.

Decisions will be made available by May 15, 2023.

Proposals for a Symposium will be assessed using the strength of the criteria described herein. Weighting of criteria may vary depending on the nature of proposals, but proposals should explicitly address these criteria, as appropriate.

If Your Proposal Is Accepted

Symposium organizers should obtain firm commitments from as many of their invited speakers as possible before submitting their proposal to avoid potential cancellations. Organizers will be informed of their session’s time and date. Symposia may be scheduled for any day schedule during the three days of the event. Organizers should inform their invited speakers that scheduling on any day of the Congress is possible when asking speakers to commit to the session. We cannot schedule or move a session at the discretion of availability of a given speaker. All speakers are required to register for the Congress. Organizers are responsible for making this clear to their speakers.

Cancellations and No shows

The deadlines for cancellation without risk of penalty and with penalty are explicitly as stated on the call for abstracts. Instructions for how to cancel are included in all notification emails sent to presenters. You should reply to any of those emails to cancel.

A no show is when a presentation was not made as scheduled, and the presenter did not notify the Consortium of their inability to present. For instance, an unforeseen medical condition or family emergency and a presenter in such a situation should reply to any of the notification emails sent to them via emails. We may not be able to respond during the Congress, but we will save all such messages for processing after the Congress.

For other cases, where there is not a compelling reason and no notice was received, the no show penalty will be enforced. The no show penalty is a one-year presentation ban, regardless of presentation type (posters and talks). Any abstract with the penalized author listed as the presenting author will not be accepted for the following year’s Congress. This penalty applies only to the presenting author, not to any co-authors. The presenting author can still organize a session, be listed as a co-author, and attend the Congress. The ban is for presenting a formal talk or poster only.