Selected Conferences and Workshops address advancements in the field of instrumentation and measurement science and technology, particularly in new, emerging areas and application domains.
These events are among the most important activities of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement
Society (IMS) because they provide members with opportunities to share new research results and exchange technical information, face-to-face contact with their peers, build communities of common interests, and help develop and grow their professional careers.
Additionally, an appreciable amount of new scientific results presented at Conferences and Workshops, may find their way into the Society Transactions.
This document is for the use of Conference Organizers interested in obtaining sponsorship by the
Instrumentation & Measurement Society (IMS) for their Conferences. It provides the guidelines, responsibilities and policies for managing IMS Conferences and Workshops and obtaining IMS support.
A comprehensive source of current data on setting up, running and closing out a conference can be found on the IEEE Website http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/index.html
Useful documents include:
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Starting a New Conference: http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/starting_new_conference.html
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Setting up an Annual Conference: http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/setting_up_annual_conference.html
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Conference Organizers’ Manual: http://www.ieee.org/documents/manual.pdf
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Quick Links to Required forms: http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/conference_organizer_quick_links.html
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IEEE Conference Application: http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/conference_application_form.html
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Conference Sponsorship http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/conference_sponsorship.html
GUIDELINES FOR REQUESTING THE IMS SUPPORT TO A TECHNICAL EVENT
The IMS is actively and regularly involved in technical Conferences and Workshops related to the instrumentation and measurement field. The IMS involvement can be at 3 different levels of support, as outlined in the following:
CATEGORIES OF SUPPORT
A. Sole Sponsorship
Sole sponsorship indicates full and sole IMS involvement in the Conference. If the conference is approved by the society, this will mean accepting complete responsibility for the technical, financial, publicity and administrative aspects of the conference. Such Conferences must include the IEEE IMS logo in the
Conference title and all Conference publications and announcements.
Services provided by IMS should be specified here (as webpage design, support to the review process … )

B. Co-Sponsorship
Co-Sponsorship indicates a shared involvement between the IMS and other entities. Other co-sponsors could be IEEE Organizational Unit(s) (societies, sections, chapters, etc.) and/or other Non-profit non-IEEE organizations.
Co-Sponsorship indicates a shared and significant involvement in the technical, financial, publicity and administrative aspects of the conference. The relationship between sponsoring organizations must be explicitly defined in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Co-sponsored Conferences must include the IEEE IMS logo in all their publications and announcements.
C. Technical Co-Sponsorship
Technical Co-Sponsorship is available for events financially sponsored by other Non-profit Organizations.
Technical Co-Sponsorship indicates direct and substantial involvement by the IMS solely in the organization of the Conference technical program. No financial involvement is provided.
Technically co-sponsored Conferences must include IMS members in the technical committee. Also the
IEEE IMS logo must be included in all their publications and announcements.
Benefits for both co-sponsored and technical co-sponsored Conferences:
The Conference will:
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be included in the IEEE Conference Search tool;
•
be encouraged to participate in the IEEE Conference Publications Program (CPP): the primary objective of the CPP is to include the papers in IEEE Xplore® for the widest dissemination within the technical community;
•
be included in the IMS website;
•
use IMS and IEEE logos to attract more attendees;
•
be listed in the IEEE IMS Magazine pages .
proposal: one page listing of the sponsored and technically co-sponsored conferences into each issue
Technically extended versions of the papers presented at the conference can be submitted for publication on the IEEE Transaction on Instrumentation and Measurement.
Other benefits can be specified in the MoU.
Requirements for both co-sponsored and technical co-sponsored Conferences
The Conference Organizers will:
•
reduce registration rate for IEEE members;
•
provide extra registration rate discount for IEEE-IMS members;
•
be available to distribute IMS items (e.g. a copy of the Magazine) to the Conference attendees.
The official language of the Conference shall be English, and all papers shall be written, presented and discussed in English.
Other requirements can be specified in the MOU.
ROADMAP FOR SPONSORSHIP
All sponsored Conferences, and all co-sponsored Conferences where all other co-sponsors are IEEE
Organizational Units, will follows the procedures contained in the IEEE Conference Organizers’ Manual.
For step-by-step information, see How to Plan an IEEE Conference: Checklist & Timeline.
A. Sponsorship application process
The primary document to start an IEEE sponsored conference is the Conference Information Schedule
(CIS). This document establishes the name of the conference, the date and venue and the principal points of contact. No other planning and approvals can be initiated, including contract review and execution, until the CIS is filed with IEEE Conference Contracts by the Conference General Chair (or Co-Chairs).

Moreover, the Conference General Chair (or Co-Chairs) must submit a complete application form - as specified in the Table below - to the IMS Vice President for Conferences at least 18 months (for sponsorship) or 6 months (for technical co-sponsorship) in advance of the date of the Conference.
Applications received after this deadline could not be approved.
The application form must be emailed as an attachment to the IMS Vice President for Conferences. Be sure the email message clearly indicates the type of desired support. Any brochures, advertisements or other pertinent material the General Chair believes important for a successful evaluation can be added to the application set.
The application set should also provide:
- the expected Conference attendance;
- different registration fees for IEEE-IMS members, IEEE members and non-IEEE members.
Incomplete application sets will be returned without processing.
Contents of application form requesting IMS Conference support ("x" indicates required item).
Item sole sponsor cosponsor technical co-sponsor
Remarks
Conference Call for Papers X X X
Motivation
(1)
X X X explain why IMS involvement is being requested
List of organizing committee X X X identify all IMS members
List of non-IMS technical and/or financial sponsors
X X X identify any existing, pending or planned sponsors
Venue description
(2)
X X
Budget
(3)
X X
Memorandum of understanding (MOU)
(4)
X X
Notes :
1. If IMS technical co-sponsorship is requested, the registration fees for IMS members should be not higher than for members of the sponsoring Organizations. The motivation statement should indicate this policy will be honored.
2. Brochures showing the venue layout, room accommodations and other facilities should be included in the application set.
3. Must be submitted using the IEEE Financial Web form. Expected surplus should be not less than 20% .
4. Only non-profit Organizations can obtain the IEEE technical sponsorship. The MOU must be submitted using the IEEE MOU template.
Further approval requirements may be specified in the MOU.
B. Conference approval process
The IMS Vice President for Conferences reviews the application form, assesses it on the basis of the IMS requirements and decides for or against the approval.
Applications for sole sponsorship or co-sponsorship require AdCom approval. The IMS Vice President for
Conferences submits the application form to the AdCom for approval.
Also, the AdCom will review and approve any budget revisions for previously approved sponsored
Conference budgets.
The IMS Vice President for Conferences will inform the Conference General Chair (or Co-Chairs) about the approval for the co-sponsorship request.

C. Budget for sole sponsorship or co-sponsorship Conferences
In order for IMS to financially sponsor a Conference, an approved Budget is required, using the IEEE
Financial Web form . The form for the budget should be initially sent to the IMS VP of Conferences to insure compliance with IEEE guidelines on Conference finances. Once the budget is completed and approved by the IMS, the Conference Organizers will submit financial information to conferencefinance@ieee.org
.
Every technical meeting is expected to follow its budget. The meeting will discharge all of its debts and meet the surplus as committed in the original budget.
Any change to a previously approved budget, no matter how minor, must be submitted to the Vice
President for Conferences and to the Treasurer for re-approval. The General Chair shall not transmit the original budget or any revisions to that budget directly the IEEE. All budgets and subsequent revisions will only be transmitted to the IMS Vice President for Conferences and to the Treasurer.
No expenses for the Conference Organization Committee (e.g. travel, complimentary rooms, and registration waivers) are to be charged to the meeting unless explicitly included in the Conference’s approved budget.
An IMS Financially Sponsored Conference can request a loan anytime during the planning cycle. However, this loan should be included in the Conference Budget, and conform to the percentage participation by IMS.
Upon request by the Conference General Chair or Treasurer, IMS will approve the loan and contact IEEE
Conference Services to process the request. The Conference must repay all conference loans within one month after the conference.
D. Conference Banking
A Conference must set up a banking account dedicated to the Conference. Both the General Chair and the
Finance Chair must sign IEEE Concentration Banking offers IEEE conferences a bank account with unlimited check writing privileges, which pays a higher rate of interest than traditional business checking accounts. It is optional, but highly recommended.
CONFERENCE PROMOTION
A link to the co-sponsored or technical co-sponsored Conference is included in the IMS website. Also, information about the Conference is provided in the I&M Magazine.
To send an announcement to the entire IMS membership, the Conference Organizers can use the IEEE
Notice System . Once the notice is submitted, the IMS VP of Conferences will be contacted for approval.
TECHNICAL PROGRAM AND PAPER REVIEW PROCESS
The IMS has a direct and substantial involvement in the development of the Technical Program of any sponsored or technically sponsored Conference.
In particular, the paper review process of the Conference should satisfy the following requirements:
1. a number of qualified TPC members are appointed by the IMS;
2. TPC members should come from different geographical areas;
4. the deadline for paper submission must set sufficiently far in advance of the date of the conference to allow enough time for proper review;
5. the number of expected submissions must be specified;
6. a minimum length of submitted papers or extended abstracts must be specified (e.g. 4 pages IEEE format);
7. solutions for conflict of interest in reviewing papers by researchers involved in the Conference organization must be specified;
8. papers are reviewed within the deadline and each review scores over the following four assessment areas:

a. relevance and timeliness: rate the importance and timeliness of the topic addressed in the paper within its area of research; b. technical content and scientific rigour: rate the technical content of the paper (e.g.: completeness of the analysis or simulation study, thoroughness of the treatise, accuracy of the models, etc.), its soundness and scientific rigour; c. novelty and originality: rate the novelty and originality of the ideas or results presented in the paper; d. quality of presentation: rate the paper organization, the clearness of text and figures, the completeness and accuracy of references;
9. the official language of the Conference is English, and all papers shall be written, presented and discussed in English.
Other requirements can be specified in the MOU.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS PUBLICATION
Both Financially Sponsored and Technical Cosponsored Conferences are encouraged to participate in the
IEEE Conference Publications Program (CPP). The primary objective of the CPP is to include the papers in
IEEE Xplore for the widest dissemination within the technical community.
However, the publication of the conference proceedings in IEEE Xplore is not granted by the technical cosponsorship. It will be ensured only after a positive ex-post review of the paper quality performed under the responsibility of a Committee of experts in the field of instrumentation and measurement designated by the
VP for Conferences of the IMS.
If the overall content of the proceedings papers is considered (at the sole discretion of the designated committee) below the IEEE standard of quality, they will not be included in IEEE Xplore. No exception will be made.
The Sponsoring party agrees that an application fee of $ 600.00 will be paid to IMS prior to the formal review of this application. This payment is aimed at covering Society expenses. After an initial screening of the application, an email message will be sent to the Sponsoring party containing information needed to complete payment. If the Conference proceedings will be accepted for publication in IEEE Xplore, the IMS will return $ 500.00 to the Sponsoring party.
A. Ownership of the publications
For technically co-sponsored Conferences, the organizers have the option of assigning the ownership of the publications to IEEE or providing them on a non-exclusive basis. In either case, a Conference must accomplish the following steps to insure quality of the papers, and timely submission into IEEE Xplore: a. Completing and submitting the IEEE Conference Publication Form , which is required for inclusion in the
IEEE Conference Publications Program (CPP) . The CPP handles conference content acquisition and exclusive post-conference distribution for conferences sponsored and co-sponsored by IMS. b. Ensuring adherence to the requirements outlined in the Letter of Acquisition received upon acceptance into the CPP. c. Working closely with the Conference Technical Program to ensure that authors receive proper instructions for final paper submission. d. Determining if Non-Presented Papers will be pulled from submission to IEEE Xplore. For more information about the handling of Non-Presented papers, see Developing the Final Program . e. Ensuring that the IEEE Copyright Form has been submitted with each paper to be published. f. Ensuring that papers are submitted according to the specifications addressed in Preparing Conference
Content for the IEEE Xplore Digital Library . g. Guaranteeing adherence to guidelines and policies within IEEE Intellectual Property Rights including use of copyright, Master Brand/Logo and trademarks.

CONFERENCE CLOSING
There is no IMS involvement in closing a conference if technical co-sponsorship is the only level of support.
Sole sponsored or co-sponsored conferences cannot be formally closed until a number of financial statements, forms and other documentation are submitted to the IEEE Conference Services.
Conference closeout must be done promptly to prevent penalties for late closure. The IMS expects all required Conference closeout documentation be submitted to IEEE Conference Services not later than 90 days after the end of the Conference. The steps necessary to close out a conference are listed on the
IEEE Post Conference Activities webpage.
The conference general chair should contact IEEE Conference Services directly for any questions relating to the conference closeout procedures.
The conference general chair shall provide the IMS Vice President for Conferences with the number of submissions and the acceptance rate of papers from the conference.