INVITING PROPOSALS for hosting The Indian Journal of Medical Ethics Second National Bioethics Conference, 2007

The First National Bioethics Conference was organised in Mumbai from November 25 to 27, 2005, with the participation of 20 collaborating organisations. More than 350 delegates attended the conference, where more than 80 papers were presented and 12 workshops were organised.

Given the success of the first conference, it was decided that the second conference should be held in 2007, preferably between October and December. However, local weather conditions should be taken into account before deciding on the date. It is expected that the National Secretariat and the Local Secretariat will organise the conference in co-ordination. Based on the experience of the first conference, it is our experience that certain facilities are necessary to organise a successful conference.

The local organisers would be required to make the following arrangements

Infrastructure

• A venue for the conference, which is able to provide accommodation for at least 200 outstation delegates. It should have at least five large halls able to seat 50 persons each and one plenary hall able to accommodate at least 350 people;
• Office space to run a local secretariat for a period of six months prior to the conference.

Personnel

• At least one full-time staff member for the period of six months for the organisation of the conference, with the provision for an additional person if required;
• Two key persons would be required to participate in conceptualising the theme and sub-themes of the conference, fund raising and making physical arrangements for the conference from April 2006 onwards..

Activities
The local organisers are expected to carry out the following activities:

In co-ordination with the National Secretariat:

• Bring together and sustain a strong and cohesive organising committee through regular consultation and discussion;
• Raise funding from varied sources including government, non-government and multilateral agencies, while sustaining the independence of the conference;
• Prepare the concept paper, finalise the sub-themes through discussion;
• Mobilise abstracts on different aspect of bioethics, which are relevant to the theme of the conference, and conduct the review process and selection;
• Finalise the programme with workshops and other activities around the conference.

Independently:

• Mobilise local and national participants from different backgrounds and institutions beyond their own institution or network by approaching various other institutions, networks and agencies;
• Establish an effective communication channel to ensure a speedy response to inquiries from participants, authors, reviewers and organising committee members;
• Maintain accounts systematically and submit periodic reports to the collaborating organisations and funding bodies;
• Manage all the logistical arrangements prior to and during the conference.

The list is a guideline for potential applicants. Interested individuals or institutions should  indicate their experience and capacity to meet the requirements listed above, submitting a proposal of 2-4 pages which includes the following:

• The names and details of the two key individuals who will be involved in the conference organisation; 
• Details about the venue;
• Details about the infrastructure and personnel available.

The last date for receiving applications is March 10, 2006