Call for tutorials and workshops

Proposals are sought from those wishing to organize a Tutorial or a Workshop on a robotics- or automation-related theme. Tutorials and Workshops will be held on April 10 and April 14, one day before and after the main technical sessions. A Tutorial provides state-of-the-art descriptions of an established field of research by recognized researchers in the field. A Workshop focuses on a topic of currently active research, and is intended to allow participants to exchange ideas and recent research results.

Proposal submission procedure

Proposals for a Tutorial or Workshop are submitted through the conference submission website (PaperPlaza), should not exceed 2 pages in length, and must include the following:

• Title of the Tutorial or Workshop (please be sure to specify Tutorial or Workshop)
• Length of the Tutorial or Workshop (either half-day or full-day).
• Organizer(s) contact information: affiliation, e-mail, phone number, fax number, webpage, address.
• A list of speakers, with their affiliations and webpages.
• An abstract of no more than 500 words describing the scope of the Tutorial or Workshop, i.e., goals, technical content, and relevance to current areas of research interest.

All proposals must conform to the submission policy and should be submitted no later than 15 September 2006. The proposals will be reviewed by an ICRA'07 Committee, coordinated by the Tutorials and Workshops Chair, Frank Park.

Organizers will be notified of the decision about their Tutorial or Workshop by 31 October 2006. Accepted proposals will be included in the ICRA'07 technical program.

Responsibilities of tutorial and workshop organizers

Upon acceptance, Tutorial and Workshop organizers are responsible for:

• Constructing a Tutorial or Workshop webpage and notifying the Tutorials and Workshop Chair by 15 November 2006.
• For a Workshop, producing a "Call for Contributions" and a brief description of the Workshop for the conference program, and selecting submitted contributions to be presented at the Workshop.
• Scheduling all related activities in consultation with the local organizers, the Program Chair, and the Tutorials and Workshop Chair.
• Providing up to 200 pages of lecture material (in PDF format) to be distributed to participants.

Responsibilities of ICRA'07 organizers

ICRA'07 will be responsible for providing the following:

• Publicity for the Tutorials and Workshops.
• Registration for the Tutorials and Workshops.
• Logistical support and meeting facilities.
• Printing and distribution of lecture material to participants.
  NOTE: ICRA'07 will not be able to assist in printing, if the material is not received by 15 February 2007 (new deadline).
• Audio-visual equipment within the meeting facilities.

Additional notes

• ICRA'07 reserves the right to cancel a Tutorial or Workshop in the event of low enrollment, or other circumstances that prevent normal operation of the Tutorial or Workshop.
• All Tutorial and Workshop participants are required to register for the conference.
• ICRA'07 will not be responsible for travel, accommodation, honoraria, or other expenses related to a Tutorial or Workshop beyond those stipulated above.
• In order to increase attendance, ICRA'07 plans to keep the registration fees for Tutorials and Workshops as low as possible. Organizers should keep this in mind when planning these events.
• The Tutorial and Workshop organizers and ICRA'07 will share any net surplus from registration income, consistent with past practice at previous ICRAs.

Important dates

• Submission of proposals for Tutorials and Workshops: 15 September 2006
• Notification of acceptance: 31 October 2006
• Deadline for Tutorial and Workshop web pages: 15 November 2006
• Deadline for Tutorial and Workshop lecture material: 15 February 2007 (new deadline)
• ICRA'07 tutorials and workshops: 10 and 14 April 2007

Frank Park, Tutorials and Workshops Chair