The ASI Symposium guidelines

The Astronomical Society of India is introducing the ASI Symposium Series. The series comprises upto three Symposia to be held annually and selected through a call for proposals from the ASI. The objectives of the ASI Symposia are to discuss advancements and current key questions in a well-defined topical theme of Astronomy and Astrophysics through reviews, talks (invited and contributory), posters and discussion sessions. 

Following are a few guidelines regarding the organisation of the ASI Symposia.

• The ASI will provide financial assistance of upto a maximum of Rs. 1 Lakh towards the organisation, and the host institution(s) is/are expected to cover the rest.
• The proposer(s) of the Symposium - one of whom should be the main point of contact - should be Life Member(s) of ASI.    
• The duration of the Symposium should be between 2-3 days.
• The minimum number of participants should be 50.
• The Scientific Organising Committee of the Symposium is expected to have at least one member from the ASI-Executive Committee or the ASI-Scientific Organising Committee (the list of members can be found from the ASI website - EC and SOC). 
• The program should include plenary/review talks by experts in the field. It is recommended that plenary/review talks by members of the Scientific Organising Committee be avoided.
• The proposal is expected to have a public outreach element - eg. public talks by eminent persons or talks/sessions/demonstrations at local schools or colleges by participants, etc.
• The proposed venue is expected to have the relevant facilities for organising the Symposium. 
• Based on the proposals received against the ASI’s call for proposals, upto three proposals will be short-listed.
• The title of the meeting will include ‘ASI Symposium XXX:....’  where XXX is a unique identification code that will be the serial number in chronological order assigned by the ASI.
• The Symposium should not be scheduled within 2 months before or after the dates of the annual ASI meeting. The EC may, in exceptional circumstances, decide to support a Symposium within 2 months of the ASI meeting.
• The host(s) are required to submit a report of the Symposium in the prescribed format which can be found from the link - that includes details of the talks, discussions and pictures of the event, within one month following the organisation of the Symposium.
• ASI encourages gender and regional diversity in all activities related to the Symposium.
• The Symposia are distinct from the 1-day ASI workshops held on the day prior to the start of the annual meetings.
• The number of Symposia supported each year will be contingent to the funds available with the ASI.