CALL FOR SPECIAL SESSIONS PROPOSALS
 

IWANN2009 Special Sessions will be a very useful tool in order to complement the regular program with new or emerging topics of particular interest to the participating community. Special Sessions that emphasize on multi-disciplinary and transversal aspects, as well as cutting-edge topics are especially encouraged and welcome.
 
Prospective organizers of special sessions should submit proposals indicating:

• Title of the proposed session
• Motivation and objectives for the session, emphasizing the benefits for IWANN'2009.
• Short biography of the organizer(s), a maximum of two, with complete address for contact.
• List of, at least five (4 - 5) prospective contributed papers (including titles, authors, and contact information of the corresponding author/s).
  

Proposals are due before November 25th, 2008 and should be sent by e-mail, without specific format to the responsible people (see below for detailed affiliation).

cabestan eel.upc.edu
moreno eel.upc.edu

Special session organizers should also contact a sufficient number of experts who are able to review the papers submitted to their session, bearing in mind that at least two reviews per paper are required in order to make the final assessment. The organizer of the special session may be one of these experts, or he may to propose an alternative referee. The second mandatory referee will be chosen among the members of the IWANN’2009 Program Committee.

Special Session organizers are expected to submit a tutorial or introductory paper, which will not undergo the usual review process. Additionally, the organizers might submit, at most, one ordinary contribution which will be included into the revision process .

Special Sessions proposals will be evaluated based on the timeliness of the topic, the qualifications of the organizers and the authors of the papers proposed in the sessions, and the balance of the topics across the technical areas represented in IWANN. Notification of acceptance will be sent to the organizers by December 1st, 2008. Authors of papers included in successful proposals should submit a manuscript with the same format and deadline as the general program submissions, and they will undergo review. If, at the end of the review process, less than three (3) papers are accepted, the session will be cancelled and the accepted papers will be moved to regular sessions. Special Sessions will only be composed of the papers proposed directly through the organizer, and those proposed by the authors for this specific Sessions, following the regular Call for Papers period, and accepted by the Organizers to be included.. 

Special session organizers will benefit from a 30% reduction in the registration fee.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
   
Special Session Proposals due: November 25, 2008
Special Session notification of acceptance: December 1st, 2008

Deadline for submission of papers: January 23, 2009
Notification of paper acceptance: February 27, 2009
Deadline for submission of final papers: March 16, 2009

SPECIAL SESSIONS CONTACTS

Prof. Dr. Joan Cabestany i Moncusi
Phone: + 34 93 4016742; E-mail: cabestan eel.upc.edu

Prof. Dr. Juan Manuel Moreno Arostegui
Phone: + 34 93 4015691; E-mail: moreno eel.upc.edu

Department of Electronics Engineering
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - UPC
Jordi Girona, 1-3 Campus Nord Building C4
E-08034 Barcelona - SPAIN

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF ACCEPTED SPECIAL SESSIONS  

You must take into account the following points for the organization of Special sessions and/or the submission of papers to a Special session:

1. As you know, the aim of Special Sessions is to cover specific fields within the scope of IWANN2009, and they would be composed typically of 5-6 papers, plus an additional tutorial or introductory paper to the Special session topic, done by the organizer(s). This tutorial is optional, and must be written according to the regular instructions for authors. The tutorial will not be submitted to the IWANN review process.
2. The procedure for the submission of the final papers is the same for all contributions, and it will be made through the IWANN2009 web section. The authors are asked to indicate the Special Session title to which their paper is submitted.
3. The organizers are invited to submit, besides the optional tutorial, no more than one regular paper to their own Special Session. This paper will be included in the review process.
4. The review process for papers submitted to a specific Special Session will be the following:
    
   • At least two reviewers will be assigned (like any regular paper submitted to IWANN conference).
   • One reviewer could be the Special Session organizer (s) or an invited reviewer suggested by him (them).
   • A second reviewer will be proposed by the Special Session organizer (s)
   • A second one will be assigned among the IWANN2009 Program Committee.
      
5. The review process for each Special Session will be organized by the IWANN board, together with the organizer(s) of the Special Session. They will take into consideration all the papers submitted to the specific Session, according to the established procedure.
6. A minimum number of 3 accepted regular papers (tutorial done by the organizer(s) is not considered) will be necessary for the development of a Special Session.
7. Contributors to Special Sessions will be treated as every participant in IWANN'2009, what means that they are expected to pay the corresponding regular fee.
8. Organizer(s) (with a maximum of two) of Special Sessions will benefit of a reduction of 30% on the regular fee.