Guidelines 

A – THEMATIC OF THE SYMPOSIA

The scientific programme of NeuroFrance 2021 will consist in 42 symposia. Symposia selection is based on the following criteria: novel topics or novel discoveries in a field, interest for a broad audience, internationally reknown speakers.

Symposia may focus on:

  • theme of general interest to a discipline group.
  • transversal topic interesting a broader audience and several disciplines.
  • methodology or an emerging technique.
  • A topic of a club affiliated to the French Neuroscience Society, a GDR(i), an educational programme.
  • A specific theme sponsored by, and organized with, a partner (other French or foreign scientific society, private company, PIA).

Proposals whose topic has already been presented at the previous meeting of the French Neuroscience Society will not be considered favorably, unless they focus on new scientific aspects (to be justified in the symposium description).

B – SYMPOSIA FORMAT

All symposia have a total duration of 2 hours.

A regular symposium includes:

  • A short introduction by the symposium chairperson (5 minutes)
  • 4 scientific presentations of 25 minutes each (including questions) given by the speakers proposed during symposium proposal submission. The organizers may decide to replace one of the presentations by a roundtable.
  • 15 minutes devoted to 1 young researcher’s presentation selected among the abstracts submitted for poster presentation between October and end of December 2020.
    The symposium chairperson participates in the final selection of the additional talk.

Sponsored symposia and special symposia organized by clubs, GDR(I) or educational programmes have a free format (but also a 2-hour duration). The involvement of young researchers will be part of the selection criteria.

C – CHOICE OF CHAIRPERSONS AND SPEAKERS

Rules

  • A symposium chairperson at the 2019 conference cannot chair a symposium in 2021,
  • A speaker at the 2019 conference cannot be a speaker at the 2021 conference,
  • Members of the Local Organizing Committee can be speakers at NeuroFrance 2021 (if they were not speakers in 2019) except for the President and the Vice-Presidents,
  • Members of the Scientific Committee can neither be chair nor speaker in a symposium at NeuroFrance 2021,
  • A person can only participate in a single session (symposium or conference) at NeuroFrance 2021,
  • A symposium can be chaired by one or two people. Chairpersons may also be speakers.

Find names of chairpersons or speakers of the 2019 meeting.

Recommendations for speakers

As far as possible, a gender balance should be respected.

Symposium speakers must belong to different laboratories. The geographic diversity of the participants’ origins will be taken into account.

It may be interesting to involve speakers working abroad. The French Neuroscience Society nevertheless recommends having at least two speakers working in France.

Consent

Proposed symposium speakers must have given their consent for their participation if selected. Their agreement is an engagement to participate if the proposal is selected (see the Agreement section). 
Individuals may be included in several proposals, but if accepted, they can participate in only one symposium.

D – PREPARATION OF A PROPOSAL

Language

Symposium proposals must be submitted in English (except titles which should be in English and in French). 
At the meeting, speakers will give their presentations in English.

Proposal writing

A clear and precise description is essential for the Scientific Committee to assess the interest of a proposal. 
The basic criteria for selection are the scientific interest of the subject, the quality of the speakers in this field and their ability to present their work to a multidisciplinary audience.

The title should be as brief, as concise and precise as possible.

The description shall:

  • Define the objective and the scientific content of the proposed symposium, and the themes (domains) related to it.
  • Justify the choice of participants and their scientific quality.
  • Present the innovative and scientific interest in an international research context.
  • Explain the chosen format (number of speakers, roundtable…)

A form (see appendix 1 below) is to be completed for each participant (chairpersons and speakers). Incomplete proposals will not be considered by the Scientific Committee.

Submit and edit a proposal

Any proposal must be submitted online from 13 January to 10 February 2020 (included), by logging on the meeting website.

When submitting a proposal, you will be asked to nominate a chairperson who will be in charge of all correspondence with the French Neuroscience Society (in case of co-chairs, one will be appointed as a correspondent). 
At the end of the submission, the chairperson will be given a proposal number and access code. These codes enable the chairperson to edit, modify or even withdraw the proposal until the submission deadline (option « View / Edit » on « submit a proposal »). No modifications will be accepted after the deadline. 
A receipt without the access codes will be sent to other partners, giving them the possibility to view the proposal without editing it. If changes are necessary, the partners are invited to discuss with the chairperson.

Note: the access codes must be used only by the chairperson. The French Neuroscience Society assumes no responsibility whatsoever if these codes are given away or misused.

E – DATES OF SELECTION

The programme is established in two steps:

1st step : in March 2020, the Scientific Committee reviews and selects symposia.

Step 2early 2021, selected symposia are complemented with one young researcher’s presentation selected among the abstracts submitted for poster presentation between October and end of December 2020. The symposium chairperson  participates in the final selection of the additional talk.

F – IMPORTANT DATES

  • Symposia – 1st step: proposal submission from 13 January to 10 February 2020 (included)
  • Decision transmitted to the organizers: end of April 2020
  • Online registration: October 2020 till the meeting
  • Abstract submission, with the possibility of selection for symposium presentation: October – end of December 2020
  • Abstract submission for poster presentation only: October 2020 – mid-February 2021
  • Symposia – 2nd step: decision regarding additional presentations: end of February 2021.

G – FUNDING

The French Neuroscience Society does not cover registration fees nor travel / living expenses of symposium presidents and speakers working in France. However, the Society has chosen to promote the participation of foreign speakers and young researchers through incentive actions:

  • Free registration for all speakers working abroad.
  • Assignment of a number of travel grants to student members to attend the conference
  • Preferential registration fees for student and post-doc members.

Symposium organizers are encouraged to seek sources of funding if they wish to directly support the expenses of their speakers. If you submit a proposal, make sure all your partners are aware of these conditions.

H – AGREEMENT

By submitting a proposal, the applicant acknowledges having read and accepted the following conditions:

– regarding funding

See above.

– regarding participation

  • The proposal must comply with the ethical rules for scientific research in general, and especially for human and animal research.
  • The Scientific Committee will not take into account incomplete proposals or proposals involving the participation of ineligible persons (see section « Choice of chairpersons and speakers »).
  • Each one of the proposed participants has given his/her consent for the proposal and is committed to participate to the meeting in case of acceptance. Therefore, speakers accept the conditions of participation as defined by the French Neuroscience Society.
  • The Scientific Committee may require modifications regarding the speakers or subjects before final acceptance of the proposal.
  • The Scientific Committee may reject any change to a proposal once it has been accepted, and reserves the right to reject any proposal that would no longer correspond to the approved proposal. Any change must receive the consent of the Scientific Committee.
  • In no event will the French Neuroscience Society be liable for the content of a proposal with respect to its participants or any other person or institution.

APPENDIX 1: DESCRIPTION OF THE SYMPOSIUM PROPOSAL FORMS

List of information necessary to complete the forms:

Description page

Use the drop-down menu to specify if the symposium is proposed by:

  • an individual researcher and colleagues
  • a club affiliated to the French Neuroscience Society, GDR(I) or educational programme
  • a learned society

Symposium title: <100 characters, including spaces. In French and in English. Do not use abbreviations.

Brief description: < 500 characters, including spaces. In English.

Objectives: interest, timeliness and novelty, choice of participants, of format (justify your choice if you wish to add a roundtable at the end of the session): <1700 characters including spaces. In English.

Themes (domains): use the drop-down menu to select a theme (maximum of two):

  • Development, synaptic plasticity
  • Signalisation, cellular communications
  • Neurological and psychiatric diseases, experimental therapeutics
  • Integrative neuroscience, sensory physiology
  • Neuroendocrinology, neuroimmunology
  • Behaviour, emotions, cognition, neuroethology
  • Theoretical and computational neuroscience

Chairpersons and speakers pages

Family (last) name: 
First (given) name and initials: 
Ms/Mr 
Title: Dr, Prof 
Status : PhD student – junior scientist (aged <45) – senior scientist 
Neuroscience society membership 
Institution 1 (university, center, etc.): 
Institution 2 (continued): 
Institution 3 (continued): 
Street: 
Postal code (when preceding the city): 
City: 
Zip / Postal code (when following the city): 
Country: 
Phone: 
Email address (mandatory): 
Publications (maximum 3):

For speakers only

Presentation title: < 100 characters. In French and in English. Do not use abbreviations.

APPENDIX 2: USEFUL LINKS

Members of the Scientific Committee and Local Organizing Committee for NeuroFrance 2021.

Scientific programme of the 2019 meeting.