IUVSTA Procedures Manual
General
IUVSTA considers the Triennial Congress as its most important event and makes every effort to ensure that the Congress attains the highest scientific and technological level within the available financial resources.
The chosen host national vacuum organization will always hold the Congress on behalf of IUVSTA. The final responsibility for all activities related to the Congress is in the hands of the host national organization.
In all instances the participants (attendees) in the Congress must be treated equally with respect to race, sex, colour and national origin.
Some of the aspects considered in the selection of a host national organization are the existence of:
a group of internationally qualified scientists who would be available to help organize the meetings
national scientific and technical institutions which will assist in obtaining sponsorships.
the completed questionnaire and check list (Points to Consider for Holding an International Congress) which the Congress Planning Committee (CPC) and the Executive Council will use for judging the applications of national vacuum organizations.
The usual procedure for selecting the host national organization will be a vote of the Executive Council at its last meeting of each triennium, six years prior to the Congress.
Scientific and Technical Goals of the Congress
There are three specific goals of each Triennial Congress:
To provide a forum where individuals from different countries can meet to discuss scientific and technical matters of interest to IUVSTA.
To provide an opportunity for cross-fertilization among the various scientific interests of the IUVSTA Divisions.
To provide access to an exhibition of the latest vacuum related equipment.
Organization
As soon as a national host organization has been selected to run the Congress, this organization must form its Congress Organizing Committee (OC). The OC is closely linked to the IUVSTA Congress Planning Committee (CPC) and to the Executive Council and the IUVSTA Scientific and Technical Divisions. The host organization should utilize these links for seeking technical and financial assistance whenever required in the course of its various activities
The OC is responsible for management of the Congress, including Publicity, Financial Planning, Venue Administration, Exhibition Plan, Social Program, Companion's Program and arrangements for IUVSTA meetings. The Program Committee reports to both the OC and the CPC.
Note: A well functioning OC is vital for the success of the Triennial Congress!
The Organizing Committee (OC) includes the chair, vice-chair, and the executive councillor, or alternate, from the host national organization. The executive councillor or alternate acts as the OC's link to the CPC and EC, informing them regularly of the progress of the Congress. Other members of the OC include chair and vice-chair of the Program Committee as well as the chairs of the IPC's, those individuals responsible for facets of Congress development; other individuals with scientific, technical and financial expertise to ensure a successful program; and as advisors, the preceding and succeeding OC chairs.
The Program Committee determines the overall scientific and technical content of the Congress and is responsible for the proceedings to be published after the Congress. The Program Committee shall be composed of the chair and vice chair, the publications manager, and the chair of each International Program Committee (IPC).
The International Program Committees (IPC’s) are individually responsible for the scientific and technical presentations at the Congress. They represent the interest of each scientific or technical division and coordinate with one another in the selection of papers for the various sessions at the Congress. Guidelines for setting up IPC’s are included in Annex II of this section.
Procedures
The responsibility of the International Program Committee (IPC) is to prepare an effective scientific program through selection of session topics, joint (interdivisional) session topics, plenary lecturers, invited speakers, moderators, review procedures, etc. The IPC reviews abstracts submitted for the Congress, and recommends acceptance or rejection to the chair of the Program Committee. Advice on scientific and technical topics to be covered by the Congress may be given by the EC.
Sessions dominated by invited speakers are in general to be avoided. On average, the scientific program should include no more than one plenary lecturer per day and no more than one invited speaker per half-day session.
The chair of the Program Committee will determine who has primary responsibility for organizing joint inter-divisional sessions, initiation of invited speaker selection, etc.
The chair of the Program Committee makes all formal invitations to speakers and plenary lecturers.
IPC's make suggestions of plenary lectures and their topics. These should be of potential interest for a large cross section of attendees.
The suitability of having a manufacturer's "new products seminar" is determined by the Program Committee at an early date.
All Congresses will have at least three associated publications:
A preliminary program, distributed to interested persons about 3 months before the Congress.
A book that contains the final program, information on the exhibition and all available abstracts. This book will be distributed to attendees at the time of the Congress.
Proceedings, published subsequent to the Congress in a refereed archival journal with broad circulation or in an equivalent archival form, which will consist of a representative number of complete papers or extended abstracts from each session of the Congress.
The exhibition of vacuum related equipment should be well integrated with the scientific part of the Congress.
Finance
The host national organization which organizes the Congress assumes a financial responsibility which may, in some cases, be in excess of its own financial means. This responsibility applies in all instances, even if the Congress is a financial failure. In this case, the host national organization has to assume all debts.
A preliminary budget must be submitted with the proposal to host the Congress.
It has been the custom that the host national organization donates part of the net proceeds from the Congress including the exhibition to IUVSTA. Typical donations are of the order of €40,000. It must be assured that this donation is voluntary, i.e., it is not a prerequisite for hosting the Congress.
After a host is selected, the national organization must submit a detailed budget of resources and expenses to the CPC within one year. The Organizing Committee (OC) of the Congress has the financial responsibility for that Congress. The annual budget prepared by the OC during the preparation for the Congress and the final budget after the Congress must be made available to the Congress Planning Committee and the Executive Council of IUVSTA. The presentation of the budget should be in a form which is of use to future Congress organizers.
Financial assistance to support student attendance and invited speakers is customary. (No fee and, on the basis of proved need, travel assistance for invited speakers and a reduced fee for students and emeritus members of national member societies is usually offered).
Exhibition
The exhibition is an integral part of the IUVSTA-Congress. Normally, a successful exhibition is most important in order to balance the Congress budget. Care must be exercised to assure that the exhibition has adequate space allocated in close proximity to the scientific and technical presentations. One person responsible for the exhibition should be appointed by the OC chair. Because of the high costs to exhibitors taking part in the Congress, every effort should be made to meet with them during the Congress to ascertain strengths and weaknesses of the exhibition from their point of view.