Regions/Regional Jamboree Proposal

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If you would like to host a Regional Jamboree, please read and follow the directions below. Please note that Regional Jamborees are major events and require significant advanced planning. The teams have spent months doing the projects they will present at the Jamboree and deserve an exceptional experience. Furthermore, each Regional Jamboree represents a major segment of the world's population. Be prepared to host an exciting and fun event. For 2011, we expect that these Jamborees will be attended by 500 to 750 people from 50 to 75 teams. The host organization must be able to accommodate everyone for the awards ceremony and must be able to provide enough classrooms for all the teams to present and large enough classrooms to hold the audience.

Goals:

There is only one worldwide iGEM program. The Regional Jamborees and regional organizations act under the authority of iGEM Headquarters and in support of the overall iGEM program. IGEM is an open, cooperative, educational and research program to develop and apply synthetic biology based on parts for the benefit of everyone. IGEM is exciting, positive, and fun.

Regional Jamborees are established for these reasons:
- to allow growing participation
- to share the opportunities to run iGEM Jamborees
- to establish regional resources to promote iGEM and synthetic biology based on standard parts

Dates and deadlines

Expression of interest: As soon as possible
Written proposal (by email to hq AT igem.org): December 1, 2010
Regional site visits: December 2010 and January 2011
Regional Jamboree proposal acceptance: January 31, 2010

iGEM 2011 Team Registration Deadline: March 31, 2011
iGEM 2011 Workshops: May-June 2011
iGEM 2011 Regional Jamboree attendance fees due: August 1, 2011
First funds transfer to Regional Hosts: September 1, 2011

iGEM 2011 Regional Jamborees: October 2011

iGEM 2011 World Jamboree: November 5-6, 2011 or Feb 4-5, 2012 *
Final invoice and payment for Regional Jamborees: January 31, 2012

'*Note: See "issues" for notes about the date of the World Jamboree

Information Required With Proposal

Proposals are due on December 1, 2010 by email to iGEM Headquarters ( hq at igem.org)

Proposals must include the following information:

Region Name (Asia, Americas, Europe)
Host organization name and address
Host organization Principal Investigator name, address, telephone number, and email
Affiliated organization names and affiliated individual names (if any)
Detailed description of the facilities reserved for the Jamboree. Include a map and a description of the facilities and capacities of each space.
Describe the plan for poster presentations
Provide two schedules for the Jamboree: one assuming the nominal number of teams and one assuming the maximum number of teams.
Describe the event coordinator and summarize their previous experience
Provide additional information for the venue such as Internet access, power, climate control
Describe the plan for catering and the social event (see below)
Describe the nature of lodging for Jamboree attendees
Describe the travel options to the Regional Jamboree
Describe the facilities available to the Judges

Requirements

The selection of the winning proposals will be made by iGEM Headquarters based on the best interests of iGEM and will be considered final.
The Regional Jamboree must be open to all registered iGEM Teams from the region on a fair and equal basis. Where assignments to rooms or locations must be made, selections must be random.
The Regional Jamboree must be open to the press and the public on a space available basis at official registration rates (free to the press).
The Regional Jamborees must follow all of the regulations for holding a Jamboree.
Judging at the Jamboree will be under the rules and regulations of iGEM Headquarters and the World Judging Committee and Regional Judging committees.
IGEM Headquarters will provide the Regional Jamboree Host Organization with Regional Jamboree Registration fees (less processing costs) as described in the Finances section. IGEM Headquarters and MIT will not be responsible for any costs beyond the received Jamboree attendance fees.
Host city and venue must be easily accessible to regional teams by air or train (Location will impact iGEM HQ choice)

Capacities

It is impossible to know how many teams will be able to participate in iGEM 2011. However, event planning requires that information. We would like to be sure that the Regional Jamborees are able to hold all of the teams that can gather the resources (and enthusiasm) needed to participate in iGEM. At the same time, the world wide financial troubles may cut into team participation in 2011. The tables below provide the numbers for each region in 2010 and projected participation in 2011 should participation grow by 25% or by 50%. In the end, each venue will have a limited capacity and we respect the possible need to limit the number of teams accordingly.

		Americas	Asia	Europe	Total
2010	Teams	51	38	39	128
	Attendance	510	380	390	1280
25% Growth	Teams	64	48	49	161
	Attendance	640	480	490	1610
50% Growth	Teams	77	57	59	193
	Attendance	770	570	590	193

Each Regional Jamboree venue must have an auditorium large enough to hold all the attendees plus some press, the judges, and any volunteers.

The schedule for presentations needs to be uniform across all the regions. We are scheduling 20 minutes for each team presentation, 5 minutes for questions, and 5 minutes to switch to the next team - a total of 30 minutes per team. At previous Jamborees, we have scheduled 3 presentations into a block and 4 blocks per day for a total of 12 presentation per room. Thus, to fit the presentations for 60 teams in one day, 5 rooms would be required.

The presentation rooms must be rather large. Using our guideline of 10 attendees per team, a 60 team Jamboree would have 600 participants. If they all sit and watch presentations in the 5 presentation rooms, each room must hold 120 people.

It is important that the rooms be of similar capacity and quality to avoid unpleasant inequalities in the team experiences. When teams are actually scheduled to rooms, assignments must be based on a random process.

Finally, the numbers for 2010 are based on teams registered at the beginning of the summer. By the time of the Jamboree, only 118 teams were able to attend. This is typical and will change the estimates above.

Social Events

The teams have worked hard all summer and deserve some fun at the Jamboree. We recommend that a social event (party) be scheduled for the evening after all the presentations and before the awards ceremony.

Financial Information

The following information is for the iGEM 2011 Regional Jamborees only. We may change the plans and requirements for later events.

Funding for iGEM comes from grants, sponsors, team registrations, and individual attendance fees. We try to cover the costs of the Jamboree with the individual attendance fees and pay for the other costs of iGEM Headquarters from the grants, sponsors, and team registration fees. We expect to continue this model for iGEM 2011.

The costs of the Regional Jamboree events should be covered by the individual attendance fees. Individual attendance fees will be collected using the registration system of iGEM Headquarters and MIT conference services. These fees (less processing and service fees) will be available to the host of the Regional Jamboree up to the actual costs of the Regional Jamboree. A prepayment of 50% will be provided before the Jamboree and the remainder will be paid on receipt of an invoice from the host organization within 3 months of the Regional Jamboree. The invoice must detail the actual costs of the event.

In no case will iGEM Headquarters or MIT pay more than the net collected individual registration fees for that region. The regional host will be responsible for all expenditures in excess. The final payment from iGEM HQ will be limited to the actual costs (plus institutional overheads) of the event. Any unused individual registration fees will be held by iGEM Headquarters.

The details of this arrangement will be covered by an agreement between the host organization and the appropriate MIT organization.

Your proposal must include a pro-forma budget for the event and a clear statement of who will be responsible for the financial aspects of the event.

Example of funds flow (the dates and details will vary)

Suppose that in Region X there are 50 teams; each with 10 students.

Issues

The date for the World Championship Jamboree is uncertain at this time. Since it will be held at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, some of the iGEM participants will need visas to enter the US. Normally this can take 90 days and would require that the World Championship Jamboree be held in early February. We are working with the government to see if we can reduce this time. If we can, the jamboree will be held Nov. 5-6. Otherwise, it will be held February 4-5, 2012.

iGEM Regional Branches

In order to promote the Regional Jamborees, oversee the organization of regional committees, promote regional educational, and research events, iGEM Headquarters is interested in establishing branches in Europe and Asia. Please contact iGEM Headquarters for more information on regional branches.