<incom> Fwd: CPRsouth2: Conference on "Empowering rural communities through ICT policy and research", December 15-17, 2007 in Chennai, India

[Paula Chakravartty]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "CPRsouth" <info at cprsouth.org>
> Date: April 24, 2007 9:16:48 AM EDT
> To: "CPRsouth" <info at cprsouth.org>
> Subject: CPRsouth2: Conference on "Empowering rural communities  
> through ICT policy and research", December 15-17, 2007 in Chennai,  
> India
>
> CPRsouth2: Empowering rural communities through ICT policy and  
> research
> December 15-17, 2007 in Chennai, India
>
> Organized by LIRNEasia & TeNeT Group and RTBI, Indian Institute of  
> Technology (IIT), Madras, supported by the International  
> Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC)
>
>
> INTRODUCTION
> Communication Policy Research South (CPRsouth) intends to build  
> human capacity in the south by reinforcing and developing the  
> values and commitment of scholars in the region or with interest in  
> the region. The overall objective is to create policy intellectuals  
> capable of informed and effective intervention in ICT policy and  
> regulatory processes in specific country contexts.
>
> The conference aims to provide a forum for senior, junior and mid- 
> career scholars to meet face-to-face and exchange ideas, establish  
> networking opportunities and improve the quality of their scholarly  
> work, in order to facilitate the long-term objective of fostering  
> the next generation of active scholars and in-situ experts capable  
> of contributing to ICT policy and regulatory reform in the region.  
> The inaugural conference was held in January 2007 in Manila,  
> Philippines.
>
>
> ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
> The CPRsouth2 conference will offer researchers the opportunity to  
> discuss their research on ICT regulation and policy in the South  
> with a largely academic, international audience and obtain useful  
> feedback. The conference will also include tutorial sessions for  
> Young Scholars which will focus on the fundamentals of technology,  
> markets, regulation and policy with insights on how to develop  
> practical solutions to problems of empowering rural and  
> marginalized populations.
>
> Participants
> The conference is designed to accommodate 21 paper presenters over  
> the course of 2.5 days, and the audience will be made up of 70-80  
> scholars involved in the field of ICT policy and regulation,  
> broadly defined, including 15 Young Scholars.
>
> Location
> As described on their website (www.iitm.ac.in/The%20Institute), the  
> Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras is one of the leading  
> institutes in higher technological education, basic and applied  
> research in India. Located in the heart of the city of Chennai, the  
> capital of the southern Indian state of Tamilnadu, the campus is  
> spread over 250 hectares of lush green forest designated as a  
> wildlife preserve. December is one of the most pleasant months in  
> Chennai, the cool weather bringing in large numbers of classical  
> musicians and artistes to the annual cultural festival that takes  
> places throughout the city. As a major regional center, Chennai  
> provides an ideal springboard for excursions throughout India. As  
> one of the conference activities, a visit is being planned to the  
> ancient royal seat of Madurai (www.madurai.com/history.htm), the  
> location of a number of rural technology projects spawned by The  
> Telecommunications and Computer Networking (TeNeT) Group  
> (www.tenet.res.in/) of which CPRsouth Chairman and Professor of the  
> Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT-Madras, Dr. Ashok  
> Jhunjhunwala is a prime mover.
>
> Visas
> Visas are required to enter India, with very few exceptions.  
> Letters will be provided for this purpose by IIT-Madras after the  
> complete papers have been accepted. Participants are strongly  
> advised to initiate visa approval procedures immediately thereafter.
>
> Visit www.cprsouth.org for more information about the conference.
>
> CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
> Abstracts for papers on ICT policy and regulation research carried  
> out in the South will be accepted. The proposed sessions include:
> • Data and methods for research on ICTs
> • National and regional innovation systems
> • ICT markets and competition
> • Participation in ICTs: demand side studies
> • Convergence
> • Regulation
> • Governance of ICT and ICT for governance
> • Content
> • International telecom policy
> • Intellectual property rights
> • Internet governance
> • Comparative studies of ICT readiness
>
> The actual program will depend on the papers received. The  
> organizers reserve the right to combine topics and to not offer  
> sessions for which adequate numbers of high-quality submissions  
> have not been received.
>
> Submission Guidelines
> Abstracts should be submitted to info at cprsouth.org by or before May  
> 31, 2007 and must contain the following:
> a. the title of the paper,
> b. your name and contact information,
> c. a 200-word abstract of the paper, and
> d. a one-page curriculum vita.
>
> The document should be named CPRsouth2_Abstract&Bio_YourLastName.
>
> Notification of acceptance will be emailed on or before June 20,  
> 2007, and authors will be given 2 months to submit their completed  
> papers – i.e. full papers have to be submitted by August 31, 2007.  
> If full papers of acceptable quality are not received by the  
> deadline, the paper may be relegated to the “online-only” category,  
> in which case travel and accommodation costs will not be provided.
>
> Accepted paper presenters will be notified by September 30, 2007  
> with contact information for the assigned discussant and  
> instructions on travel arrangements.
>
> Review Criteria
> Abstracts will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
> 1. Clarity of the thesis or the research finding
> 2. Novelty, significance, and importance to the CPRsouth community
> 3. Adequacy of methods;
> 4. Quality of writing
> 5. Appropriateness of interpretations;
> 6. Cohesion among the presentations for the panels (i.e. expression  
> of different views and balance/representation from different  
> countries)
>
> Please note: Only the authors whose papers that are delivered by  
> the August 31, 2007 deadline AND who meet the quality standard will  
> be allowed to present their papers at the conference and have their  
> travel funded. Other papers may be made available on the CPRsouth  
> website as “online-only.” These authors may attend the event at  
> their own expense or if they have applied for and satisfied the  
> criteria for selection as Young Scholars.
>
> Funding
> Selected presenters will be provided with least-cost travel to and  
> from Chennai, India and accommodation and meals at the conference  
> venue for the duration of the conference (December 15-17, 2007).  
> All incidental costs will have to borne by the participants. Costs  
> are being tightly controlled to accommodate as many participants as  
> possible. Accommodations and meals will be simple and in line with  
> those of students and visitors at IIT-Madras.
>
> Key Dates
> Deadline for abstracts: May 31, 2007
> Deadline for complete papers: August 31, 2007
>
>
> YOUNG SCHOLAR AWARDS
> Fifteen Young Scholars from the Asia-Pacific region will be  
> selected to participate in the tutorials scheduled to be held a day  
> before and after the main CPRsouth conference (December 14th and  
> 18th, 2007).
>
> Application Guidelines
> Applications should be submitted to info at cprsouth.org by or before  
> May 31, 2007 and must contain the following:
> a. a one-page curriculum vita that includes your contact  
> information and the name and contact information for current  
> supervisor or mentor, and
> b. a one-page write-up outlining why you wish to be an Asia-Pacific  
> based expert capable of contributing to ICT policy and regulatory  
> reform in the region.
>
> The document should be named CPRsouth2_YoungScholar_YourLastName.
>
> Notification of acceptance will be emailed on or before June 20,  
> 2007, with instructions on travel arrangements.
>
> Review Criteria
> Applications will be reviewed according to the following criteria:
> 1. Content of application
> 2. Evidence of interest in policy-relevant research for the Asia  
> Pacific
> 3. Quality of writing
> 4. Gender and country representation
>
> The selection committee may contact your supervisor or mentor  
> before making the final selections.
>
> Funding
> Selected applicants will be provided with least-cost travel to and  
> from Chennai, India and accommodation and meals at the conference  
> venue for the duration of the tutorials and conference (December  
> 14-17, 2007). All incidental costs will have to borne by the  
> participants.
>
> Key Dates
> Deadline for applications: May 31, 2007
>
>
> ABOUT CPRsouth
> CPRsouth is intended to be a vehicle for building capacity in  
> communication policy research in the Asia-Pacific in the first  
> instance, and then in the South. The core functions of CPRsouth are  
> to organize an annual conference and to provide a virtual platform  
> for interaction among communication policy researchers in the  
> south. The objective is to create policy intellectuals capable of  
> informed and effective intervention in ICT policy and regulatory  
> processes in specific country contexts, within the larger context  
> of communication policy research as a field flourishing in the  
> universities and research institutes of the south.
>
> CPRsouth Board
> • Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala (Chair; IIT-Madras)
> • Prof. Ledivina Cariño (Alternate Chair; University of Philippines  
> Diliman)
> • Prof. Rekha Jain (Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad)
> • Prof. Yuli Liu (National Chengchi University, Taiwan)
> • Prof. Myeong-Cheol Park (Information and Communications  
> University, Korea)
> • Dr. Milagros Rivera (National University of Singapore)
> • Prof. Rohan Samarajiva (LIRNEasia, Sri Lanka)
> • Dr. Patrick Xavier (Swinburne University of Technology, Australia)
> • Prof. Xu Yan (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology  
> Business School)
>
> ABOUT LIRNEasia
> LIRNEasia is a regional information and communication technology  
> (ICT) policy and regulation research and capacity building  
> organization, based in Sri Lanka. LIRNEasia seeks to identify the  
> institutional constraints on effective use of ICTs to improve the  
> lives of the people of Asia-Pacific; work collaboratively with  
> multiple stakeholders to catalyze changes conducive to greater  
> participation by users and suppliers; and contribute to building  
> capacity within the region for evidence-based intervention in the  
> public-policy process. It serves as the administrative partner for  
> CPRsouth.
>
> Visit www.lirneasia.net for more information.
>
> CONTACT INFORMATION
> Mail: CPRsouth, C/o LIRNEasia, 12 Balcombe Place, Colombo 08, Sri  
> Lanka
> Telephone: +94 11 493 9992 / +94 (0) 77 775 6590
> Fax: +94 11 267 5212
> Email: info at cprsouth.org
> Website: www.cprsouth.org
>