[agents] Call for Bids to host EASSS-2012

[Nicolas Maudet]

            --- apologies if you receive multiple copies ---


            ************************************************
                             Call for Bids
                to Host the 14th edition of EASSS (2012)
            ************************************************

The European Association for Multi-Agent Systems (EURAMAS) invites
proposals to host the 14th European Agent Systems Summer School
(EASSS), to be held preferably between May and August 2012. Plain text 
or PDF proposals should be emailed to <easss at euramas.org> by *** 21th of 
October 2011 ***.


About EASSS
===========

EASSS is a summer school that lasts for a whole week, usually in late
August. The last 5 editions took place in Durham (2007), Lisbon (2008),
Turin (2009), St. Etienne (2010), and Girona (2011). It was co-located 
with AAMAS in 2008, with MALLOW in 2007, 2009, and 2010, and with IJCAI 
last year.
The school hosts approximately 15 courses covering a broad range of
research topics in Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, and
attracts some 80 attendants and 30 tutors, mostly based in Europe but
also from other parts of the world. Since early 2010, EURAMAS
(http://www.euramas.org) took over the responsibility to run EASSS,
which is one of its "designated events".



Submission and Selection Procedures
===================================

The EASSS Committee of EURAMAS will discuss the bids and make
recommendations for the whole EURAMAS board of directors to deliberate
upon. Proponents should be available to discuss details at the request
of the committee or the board. Once a bid is selected, the local chair
will liaise with the Programme Chairs (to be appointed by the EURAMAS
board) for the reminder of organisation period.

Proposals in plain text or PDF format should be emailed to
<easss at euramas.org>.


Proposals
=========

Proposals to organise EASSS should clearly identify the target
location, dates, and organising committee, including a chair who will
be responsible for the overall organisation. The organising committee
will deal with all matters related to the practical organisation of
the summer school. Based on recent editions, it is expected that
EASSS-2011 will need lecture rooms for 2 parallel tracks as well as a
room for the plenary course that opens the summer school. The
suggested structure for writing a proposal is as follows:

1. Organising committee:
    1.1 Local chair and organising committee
    1.2 Experience of the above in organising similar events, and
        previous involvement with EASSS (if any)
    1.3 Local research groups in Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems

2. Summer school venue:
    2.1 The location where the event is to take place
    2.2 Facilities available at that site, including the lecture rooms
        and audiovisual equipment
    2.3 Attractive features of the venue and region
    2.4 Accessibility of the target city from European countries
    2.5 Catering and reception facilities and any proposed social
        programmes
    2.6 Availability of accommodation for students at the venue, if any
    2.7 Availability of accommodation and catering services near the
        venue

3. Organisation:
    3.1 Proposed dates for EASSS-2012
    3.2 Planned timetable for organisation and publicity
    3.3 Events EASSS would be co-located with, if any

4. Budgeting:
    4.1 An estimated budget
    4.2 Expected costs for participants
    4.3 Potential sponsors and supporting organisations, if any

Proponents are expected to have received prior endorsement from their
institutions to host the event, and this should be confirmed in the
proposal.


Assessment
==========

Proposals will be assessed according to the following criteria:

  * Appropriateness of proposed dates and co-located events
  * Accessibility and attractiveness of the proposed site
  * Adequacy of campus facilities for the anticipated
    number of participants
  * Availability of accommodation and food services in appropriate
    price ranges and close the proposed venue
  * Suitability of the projected budget
  * Experience of the organising team
  * Involvement of the proponents in previous editions of EASSS
  * Geographical and national balance with regards to the last five
    editions


Important Dates
===============

  * Deadline for submitting bids:    21/10/2011
  * Notification of the selection:   01/11/2011


Further Information
===================

For information about EURAMAS see http://www.euramas.org and for
information about the last edition of EASSS see
http://eia.udg.edu/easss2011/.
If you are considering submitting a bid,
please communicate your intention and discuss possible issues with
Nicolas Maudet, on behalf of the EASSS committee of
the EURAMAS board.

Nicolas Maudet
LIP6 - Univ. Paris 6
Paris, France
nicolas.maudet at lip6.fr