International Association for Cryptologic Research

International Association
for Cryptologic Research

Proposing an IACR Cryptology School

Before proposing a Cryptology School, please consult the IACR policy on Cryptology Schools and review the information below.

Proposal format

A proposal for a Cryptology School should provide the following information in a clearly marked structure.

  1. Name and topic of the school. This section should include a short description of the topic of the school and provide an explanation of how the topic is relevant and timely for cryptology research.
  2. Objective. The section should explain the goals of the school and the expected benefits for the participants upon the school’s completion. It should be clearly indicated what kind of skills or knowledge will be imparted to the participants and what are the requirements of the participants prior to the beginning of the school. It should also be indicated what kind of materials will be made available to the participants (notes, slides etc.).
  3. Estimated number of attendees.
  4. Location, time, and accessibility. Items for this section include description of travel options and accessibility during the particular time of the year of interest, details about local commuting if the school is in a remote location or the housing is separate from the conference hall, details about housing facilities and the conference room arrangements.
  5. Potential speakers. It is important to indicate what subset of speakers have already committed or “soft-committed” to participate and give lectures at the event.
  6. Format for all the talks. e.g. the times and slots.
  7. Budget. A sufficiently detailed budget should be given, including full information about funding sources other than the IACR. Is there a risk of running a deficit and who would absorb it? No profit should arise from the school. It is important to note that IACR will only provide partial or seed funding for the school and does not assume financial responsibility. Therefore, it is vital that organizers secure other types of funding or ensure that participants can pay for their participation themselves.

In general, to minimize the risk and to simplify the cost model, the IACR intends to sponsor mainly fixed costs (event location, travel for speakers, etc.); the participants or other sources would absorb the variable cost (lodging, food, and any other per-participant cost).

Evaluation

The Schools Committee will select a number of proposals within one month after the submission deadline and forward them with a ranking to the Board of Directors. The Board will decide on approval of the selected schools within one month after receiving the proposals from the Schools Committee.

The amount allocated per deadline will depend on the number and the quality of the submissions. Specifically, the Schools Committee will review all submissions and will decide to fund proposals according to the following criteria:

  1. Relevance of the topic and commitment to further research in cryptology and related fields;
  2. Potential for high impact in both education and research;
  3. Quality of speakers and credibility of the organizers; and
  4. Convincing and feasible organizational plan.
Schools that have received previous IACR funding may receive lower priority for repeat funding.

Deadlines

There are two rounds of submissions every year. The next two deadlines are:

Submissions

Submissions must be sent in PDF format by email to the Chair of the Schools Committee (email address hidden) before the appropriate deadline.

Schools Committee

Contact

For inquiries about IACR Cryptology Schools, please send an email to email address hidden