The Jacques Monod Conferences specifications
The Jacques Monod Conferences focus on new topics and recent advances in the various fields of pure biology and its applications in biotechnology, health, agronomy, and related industries, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches. Their goal is to offer each scientist who participates in them the opportunity and time for serious discussions with groups of colleagues, in order to facilitate exchanges of ideas and the planning of collaborative projects among teams and laboratories from different countries. Papers presented must discuss recent work which has not yet been published or is still forthcoming.
The Conferences generally last for three and a half days, with sessions organized in accordance with the decisions of the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Conference, and a half day of free time. Taping and photographing are forbidden, but the publication of summaries of presentations is permitted unless a specific speaker objects.
The Conferences include speakers invited by the Chair in the name of CNRS, and also about 60 additional participants selected by the Chair from scientists and students who submit applications.
The CNRS Institute of Biological Sciences:
- Is responsible for the practical organization of the Conferences; Mme Nathalie Babic, organizational head of the Jacques Monod Conferences, keeps the Chair and Deputy Chair informed and assists them as needed.
- Contributes a maximum of 30,000 euros to the budget of each Conference.
- Disseminates the Conference announcement among the CNRS research groups (Institutes of Biological Sciences and of Ecology and Environment) and to INSERM, INRA, IRD, the Institut Pasteur, and CNRS overseas offices.
- Posts the list of speakers on the web pages of the Jacques Monod Conferences and distributes the final program schedule and list of participants at the Conference site.
The Chair and Deputy Chair prepare the Conference program:
- They approach the senior specialists in the chosen field (a maximum of 30 speakers, including the Chair and Deputy Chair).
- They select a geographical mix of speakers as follows: 7 to 8 from outside Europe, 9 to 11 from France, and 9 to 11 from elsewhere in Europe .
- They monitor the balance of male and female speakers.
- They allocate adequate time for poster sessions.
The Chair and Deputy Chair are required to:
- Send the final list of speakers who have accepted their invitation, before July 22, as well as the current budget for the Conference, to conf.monod@cnrs-dir.fr.
- Help to disseminate information about the Conference to specialists in the field, so as to generate enough applications from scientists who seek to participate in the meetings.
- Supply a list of targeted laboratories in France and elsewhere, with their email addresses, to the institute, so that the institute can send out the CJM poster to them.
- Follow the graphic format shown below for all posters and the cover page of all documents disseminated (in particular the Conference program).
- Select participants on the basis of their scientific standing and relevance of their work to the conference topic.
- In addition, select students with some research experience (for example, second-year thesis students) who have a good knowledge of English, and make sure that French students represent a reasonable proportion of the total number of students accepted (the total number of students should be no more than 30).
- Ensure that all the participants present their work either in a poster session or in a short talk, and that no participants are accepted unless they can present their work (with rare exceptions).
- Ensure that all the invited speakers and participants are present for the entire conference.
- In the month following the Conference, draw up a report of 7 to 8 pages to be sent to the Institutes of Biological Sciences and of Ecology and Environment (conf.monod@cnrs-dir.fr). The preferred format is: 1 page overview, 5 pages summarizing the papers and discussions, 1 page of conclusions and recommendations to the Institutes. A half-page summary in French should be provided. Both documents may be posted on the CJM web site, in whole or in part.
The Chair and Deputy Chair may replace a speaker who cancels with another speaker of equivalent standing, respecting the representative proportions specified above. They may solicit support from potential partners (organizations and/or industries) as long as they obtain prior permission from the Institutes of Biological Sciences and of Ecology and Environment. In this case, a letter drawn up by the Chair will specify the terms of the agreement reached between the parties concerned.
The Science Council of the Jacques Monod Conferences can decide at any point to cancel the Conference:
- If the required dates for obtaining the information needed for the announcement and preparation of the Conference are not respected.
- If the number of applications received is less than 60 (not including invited speakers).
- If a balanced budget cannot be confirmed or if the budget is too different from the initial projections.
The Chair and Deputy Chair are responsible for the smooth functioning of the scientific aspects of the Conference. Adherence to these organizational principles, which have been adopted for all the CNRS Jacques Monod Conferences, is a decisive factor in the success of these meetings.
Jacques Monod Conferences graphic header:
- the top of the poster must only include the downloadable CJM graphic header all the way across (see below)
- Under the specific sign of each lecture, the logo of the organisation which is cofinancing it.
- The address given should be only that of the CJM web site; the Conference Chair's email address must however be given on the CJM web site on the page dedicated to the conference in question, in the paragraph about the submission of applications.
- The poster must be approved by the department before being sent out.