Workshop Proposal Guidance 2024

Propose a workshop

The Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics has resources to support research workshops and schools in any current topical area of Theoretical Physics. The intention is that workshops should be primarily focussed on developing collaborative research rather than merely dissemination. We can offer support for workshops of various formats and styles. A look at the workshop page should give an idea as to the range of activity that takes place at the Centre (past events can be viewed year-by- year using the menu on the left-hand side of the page). They range in scale from events with a small number of invited participants, to large-scale meetings of up to a week. We particularly encourage proposals for workshops to establish new research directions, or to foster collaboration between hitherto disjoint subdisciplines of theoretical physics. Budgets are of course limited, and so for large events in particular it will often be the case that the Higgs Centre is able only to partially support a workshop with matching funds from elsewhere. Please contact, either the Higgs Centre Administrator (hctp@ed.ac.uk) or the School of Physics and Astronomy Events team (sopa.events@ed.ac.uk), for help with estimate costs for your proposed workshop.

Support available

The Higgs Centre is able to offer support towards accommodation and subsistence for invited speakers and towards refreshments for participants during the meeting. We have limited funds for travel, which we target towards early career researchers. We can also provide administrative assistance via the School of Physics and Astronomy Events team. A page within the Higgs Centre website will be created for you once a workshop is approved and the schedule will be advertised on our calendar and Indico system. Please note, the School of Physics and Astronomy events team will charge an admin fee if your event has a conference fee or is externally funded. The admin cost does vary depending on the size of the event and the amount of time required from the events team to organise your event. For more information on the admin fee and an estimated cost, please contact sopa.events@ed.ac.uk.

Application procedure

Workshop proposals should be submitted via the online application form on the Higgs Centre website. The proposal should explain the rationale behind the proposal, specify the length and structure of the workshop, names of organisers and key invited speakers, number of participants, estimates costs, and any potential external funding. If you wish to discuss your initial thoughts with regards to a potential workshop, please do not hesitate to write directly to any member of the Higgs Centre Management Committee or to the Higgs Centre Administrator. Further information and frequently asked questions on events for UoE staff can be found here (note there is a new School of Physics and Astronomy events procedure, however Higgs Centre workshop organisers will not need to complete both).

Your proposal should include and consider:

• Interdisciplinarity: in the spirit of our multidisciplinary research centre, we especially encourage the organisation of workshops (and related activities) on topics that can foster collaboration between hitherto disjoint subdisciplines of theoretical physics, and with adjacent disciplines.
• Sustainability: especially international ones, contribute to the UK carbon footprint (mainly via travelling). Hence, organisers should (i) encourage the participants to use trains and public transport, where possible, and (ii) allow online participation of speakers and delegates, when appropriate. There are further steps one can take toward making an event sustainable (e.g. consider if printing any supporting material is truly needed, order more vegetarian than meat-based catering options etc – the University provides top tips for running a sustainable event here).
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: to ensure a fair use of the HCTP budget, the Management Committee has agreed to offer priority to subsidising travel and participation expenses of early career researchers. More generally, when possible, (i) we encourage organisers to supplement the granted HCTP resources with any other funding support that might be available to them, (ii) we encourage participants to use their own travel funds, when available, to maximise the fraction of HCTP resources in support of individuals with otherwise no access to personal funding. The Management Committee encourages all workshop organisers to be mindful of the demographics of their proposed pool of participants. Specifically, we encourage all organisers to strive for an appropriate balance across underrepresented groups.

During the workshop

All participants in HCTP activities are expected to show respect and courtesy to others throughout the duration of an event, including at social events. We draw the participants’ attention to the HCTP Code of Conduct, and, more generally, to the University of Edinburgh policies concerning Dignity and Respect.

Reporting

Please note we will require you to submit a short report after your workshop.

Propose a workshop