[FoME] CFP Mobile Communication for Development

[Christoph Dietz]

Mobile Communication for Development

Feb. 28-29, 2012, New Delhi, India

1st Call for Papers, Panels and Workshops
Welcome to M4D2012!

Institute of  Management Studies (Ghaziabad, India) in cooperation with HumanIT (Karlstad University, Sweden) invite you to the 3rd International 
Conference on M4D - Mobile Communication for Development, following the inaugural conference in Karlstad, Sweden in 2008 (http://m4d.humanit.org/2008/) and 2nd conference in Kampala, Uganda (see http://m4d.humanit.org/).

M4D2012 aims to provide a forum for researchers, practitioners and all those with interests in Mobile Communication for Development. M4D2012 will combine two days of workshops, discussions, demos plenary, paper and panel sessions. The conference activities will take place at a reputed hotel in the National Capital Region of Delhi and the campus of Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad (more information in following CFPs and on the website http://www.m4d2012.com).

How to Participate?

We strive to create an inclusive event where all types of actors and formats are included. If you whish to present a paper, demo or poster you submit either to the practitioner or the research track. The research track has a traditional academic conference design while in the practitioner's track industry, NGOs, and public bodies can discuss experiences, ideas and disseminate knowledge. However this conference is not only for paper presenters but also for all who have an interest in areas of mobility, communication, social change and their intersections. It is our explicit aim to make room for extensive discussions and interaction between all participants throughout the conference. We therefore also invite you who have ideas of different kinds workshops, panels, demos and discussion formats to contact the conference organization (m4d2012 at gmail.com). All topics that relate to mobile communication and development are welcomed.

The suggested topics (but not limited to) include:

Social Implications of Mobile Communication
Mobile Health
Mobile Communication and Political Participation / Political Change
Agriculture, Rural Development and Mobile Communication
Economic Development and Mobile Communication such as Mobile Banking and Mobile Money
Mobile Learning
Mobile Communication and Community Awareness / Development
Mobile Communication and Disaster Management
Mobile Communication and Climate Control
Mobile Communication and Corruption Fighting
Mobile Communication and Election / Government Monitoring
Mobile Communication and Community Awareness / Development
Mobile Communication and Disaster Management
Mobile Communication and Climate Control
Challenges to the Proliferation of Mobile Technology
Mobile Communication and Women Empowerment
Mobile Communication and Surveillance
Innovative Applications for Mobile Communication

Registration Fee?

Conference Registration fee includes access to conference venue, workshops and demonstrations, keynotes, lunches, refreshments and receptions throughout the conference, conference dinner and social events. Payment instructions will be made available on the conference website (http://www.m4d2012.com).

Regular Registration: USD 400
Student Registration: USD 200 (Regular Full Time Students with a Valid Student ID)
Early Bird Discount:   10% (Before November 15, 2011)

Important Deadlines?

Workshop / Panel Proposals:                                   June 30, 2011
Paper / Poster / Demo Submission:                          July 31, 2011
Acceptance / Review Note:                                       September 30, 2011
Travel Grant Application:                                          October 15, 2011
Final Paper Submission:                                            November 15, 2011
Early Bird Registration:                                             November 15, 2011
Regular Registration:                                                December 31, 2011

Submission and Reviewing process?

All paper presenters will have to apply directly with a more or less finished version upon deadline (July 31), no abstracts should be sent in advance. Papers will then be sent out for review to one or more reviewers. Upon receiving reviewers' comments, paper authors will have approximately one and a half months to finalize and upload the camera-ready version of the paper. Paper presenters can choose whether to submit a full paper (maximum of 10 pages) or a short paper  (4 pages) to the practitioners or the research track. Poster and demo presenters as well as workshop and panel organizers are requested to submit a 1 page abstract for conference proceedings upon deadline (see above). Poster size is 80 cm maximum width and 120cm maximum height. Roll-ups are also allowed. The printing facilities on the location are limited so bring your final printed version with you. Poster boards will be available with the pin / paste arrangement. Submitting your papers and abstracts, you must use the M4Dtemplate found here: http://m4d.humanit.org/m4d_template.doc.

All Submissions to the M4D 2012 should be done using the EasyChair Conference Management system. Please click the following link for the Paper submission: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=3Dm4d2012 

Inclusion of accepted papers/posters in the printed conference proceedings is conditioned on payment of the registration fee. Conference proceeding will be published in the Karlstad University Studies series, as well as on the websites of Karlstad University and Institute of Management Studies. Special thematic issues will also be published for a number of reputed international journals from the conference papers. Details of this will be available in following CFPs.

Travel Grants?

HumanIT will sponsor travel costs and conference fees for a few participants from the developing countries with accepted full papers. Upon acceptance notification, send your paper, together with the reviews of the paper and a motivation letter (1 page maximum) to jakob.svensson at kau.se (deadline for application October 15th). The decision on who will get their fees covered will be made by the board of HumanIT.

Travel and Accommodation?

The National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is well connected by Air, Road and Railways. It has a big Indira Gandhi International Airport (www.newdelhiairport.in) as well as a domestic airport. Most of Airlines operate from Delhi to connect to the different parts of the world as well as India. It has got a wide City Metro Network (www.delhimetrorail.com ) to provide comfortable connectivity across the city.  Delhi is a city of Heritage and is famous for its tourist attractions like Red Fort, Qutab Minar and Humayuns Tomb. Details about the tourist spots in Delhi can be found at http://delhitourism.nic.in/.

There will plenty of options for accommodation to suit the individual choice and budget. Accommodation will be available inside Delhi as well in the National Capital Region (Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Faridabad). The details will be available soon on the conference website.

Interested in Reviewing?

Interested in reviewing? Please contact Dr. Vikas Kumar (m4d2012 at gmail.com) and tell how many papers you are interested in reviewing, your areas of interest and your level of expertise.

Interested in Sponsoring?

M4D has established it-self since the first conference 2008 as the leading forum in the field of Mobile Communication for Development. In the light of past conferences we are certain that M4D2012 will be an extraordinary event, reaching out not only to academics throughout the globe, but perhaps more
importantly to different national and international development agencies as well as practioners and innovators in different NGOs and commercial organizations within the mobile communication sector. M4D2012 will gather a mix of academics, practioners and professionals hard to find elsewhere. Do not miss the opportunity to be part of this unique event, it will be fun and you and your organization will be affiliated to a high quality conference, a way to approach development that is both updated and achievable, attracting a crowd more diverse and devoted than at your usual conference.

For organizations interested in funding this event we have a wide array of sponsorship opportunities to suit your need of visibility and budget. Funding opportunities include, but are not limited to, sponsoring the conference dinner, lunches, refreshments or the conference proceedings. Your participation in the event could take the form of a book or brochure stand at the conference venue, a presentation during the conference dinner, a leaflet in the conference pack et cetera. Due mention will also be made at the occasion of the conference and due credits will be made on the website, in the conference program and in the conference proceedings. We look forward to your participation and are open for different solutions. Please contact Dr. Vikas Kumar (m4d2012 at gmail.com) and he will assist you.

We are especially interested in receiving funding for travel costs for participants from developing countries. Please contact Dr. Jakob Svensson (jakob.svensson at kau.se) at HumanIT to discuss your conditions and number of participants concerned by your kind offer.

Conference Chairs:

General Chair:                                                           =
Dr. Vikas Kumar, Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad, India
Co-Chair:                                                                =
Dr. Jakob Svensson, HumanIT, Karlstad University, Sweden

Jakob Svensson, Ph. D.

Director HumanIT (www.kau.se/en/humanit)
Ass. Prof. in Media and Communication Studies
Karlstad University
65188 Karlstad - Sweden

+ 46 (0) 54  700 1893
jakob.svensson at kau.se