Frequently Asked Questions

We are delighted to advise that abstracts have re-opened for a short period of time. You can submit an abstract for COSPAR-2021-Hybrid until Monday 5 October 2020. The opportunity to submit new abstracts to the existing program has been provided in order to allow the members of the community previously unable to attend Sydney in 2020 in-person to now participate in the global COSPAR-2021-Hybrid event. After new abstracts are submitted, the relevant MSO and DO and the Program Committee will review the abstracts and determine how they can be accommodated within the existing program, or, given the flexibility that is provided by a hybrid Assembly, whether an extension of the Event or an additional Event is required.

If you are satisfied with your current abstract and nominated presenters, there is no action required from you at this time.

You will soon be sent details on how to prepare your presentation to the new platform and to participate in COSPAR-2021-Hybrid.

Yes. An outstanding selection of speakers from across the globe will deliver Interdisciplinary Lectures through the on-line platform. All Interdisciplinary Lectures will be live streamed and feature live moderated Q&A to ensure maximum benefit to the COSPAR scientific community. These Interdisciplinary Lectures will occur prior to the commencement of the main Programming to ensure maximum participation, each day and also be available as on-demand content. Cross-disciplinary workshops, panel events and public lectures will also be a highlight on the on-line platform.

All presentations will be pre-recorded by presenters, with the duration consistent as per the original program timings. These will need to be uploaded for inclusion in the virtual conference delivery platform and will be available at the beginning of the Assembly, searchable according to COSPAR Commissions and Panels, technical themes and keywords, to registered delegates only.

The program schedule is designed to deliver the full program across global time zones. Instead of the oral program on any given day being delivered as parallel quarter-day sessions of consecutive 15-30 minute live talks, spread out over the Australian (and Asian) working day hours and thus representing significant strain for international delegates in different time zones, the program for each day will be concentrated into a three-hour block early in the Australian/Asian day (suitable for the American time zones) and repeated again at the end of the Australian/Asian day and into the evening (suitable for the European, African and Middle-Eastern time zones). In this way, all time zones will be catered for.

Each three-hour block will be divided into four 45-minute quarters, representing the original parallel quarter-day sessions for that day. Each 45-minute session will begin with the short summary versions of the presentations in the order in which they have been designated for that session in the program. These can be delivered either live streamed by the presenter or by streaming the pre-recorded version, at the option of the presenter. Following the delivery of these summary presentations, live and interactive Q&A will be enabled via the platform and moderated by the session chair (selected by the Event MSO and DO). The three-hour block will be repeated later that day.

Presenters will be invited to deliver their summary presentation and answer questions in either or both of the three-hour blocks on their allocated day, either interactively as a live stream or utilising their pre-recording. The Q&A content will be captured, flow from the first block to the second and be maintained as a thread throughout the event and beyond.

The delivery of posters will be handled virtually, in a similar manner to the oral presentations, but maintaining a sense of the atmosphere of poster session gatherings.

• Each poster presentation will be pre-recorded in the short summary form, including a single-slide version of the poster itself.
• The pre-recording and slide will be available via the platform throughout the Assembly.
• On the relevant day for each programmed poster session, those sessions will be delivered virtually following the three-hour oral blocks.
• The platform will present to the delegates the full array of posters for that session as thumbnails of each slide.
• Clicking on a poster thumbnail will stream the summary presentation for that poster, while an adjacent link will take the delegate into a unique live break-out room with the poster presenter and other interested delegates and interaction with the presenter and amongst those other delegates will be enabled.

The Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) for COSPAR-2021-Hybrid is ICMS Australasia (ICMSA), whose Digital Event Team will arrange for, implement, manage and execute the complex and comprehensive communications systems that will be employed for COSPAR-2021-Hybrid. ICMSA has extensive experience in successful hybrid conferences and it is for this reason that COSPAR is confident that COSPAR-2021-Hybrid will be a success.

The Digital Event Team will assist presenters and ensure materials are “presentation-ready”. Presenters will receive instructions by mid-October 2020 on how to format and upload their presentations to the virtual event platform. From the virtual speakers’ preparation room, presenters will know when they need to be available on-line to present and or participate in live Q&A.

For Live Streamed content, the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney will build a broadcast studio to help deliver both digitally and in-person. On-site and offsite speakers can connect – streaming to offsite audiences. Local presenters wishing to meet and present in-person (pending final decision on the hybrid balance) can attend onsite and participate in the Q&A while it streams to all delegates, as well as follow the Q&A thread for each presentation as it evolves on-line over the remainder of the Assembly.

Session Chairs, Interdisciplinary Speakers, Oral Presenters, key stakeholders and guest speakers will all be pre-briefed on interacting with both the in-person and on-line audiences.

A dedicated moderator and a team of facilitators will be provided; making use of on-line social platforms, to promote participation and allowing COSPAR-2021-Hybrid attendees to connect with each other to a greater degree. The facilitators will act on behalf of the on-line audiences and will be armed with clear guidelines and procedures to enable them to contribute effectively without causing confusion or disruption.

One of the added benefits of hybrid is the opportunity to pre-record content. All presenters will be supported and fully prepared and well-rehearsed, ensuring they are comfortable with the new mode of delivery and fully understanding how and when they will be seen in an on-line capacity.

Yes. The early bird rate will be extended to the end of December 2020.

Of most importance to presenters at COSPAR-2021-Hybrid, a further-reduced registration fee is available for those presenters who comply with the request to submit their pre-recorded contributions by 30 November 2020. Submitting pre-recorded contributions in time to obtain the reduced rate will allow the organisers of COSPAR-2021-Hybrid to populate the on-line platform for seamless content delivery before 28 January 2021.

This discounted “Presenters Early Bird Rate” will expire at the end of November 2020. Access to this new rate is only triggered by upload of the presenter’s pre-recordings prior to 30 November 2020.

Delegates in this category can immediately access the discounted Early Bird rates for their category, which are already significantly below the Presenter Early Bird Rate.

All registered delegates will be contacted directly by the COSPAR 2021 Secretariat to reconfirm their registration and provide repayment of the difference in rates, where applicable.

The on-line platform, which will be available to both in-person and virtual participants, will include personalised tailoring options to highlight to each participant the content and the other participants and participating organisations that might be of specific relevance and interest to them and enable direct connections to be easily made. With the use of the platform, the ‘corridor conversations’ that are so valuable for building relationship and partnership will be enabled – assisted by virtual meeting rooms - and in fact enhanced.

If you booked accommodation through the COSPAR 2021 Accommodation Secretariat your current accommodation booking and any deposit monies paid will be held as a credit on your account, if you are an Australian delegate who will still attend, or a full refund for our international delegates. You will receive an email from the COSPAR 2021 Accommodation Secretariat.

The COSPAR 2021 National Accommodation Manager is working closely with all hotels to ensure that the nightly rates for the 2021 period are the same or similar to the current booked rates. If there is a change in the nightly rate, delegates will be contacted directly to discuss.

If you booked accommodation independently, you will need to contact the providers directly to make alternative arrangements.

The Scientific Program for COSPAR-2021-Hybrid is the program for COSPAR 2020, shifted from August to 28 January until 4 February, the new dates of COSPAR-2021-Hybrid. The only difference is how the program will be offered, so that COSPAR-2021-Hybrid will be a truly global Assembly, with full participation in multiple time zones. Registrations for the COSPAR Assembly are transferrable. We encourage those who are currently registered but unable to attend in 2021 to transfer their registration to a colleague or friend. Alternatively, full refunds less $150 administration cost will be provided.