CPRsouth 8 / CPRafrica 2013 Call for Abstracts *Innovation and Entrepreneurship in ICT: Changing Asia / Africa* CPRsouth 8 / CPRafrica provides a forum for policy-engaged scholars to meet face-to-face to exchange ideas, network, and improve the quality of their scholarly work. It fosters the next generation of active scholars and in-situ experts capable of contributing to good ICT-related policy and regulation in the region. The emphasis is on research for evidence-based ICT policy and regulation, and on the use of research for policy influence. The conference will be hosted at the Infosys Campus Mysore India. The state-of-the-art campus has been set up and is managed by the Indian global technology services company, Infosys, for the purpose of training its staff and recruits. The Infosys Bangalore and Mysore campuses inspired Thomas Friedman to write the international bestseller The world is flat. *Content* The conference will accommodate 30 paper presenters from Africa and the Asia-Pacific over the course of three days (Asia-Pacific papers will make up around 60 percent of total). The conference includes sessions on cutting-edge developments on policy and regulation in the South and discussion of the research-policy interface. The audience will be made up of 70+ scholars on ICT policy and practice. A senior scholar will chair each of the paper sessions. Substantive discussant comments will be provided. *Mentoring* Paper presenters will have opportunity to be mentored on their paper, policy brief and the presentation prior to the conference. *Call for Abstracts* Research ICT Africa invites submission of abstracts for papers on ICT policy and regulation research carried out in Africa, or relevant to Africa, for review and acceptance. *Abstracts are due on 15 February 2013.* *Paper proposals must be classifiable with at least three keywords from the list below:* Access | Applications | Authorization and Licensing | Broadband| Broadcasting |Business models | Citizen | Civil society| Cloud computing | Competition | Conflict | Connectivity | Consumer | Content | Convergence | Cooperation | Demand | Digitisation Disaster | Disability | Domestic | Economy | Efficiency | Emerging markets | Environment | Governance | Growth | Inclusion | Indicators | Information | Infrastructure | Innovation | International | IP |Judiciary | Knowledge | Legislation | Markets | Media | Monopoly| Networks | Performance | Policy | Political economy | Poverty |Pricing | Productivity | Property | Public goods | Oligopoly | Reforms | Regional | Regulation | Rights |Social networking Spectrum | Strategy | Security| State |Transparency | Universal access | Universal services. These keywords will be used to assign papers to reviewers in a double-blind process, which will yield a shortlist of approximately 30-35 papers. Completed papers from this shortlist will be adjudicated by two senior scholars, and authors of the highest ranked papers will be invited to present at the conference. /The actual program will depend on the papers received. Organisers reserve the right to combine topics and to not offer sessions for which sufficient high-quality submissions are not received./ *Submission Guidelines* Abstracts should be submitted to admin@researchictafrica.net *on or before 15 February 2013* and must contain the following: - the title of the paper - your name and contact information (email address and mobile no.) - an abstract of the paper (no more than 500 words including a minimum of three, and a maximum of five, keywords from the list above. Abstracts should include at least three, but preferably more, references to prior work. (References and keywords are outside the 500-word limit) - a curriculum vitae of no more than one page âEUR¨ - the document must be named: CPRafrica2013_abstract&Bio_YourLastName.doc TEMPLATE FOR PAPER PROPOSALS (ABSTRACTS) <http://www.researchictafrica.net/docs/CPRafrica%20Abstract%20Guidelines_18012012.doc> Notification of acceptance of proposed papers on the basis of the abstract will be emailed on or before 1 March 2013. Full papers must be submitted for review by 1 May 2013. Only full papers of acceptable quality that are received by this deadline will be considered for partial travel and accommodation support. It is expected that the papers will be improved based on substantive comments provided in the run-up to the conference. All paper presenters are required to develop a policy brief based on their final research paper. Mentoring on writing a policy brief will be provided prior to the conference, and policy briefs will be judged in a policy-brief competition. *Review Criteria* *Paper proposals will be reviewed according to the following criteria: * *PRINCIPAL RESEARCH QUESTION *(15%): Captures the essence of the proposal in no more than 50 words *POLICY RELEVANCE* (15%): The relevance of the proposal to identified decision-makers in the ICT space is explicated *COMPONENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS* (15%): Breaks down the research question further and is linked to the research plan *RESEARCH PLAN *(45%): Includes a literature search, method and data sources sections *LIST OF REFERENCES/SOURCES *(5%): Identifies the key documents. APA style is used *TITLE *(5%): Is clear and communicates no more and no less than the content given in the proposal Please note: Only the authors whose papers are delivered by the *1 May 2013 *deadline AND who meet the quality standard will be allowed to present at the conference. Paper presenters who make the cut will be notified by *3 June 2013* with contact information for the assigned chair and discussant and instructions on travel arrangements. *Funding* Selected presenters who are passport-holders, will be provided with: - lowest cost route economy airfare, to and from India - accommodation, including bed and breakfast, for the duration of the conference (Organisers will provide 3 lunches and 1 dinner from 5-7 September 2013, but not all meals are covered) All other costs are to be borne by the participant. Participants who are able to receive institutional support to attend are requested to do so in order that others, who are not, are able to attend. (Please note that only African scholars selected to present papers are eligible for support.) *Key dates* - Call for Abstracts published: 15 January 2013 - Abstracts due: 15 February 2013 - Notification of acceptance of abstract: 01 March 2013 - Submission of papers for review: 01 May 2013 - Notification of selected paper presenters: 03 June 2013 - Final submission of revised papers/policy briefs: 03 July 2013 *Visas* Visas are required to enter India, with some exceptions. Letters will be provided for this purpose after final participant selections have been made. Participants are strongly advised to initiate visa approval procedures immediately upon notification of their selection. The papers selected for presentation at the CPRsouth conference will be uploaded onto the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) database. Please note that the submission of the final paper implies consent to upload them onto the SSRN database. The slides of the presentations and the policy brief will be uploaded onto www.cprsouth.org See www.researchICTafrica.net <http://www.researchICTafrica.net> for updates. Click here to visit our website <http://www.researchictafrica.net> (http://www.researchictafrica.net) (21 January 2013) To view this newsletter on our website click on the following link, View on Website <http://www.researchictafrica.net/newsletter.php?ni=20> (http://www.researchictafrica.net/newsletter.php?ni=20) To unsubscribe from this mailing list click on the following link, Unsubscribe <http://www.researchictafrica.net/newsletter.php?p=alice@apc.org> (http://www.researchictafrica.net/newsletter.php?p=alice@apc.org) --