Young Investigators’ Meeting (YIM), will be held between 5^th — 8^th March 2018. Young Investigators’ (YIs) are expected to check in by 5^th March afternoon and check out on the morning of 9^th March. The meeting starts in the evening of 5^th March. Accommodation will be provided from the afternoon of 5^th March 2018 (check-in time is 2 pm).

YIM 2018 ends on the evening on 8^th March 2018. You are welcome to leave any time after this. Everyone has to check out on the morning of 9^th March 2018 after breakfast.

All invited participants are required to attend all days of the YIM.

Few selected YIs will be presenting science at the YIM and receiving feedback from their peers and mentors. Everyone attending will present their science in the form of poster during the poster session. However the YIM has always been more than a science meeting. There will be lots of opportunities to interact with mentors to get maximum out of their experience. The main focus of the meeting will be discussion on some of the major issues pertaining with the journey of a YI and coming up with a white paper at the end of the meeting. The main topics for discussion are as follows: Best practices for recruitment and mentoring of YIs in India Sharing of resources and collaborations for better science PhD and postdoctoral training in India Future of Indian Biological Science

YI’s and PDFs (who are back in India as a YI) who have attended the previous year’s YIM have been invited to attend the 10^th YIM.

The YIM is a unique meeting, being a blend of science and career discussions. The 10^th YIM will recapitulate and learn from the scientific journeys of young investigators, to discuss and debate the process and policies critical for creating an encouraging and conducive environment for research in India. The three days event, besides putting up an exciting scientific program of research talks / posters by YIs and an assortment of inter-disciplinary scientific talks by eminent scientists, there will be deliberations on four major themes, to eventually compile YI’s perspectives and come up with a clear outline for creating meaningful white papers that can be recommended for adoption by appropriate bodies. We hope that this will be an opportunity to not only discuss vibrant science, but also add your voice to shape the future of research in India.

This YIM being different from all other YIM’s is based on various themes. Several hours each day is devoted for poster sessions and breakout sessions (theme based breakout sessions), which are prime networking times. Also, since this is a residential meeting and all attendees will be at the venue for the entire duration of the meeting, we encourage you to initiate discussions with your peers, the mentors and others at the meeting. The Mentors have dedicated the entire duration of this meeting, and we urge you to interact with them about their early careers and yours.

By networking, engaging and participating in sessions and sharing your opinions.

YIM 2018 is a meeting focused on networking, mentorship and scientific exchange. We value the presence of every attendee and want everyone to have a rewarding experience at the meeting. All attendees are therefore expected to show respect and courtesy towards others through the meeting. All attendees are required to follow the Conference Code of Conduct given on our website.

The YI alumnus (YIs who have attended previous YIMs and PDFs who are now back in India) from 10 years of YIM are invited to fill up the registration form given on our website. No walk-in attendees are entertained at YIMs.

Please visit the Programme page for more details.

Please visit the Programme page for more details poster sessions.

We request you to let us know well in advance if you cannot attend the meeting so that we can make necessary modifications to the logistic arrangements. Please mail us on yim2018@​indiabioscience.​org

It is not possible to transfer your spot.

We will have participation certificates to hand out at the event to those who require the certificates.

The Young Investigators’ Meeting will be held once in a year, usually in the month of February or March. The call for applications will open up in the beginning of August 2018, for the YIM2019.

The meeting will be held in Thiruvananthapuram.

Please visit the hotel website for more information. (Hotel website) No, we will take care of the bookings.

All the YIs are expected to share the accommodation. If you are attending the YIM with your spouse or partner, please email us at yim2018@indiabioscience however accommodation can be provided subject to availability of room in the hotel. The room charge for the spouse has to be met by individuals.

You are expected to arrive on 5^th March, and accommodation will be provided to you at the conference venue from 1:00 pm (check-in time) on 5^th March 2018.

We will arrange shuttles from Trivandrum International Airport to the venue. Once we have your travel times, we will assign you to a shuttle appropriately. At the airport, there will be representatives from the YIM 2018 to guide you.

You can check www​.accuweath​er​.com for more details closer to the event. While most of the conference will be in the air-conditioned conference hall, some events will be in semi-outdoor spaces. We request you to bring appropriate clothing to keep yourself comfortable.

If you have specific requirements, please get in touch with us so we assign you a convenient room.

There is no child care facility at the venue.

The entire hotel will have complimentary Internet/​Wi-Fi access. We will provide details of the same on your arrival.

The conference does not provide any accommodation for family members. Please let us know if you are planning to stay with your family outside the conference venue so that we can plan our room count accordingly. While we understand that in some cases you might have to travel with family and stay outside the resort, we suggest that to really benefit from the YIM you stay at the conference venue. You can email us at yim2018@​indiabioscience.​org

YIM 2018 does not have specific activities designed for guests or family members. Family members will not be allowed to sit for the sessions at the YIM, or participate in meals. The YIM is a closed conference, by selection/​invitation only. There is plenty to see and do in Thiruvananthapuram and surrounding areas. Contact your hotel concierge to help you plan activities and day trips during your stay for the family.

We will do our best to accommodate your dietary needs. Please contact us by email at yim2018@​indiabioscience.​org by February 1^st, 2018.

Trivandrum International Airport, is an international airport located in the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The venue is about 15 kms from the airport and it takes about 30 mins to reach the venue.

YIs should reach Thiruvananthapuram on the afternoon of 5^th March. The check in time is 2:00 pm and the conference will start at 5:15 pm.

We will arrange shuttles from Thiruvananthapuram Airport to the venue. We will assign you to cabs/​shuttle appropriately. At the airport there will be representatives from YIM 2018 to guide you.

If you are interested in sponsoring the YIM, please contact Smita Jain at smita@​indiabioscience.​org

The YIM does not have stalls or exhibits. However, if you are interested in some presence at the YIM please write to Smita Jain at smita@​indiabioscience.​org

Please contact Smita Jain at smita@​indiabioscience.​org

The abstract submitted with the application is sufficient. If we think any changes have to be incorporated, we will write to you separately.

Recheck the size and format of the photo and try to upload again. Please upload good quality photos. If you have trouble email us at yim2018@​indiabioscience.​org . The photo will be used in the abstract book that forms part of the registration kit for the meeting.

POSTERS: All attendees will be required to present posters – three days of the meeting will witness three poster sessions under three broad categories and everyone gets to present their work in the form of a poster on the designated day. REGULAR TALKS: 13 selected YIs will give regular scientific talks along with their journey as a YI during the meeting. Their names will be made available in the Programme in due course of time.

All the YIs are required to present posters at the meeting. You can check the times for poster presentations on the YIM 2018 Programme page. SIZE: Poster size (100 cm height X 80 cm width) in portrait orientation only.
AUDIENCE: We advise you to design your poster keeping in mind your audience — Do keep in mind that this is a mixed biology meeting, and many in the audience will not be experts in your subject. CONTENT: As in a typically academic posters we suggest you follow the Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion format if you are presenting a study in progress or one that is completed. You could otherwise present a proposed research direction you want feedback on, if you have a young lab. In either case, we advise you to add a short section called ​“Future Directions” that explains the directions you want your research program or group to take in the next few years. DESIGN: We have a good one and half hours on most days devoted to posters, and suggest you make your posters exciting and attractive. Here are some guides that can help you design effective posters: http://​www2​.le​.ac​.uk/​o​f​f​i​c​e​s​/​l​d​/​r​e​s​o​u​r​c​e​s​/​p​r​e​s​e​n​t​a​t​i​o​n​s​/​d​e​s​i​g​n​i​n​g​-​p​o​s​t​e​r​/​d​e​s​i​g​n​i​n​g​-​p​oster Tips on presenting a poster: http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/~mdowman/mikedowmanhowtogiveaposter_presentation.html

Pushpins, tape and tags will be provided at the venue.

YI Poster session – Everyone will get one full day to display the poster. There will be a dedicated poster session when everyone will visit the poster area.

All poster boards will be numbered. The number corresponds to your number in the YIM 2018 e‑abstract book that you will be given at the YIM 2018 registration desk.

These talks are to be 20 minutes long with 5 minutes for interaction and questions. The talks should be accompanied by Powerpoint/​Keynote/​PDF slides. They can be structured like regular scientific talks, with Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion sections along with the journey. Some interesting anecdotes and experiences can be shared which you feel might be useful for the audience. For advice on talks and PowerPoints that accompany talks see here: http://​www​.the​-sci​en​tist​.com/​?​a​r​t​i​c​l​e​s​.​v​i​e​w​/​a​r​t​i​c​l​e​N​o​/​2​8​8​1​8​/​t​i​t​l​e​/​P​i​m​p​-​y​o​u​r​-​P​o​w​e​r​P​oint/ For more radical ideas: http://​www​.writ​ing​.engr​.psu​.edu/​s​l​i​d​e​s​.html Your presentation has to be submitted to the organisers at the registration desk on 5^th March . The file can be in PPT, Keynote or PDF (recommended for stability) formats.