Underwater Communications and Networking
Organised by the:
NATO STO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE)
News:
June 1st, 2020:
Given the current uncertainty regarding travel restrictions and the ability to hold events like UComms, we are not in the condition to have the conference happening in the same place, time and format.
This way we would like to announce that UComms20 will be postponed to the same period in 2021 (to be renamed UComms21, provisional dates are 31 August – 2 September 2021 – To be confirmed).
This allows us to retain a fundamental dimension of the UComms conferences: The discussions, the networking, the feedback, the ideas that spawn new projects and all the intangible benefits that would have been close to impossible to replicate in a virtual setting.
Regarding the papers in the system, we are aware that this postponement is probably not ideal for many authors.
Here is our planned way forward:
1. Leave you the decision to withdraw your paper from UComms. We would like to have a clear indication on the withdrawals by June 8th.
2. We will announce the acceptance list by June 8th.
3. We assume that if you do not withdraw until we announce the acceptance list, you remain with us for the September 21 edition. (By the way, the acceptance list will not change on the basis of how many withdrawals we get. It is now practically finalised, we are just crosschecking final details with session chairs).
4. The accepted papers go on with the revision and preparation of the final versions.
5. We are working with IEEE to explore pre-publication routes that will allow your accepted paper to go on Xplore before UComms happens in September 21. IEEE currently envisions mechanisms like “Open Preview” for open (no payment) access to papers before conferences. That’s the route we intend to pursue. As you can see it’s important to have a clear idea on the withdrawals before we move forward.
6. We intend to re-open for submissions by the end of 2020 to gather additional papers to form a full conference program. The currently submitted and accepted papers will guarantee their spot in the conference.
That's not all…
We are preparing something special for this year though. It’s still a bit early to announce (we need to make sure we can actually do it) but we believe wit will be something pretty exciting. Stay tuned for more information.
March 16th, 2020:
following a number of requests and given the extraordinary conditions we are all facing, we are extending the deadline for submissions to March 25th. This is a firm deadline.
March 11th, 2020:
You are certainly aware of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation.
We would like to reassure you that we are closely monitoring the situation (as if there were a way not to) and we accept that at some point, in the interests of your safety, we may need to take some preventative action. Meanwhile, we are currently (and naturally) moving forward with our scheduled plans for UComms'20 in the hope and expectation that by September this crisis will be largely resolved and the situation under control.
Registration opens in June, which gives us some time to assess our options, depending on how the situation evolves in the interim.
Not all is bad, of course. We have some very exciting developments regarding invited talks which we expect to be able to share very soon.
The deadline for submissions is now just around the corner. Please submit your contributions by March 16th!
January 30th, 2020:
The submission portal is now open. We are ready to accept your papers. Please head to the Author Instructions and Submission page to upload your paper.
December 7th, 2019:
The UComms'20 web page is now up ! As we ramp up, come check this space for updates. For now we can share dates and location: 1-3 of September, same place as last time: The Villa Marigola in Lerici, Italy. The format will not depart a lot from last time but rest assured we listen to your feedback, so expect some small tweaks that will hopefully result in improvements.
For those already thinking about travel we will try to stick to the format of last year: Ice breaker on the 31st of August (the evening before the conference starts) and a nice, relaxed get-together dinner the evening of the 3rd, after closing the conference.
We will issue a call for papers before the end of the year and open paper submissions around mid January. You will then experience the first difference form the previous editions: We will be working with the same submission system used for the OCEANS conferences.
Watch this space for updates!
