The programme of IAU scientific meetings (Symposia, Focus Meetings, Division Meetings, Regional Meetings) is one of the most important instruments for IAU to pursue its goal of promoting astronomy through international collaboration. A large fraction of the Union's budget is devoted to the support of these IAU scientific meetings.

It is very encouraging that 30 Letters of Intent proposing scientific meetings in 2020 have been received so far. The list of Letters of Intent received has been posted here on the IAU website and will be updated. This is to inform potential proposers of other existing plans for IAU meeting proposals and to avoid unnecessary competition between proposals, and instead stimulate possible collaborations between otherwise competing groups.

Letters of Intent are normally followed by full proposals and the IAU takes this opportunity to remind those considering submitting proposals that the deadline for submission is 15 December 2018. If you are considering organising a meeting you should read the Rules and Guidelines for IAU scientific meetings here. It might be useful to start by reading section 5 of the document: a “Step by Step summary for the proposal of IAU Meetings”.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 13 500 professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Links

• Received Letters of Intent for 2020

Contacts

Professor Ian Robson
IAU Assistant General Secretary
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: iau_ags_2018@iap.fr

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org