30th International Congress of Actuaries

Call for Papers and Presentations

Download a Printable Version of the Call for Papers and Presentations (U.S., Canada)
Download a Printable Version of the Call for Papers and Presentations (International A4)

NOTE: The Call for Papers and Presentations is now closed. The Scientific Committee may re-open the call, if there are inadequate submissions to address topics deemed crucial by the Committee.

An Invitation

Come join your actuarial colleagues and peers from around the world for the International Congress of Actuaries (ICA) 2014, to be held March 30 through April 4 in Washington DC! The ICA 2014 format invites attendees to become actively engaged in the program and to interact with colleagues from around the world.

The ICA 2014 Scientific Committee is assembling a preliminary agenda of topical sessions on key issues facing today's and tomorrow's actuaries, and the organizations and publics they support.

Actuaries and non-actuaries from all disciplines and locales are encouraged to participate in shaping the program by submitting relevant, leading-edge ideas, research, and insights that will expand and grow the current body of actuarial knowledge and help actuaries address the key issues facing their employers, clients, and the public.

This initial Call for Papers and Presentations outlines the process and timeline by which you are invited to propose and make your submissions to ICA 2014.

Whether you are an author, prospective presenter or anticipate being a member of the audience, we invite you to be in Washington DC for ICA 2014 to renew old friendships, and make some new ones, while you continue to learn and expand your relevant knowledge to become more effective in a rapidly changing world.

I. OVERVIEW

The ICA 2014 Scientific Committee is issuing this Call for Papers and Presentations for the 2014 Congress. Actuaries and non-actuaries interested in presenting a paper, or making a presentation, are invited to submit an abstract of their proposed paper(s)/presentation(s) to the Scientific Program Committee.

In keeping with the theme of the Congress—"Learn, Interact, Grow"—the Scientific Committee's goal is to foster an environment where attendees can learn new ideas by sharing concepts and approaches with other professionals from around the globe. This environment will not only cultivate the entire body of actuarial knowledge but also help improve the tools actuaries use in their daily practice.

II. SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM STRUCTURE

The ICA 2014 scientific program is structured to potentially serve several specific goals. In addition to being a forum for annual colloquia and conferences of the various IAA sections, the Scientific Committee currently envisions separate tracks that will include topics relating to:

Life Insurance
Health Insurance and Related Topics
Non-Life Insurance (General Insurance; Property/Casualty Insurance)
Pensions, Employee Benefits and Social Insurance
Enterprise Risk Management and Financial Risks
Professionalism and Education
Consulting

The format of the Congress will include a mix of plenary and concurrent sessions with some of the plenary sessions being either track-specific or joint among two or more tracks. Where possible, all papers/presentations will be included in subject-specific tracks and where relevant, papers/presentations on similar topics will be grouped together.

Accepted papers and presentations will be published online as part of the 2014 Congress record and made available on the ICA 2014 website. The ICA and published authors will share mutual rights to the papers subject to the provisions of an agreement to be signed by the parties.

Note: This Call is not limited to formal papers. The ICA 2014 Scientific Committee is also interested in less formal presentations, with particular emphasis on those which will involve the Congress attendees in the learning process.

III. ADJUDICATION PROCESS

Abstracts/proposals, and then the submitted papers/presentations will be reviewed by subject-specific evaluation teams who will determine the acceptability of the paper/presentation for inclusion in the relevant program track. The ICA 2014 Scientific Committee has the authority to accept or reject proposed papers/presentations; and/or to suggest or require modifications to the paper/presentation as a condition for acceptance.

Factors that will be taken into consideration by the evaluation committees include the following:

Does the proposed paper/presentation address key issues facing the profession, our employers and clients, and/or the public?
Does the proposed paper/presentation add to the body of technical actuarial literature and/or to the development of actuarial practice?
Does it have the potential to stimulate new thinking and discussion?
Does the proposed paper/presentation have practical value to a practicing actuary?
Is the topic of potential interest to actuaries in one or more specialty areas?
Are the issues and ideas expressed clearly and professionally?

Papers/presentations of an overtly commercial nature will not be accepted for inclusion in the program.

IV. PRIZES

The Scientific Committee will award prizes for the one or two Best Paper(s) and/or Best Presentation(s) in each of the subject matter tracks:

Life Insurance
Health Insurance and Related Topics
Non-Life Insurance (General Insurance; Property/Casualty Insurance)
Pensions, Employee Benefits, and Social Insurance
Enterprise Risk Management and Financial Risks
Professionalism and Education
Consulting

The Scientific Committee will determine the number of prizes and cash amounts up to a total of USD 2,000 per track. Consideration will be given to both traditional papers and less formal presentations in the selection of prizes.

Additional prize opportunities will be announced later.

V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCEDURE AND REQUIREMENTS

Proposals conforming to the requirements below must be submitted online or by email no later than 30 September 2012 to:

Ph: +1 703-276-3100 ext. 729
Fax: +1 703-276-3108
dcore@casact.org

Receipt will be acknowledged within five business days by email.

Proposal requirements:

Each proposal must include the following elements:

Paper/presentation title: Title should be concise and reflect the content of the paper/presentation.
Author(s)/Presenter(s): Please include professional affiliation(s) and employer for each author/presenter; and contact details (including e-mail address) for the corresponding author.
Type: Indicate whether the submission is intended as a paper or a presentation.
Abstract: Provide a summary abstract of the paper or presentation (maximum 300 words). Include what issues the paper/presentation will address. Include information on what the paper/presentation will achieve and how it will be presented at the Congress.
Language: Indicate the language in which the paper will be written and the language in which the presentation will be given at the Congress. English, French, German, and Spanish are the official languages of the Congress. NOTE: The organizers for ICA 2014 will not provide translation or interpretation services. Speakers may choose to deliver their presentations (and write their papers) in English, speak in their native language (with a colleague or peer interpreting from the native language into English), or deliver their presentations (and write their papers) in French, German or Spanish with no translation or interpretation. If the latter, then these presentations (and papers) will be identified as being in French, German or Spanish and would primarily appeal to the speakers (and readers) of that language only.
Prior Exposure: Advise if the paper/presentation (or an essentially similar one) has been previously published or presented at another event, and indicate when and where.
Presentation: Please describe the methods you will use to encourage audience interaction. Some examples are case study discussions, small group discussions, games, quizzes/tests of knowledge, role plays, etc. (For more ideas, please go to the ICA 2014 web site.)

Please:

Submit your proposal in English, or include an English translation.
Define unfamiliar abbreviations and acronyms in full with their first use.
Do not include graphics or diagrams in the abstract.

Requirements for submission of papers and presentations will be communicated at a later date.

VI. TIMELINE

In order to enable potential Congress participants the best opportunity to establish the professional value of the conference, the following timeline applies to the submission of abstracts and papers/presentations:

30 September 2012	Deadline for authors to submit proposals for potential papers/presentations, including a brief abstract of the proposed paper(s)/presentation(s). See proposal requirements above.
30 November 2012	Authors informed of results of committee review of proposals.
31 May 2013	First draft papers/presentations due for committee review.
16 July 2013	Determination of ICA 2014 draft scientific program, successful authors notified, accepted abstracts published on ICA 2014 website.
13 September 2013	Comments from review communicated to authors.
13 December 2013	Final papers/presentations due for publication on ICA 2014 website.

VII. CONTACT

Please contact David Core of the ICA 2014 Secretariat with any questions, and your enquiry will be directed to the appropriate evaluation committee or the Scientific Committee Chair.

Ph: +1 703-276-3100 ext. 729
Fax: +1 703-276-3108
dcore@casact.org