PSU Policy Code	RS0003
Policy Title	Participation in Scientific Conferences Policy
Owner	The Research and Initiatives Center
Responsible Office / Department	President
Approved by	University Council
Original Adoption	2 February 2017
Recent Review	15 May 2024
Effective Date	15 May 2024

Policy Statement

Prince Sultan University faculty members and researchers may participate in scientific conferences in accordance with the following policy.

Background and Justification

Conference attendance is a vital component of academic life, contributing significantly to the personal and professional development of faculty members and researchers, the advancement of research, and the enhancement of teaching quality.

Scope and Purpose

Scope

Institution-wide

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for attending scientific conferences by faculty members.

Principles of the Policy

To ensure that participation in scientific conferences benefits both the individual attendees and their institutions, is conducted ethically, and contributes to the broader academic and scientific community.

Definitions

• Scientific Conference: A place where researchers and scientists from various countries are gathered to discuss and exchange ideas about the results of their scientific findings.
• Faculty Member: All faculty members of Prince Sultan University with Master’s and PhD degrees.
• Researcher: The appointed member for a research position.

Responsibilities and Implementation Strategies

• The Research and Innovation Center (RIC) is tasked with establishing, assessing, and regularly updating the policy for conference attendance.
• The faculty member or researcher must submit a request to the College Research Director (CRD), including all necessary forms, which are available on the Research and Innovation Center (RIC) website.
• Once the CRD receives the conference request, it processes it within the CRC and the college according to RIC Bylaws.
• Upon receipt of the conference request, the Research and Innovation Center (RIC) will review and verify the application. Once this process is complete, RIC will send its approval to the Vice-Rector's office within 48 hours.
• After the return from the conference, the faculty member or the researcher has to submit the Conference Attendance Report to share his experience about the conference attended.

Implementation Guidelines

• All faculty members, current and newly hired, are entitled to participate in a scientific conference related to their area of specialization.
• No participation requests shall be accepted during: the first two weeks (registration period), the last two weeks of the semester, or the final examination period.
• A faculty member may only participate in two scientific conferences each academic year.
• The subject of the scientific conference must be relevant to the specialization of the faculty member.
• The faculty member must have a scientific paper accepted for presentation and publication at the conference.
• There must be at least a three-month gap between two conferences for the same faculty member.
• The faculty member must state his affiliation with Prince Sultan University in the paper.
• The same paper cannot be used to request participation in more than one scientific conference, nor reused if presented previously.
• The request to participate must be submitted within a reasonable time before the conference.
• The participation request must include:
  • Completed “Request for Participating in Scientific Conferences” form with all required documents.
  • A form detailing class arrangements during absence, signed by the department chair.
  • A copy of the final draft of the paper to be presented.
  • A letter of acceptance from the conference’s scientific committee with publisher details.
  • Acceptance letters from co-authors (if applicable).
• The faculty member must submit a Conference Report to the department head within 30 days of return, with a copy to CRC.
• Once published, an original copy of the conference proceedings where the paper is published must be submitted to CRC.

Procedures for Handling Policy Violation

Any violation of this policy may be reported to the respective college of the faculty member or researcher, which will then forward the case to the Research and Initiative Center (RIC). Alternatively, it can be reported directly to the RIC. The RIC may then escalate the case to higher management for further action.

References

https://ric.psu.edu.sa/