The [BC]2 Basel Computational Biology Conference 2023 will feature a day of tutorials & workshops on Monday 11 September 2023. [BC]2's tutorials and workshops provide an informal setting to learn about the latest bioinformatics methods, discuss technical issues, exchange research ideas, and share practical experiences on focused or emerging topics in bioinformatics.

Key dates

  • 15 November 2022 - Call opens
  • 15 January 2023 - Call closes
  • 1 February 2023 - Acceptance notification
  • 28 February 2023 - Programme outline due 
  • 15 March 2023 - Registrations open
  • 30 May 2023 -  Final and detailed schedule due (incl. name of presenters)
  • 11 September 2023  - Presentation at [BC]2

Call for tutorial proposals

The purpose of the tutorial programme is to provide participants with lectures or practical training covering topics relevant to the field of bioinformatics. It offers participants an opportunity to learn about new areas of bioinformatics research, to get an introduction to important concepts, or to develop advanced skills in areas they are already familiar with.

Previous tutorials have covered, for instance, “Working with next-generation sequencing data”, “Single-cell RNA-Seq analysis”, “Methods and applications for regulatory sequence analysis”, and “Reproducible research using Docker”. [BC]2 tutorials are scheduled on Monday 11 September 2023, from 9:00 to 16:00, with a lunch break and one coffee break. 

How to submit your proposal 

Proposals should not exceed 2 pages and must include:

  • A description of the tutorial (topic, content, relevance to conference attendees, motivation, expected goals, learning objectives)
  • Target audience, estimate of the audience size and possible prerequisites
  • An outline of the tutorial schedule/structure
  • A brief CV of the instructor(s) with relevant qualifications and teaching experience. A maximum of two presenters is recommended. Please note that presenters listed on the submitted proposal are expected to present the tutorial in person

Submit your proposal

Call for workshop proposals

Workshops aim to provide participants with an informal setting to discuss technical issues, exchange research ideas, and share practical experiences on some focused or emerging topics in bioinformatics. A workshop should provide an interesting perspective on the cutting edge of a research field. It may or may not cover a topic that is also addressed in the main conference. If it does, it should cover the topic more in-depth than the main conference does. Workshops may include any form of presentation, such as talks or panel discussions. 

Previous sessions have covered, for instance, “Gene Ontologies”, “Education in bioinformatics”, or “Logical modelling of biological regulatory networks”. Workshop organizer(s) will be fully responsible for the workshop’s scientific content and speakers selection/invitations (if applicable). [BC]2 workshops are organized on Monday 11 September 2023, from 9:00 to 16:00, with a lunch break and one coffee break.

How to submit your proposal

Proposals should not exceed 2 pages and should include :

  • The workshop description (content, relevance to conference attendees, motivation, learning objectives)
  • Target audience and estimate of the audience size 
  • An outline of the workshop organization/schedule and possible speakers.
  • Information regarding organizers
  • Specify the selection mode for contributions (invitation, call for submissions)
  • If relevant, reference to similar initiatives

Submit your proposal

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation committee will consider the following criteria in assessing proposals: 

  • Relevance to [BC]2 conference attendees
  • Topic (novelty and/or timeliness)
  • Format and interactivity potential
  • Expertise of the organizers/presenters/instructors*
  • Proposed organization

* Please note that attendees often consider in-person interactions with presenters as an important factor when choosing a particular session. It is consequently expected that the presenters listed on the submitted proposal will present in person.

Evaluation Committee

  • Patricia Palagi, Head of Training, SIB Training Group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland
  • Aiswarya Prasad, PhD candidate, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the Department of Fundamental Microbiology of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Tülay Karakulak, PhD candidate, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and Institute of Molecular Cancer Research of the University of Zurich, Switzerland

The [BC]2 tutorial and workshop session is coordinated by the SIB Training Group. For more information please contact bc2@sib.swiss.

Rules and responsibilities

On-site participation and presentation

  • All tutorials and workshops will take place onsite in Basel. To foster exchanges and interactivity during the sessions, participants, organizers and presenters must be present in-person
  • In limited cases, the evaluation committee can approve the virtual participation of a tutorial/workshop presenter if unable to travel or attend onsite. Please indicate the reason for virtual attendance when submitting

[BC]Registration fees  -  travel and accommodation costs

  • Each tutorial/workshop will receive up to two free conference registrations for organizers or speakers.
  • [BC]2 will not cover travel and accommodation costs from tutorial/workshop organizers or presenters (read below).

[BC]will be responsible for: 

  • Providing a meeting venue with necessary technical equipment and catering services during coffee breaks
  • Providing staff to help with the on-site/online organization
  • Announcing the detailed schedule of the tutorial/workshop on the conference website
  • Advertising on [BC]2 social media (based on material/info received from organizers). FYI, a social media banner template will be provided to organizers to ensure consistency with the visual identity of the conference
  • Update organizers, on a monthly basis, about the number or registered participants
  • [BC]2 and SIB Training Group reserve the right to cancel a scheduled tutorial/workshop if registration one month before the conference is less than 10 participants

Tutorial / workshop organizers will be responsible for:

  • Finding financial support for the organization of the tutorial/workshop. Tutorial/workshop organizers are highly encouraged to seek independent funding for travel and accommodation of their speakers / presenters.
  • Advertising the tutorial/workshop and distributing its call for papers/participation (if applicable). This includes promoting their event to relevant newsgroups and mailing lists, and especially to potential audiences from outside the core [BC]2 conference community.
  • Finalising the programme/detailed schedule (incl. name of speakers) and providing material by the specific conference deadlines (see key dates)
  • Compiling and distributing material to the participants (if applicable). Note that you will be able to upload material as pdf on the conference website upon request and that no photocopying of handouts will be managed by the conference.
  •  Leading the event at [BC]2.

Open and FAIR

Note that organizers are responsible for ensuring that the tutorial and workshop materials are legally used, and that appropriate copyright permissions have been arranged. Lecturers will guarantee that tutorial and workshop materials are as much as possible open and FAIR. They agree that their material may be made available in any form by the conference to [BC]2 conference participants.

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience while browsing our website and to extract visits’ statistics. By using SIB’s website, we assume that you agree to their use. Read our privacy policy