Welcome

Dear Colleagues,

The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) and Academia Sinica invite you to join us in Taipei, Taiwan during the week of 17 September 2007 for the Second International Barcode of Life Conference. It has now been more than two years since the first conference was held in London and the Barcode of Life Initiative has gained great momentum since that time. There are now more than 200,000 DNA barcode records representing about 25,000 species and data are accumulating at an accelerating pace. Please join us at Academia Sinica in September to learn the latest developments.

This Second Conference Announcement will provide you with an overview of the week of events, the program of invited speakers, and the Call for Abstracts. The official conference website will provide you with the up-to-date information on all the conference logistics as the conference approaches. Please visit the website to see the most up-to-date agenda, register for the conference, submit an abstract, request a hotel room, learn about the cultural program, and get information for travelers.

The conference itself will take place on Tuesday to Thursday, 18-20 September 2007, and the preliminary program is presented on the next page. Please consider joining us for the following pre- and post-conference events:

• Sunday, 16 September: Excursion to Taichung to visit the National Museum of Natural Science and the National Plant Genetic Resource Center; Excursion to National Palace Museum & Yangmingshan National Park
• Monday, 17 September: Short-course on Lab and Data Protocols for Barcoding; Fish Barcode of Life (FISH-BOL) meeting with representatives of Fisheries Management Agencies
• Friday, 21 September: Regional Barcode meeting for South, East and Southeast Asia; Marine Barcode of Life meeting; CBOL Plant Working Group meeting

 We look forward to seeing you all in Taipei in September!

David E. Schindel                                          Kwang-Tsao Shao,                                         Scott E. Miller

CBOL Executive Secretary                             Conference Chairman                                    CBOL Chairman

Call for Abstracts

Due to a high volume of abstract and travel bursary submissions, submitters will be notified of whether their abstract or bursary has been accepted by July 19th. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we read and review all of the submissions.

Participants are invited to submit abstracts to the Second International Barcode of Life Conference. All accepted submissions will be included in an Abstract Volume distributed at the conference. The authors of the accepted abstracts will be considered as potential contributors to the Conference Proceedings volume.  

Submitters will be asked to specify if the abstract is being submitted for presentation as a poster or in one of the following technical sessions.

Poster sessions. Participants are aslo encouraged to submit abstracts on aspects of DNA barcoding not included in technical sessions, including projects that are in the planning stage or early stage of implementation. Poster presentations will allow their authors to discuss their early-stage projects, get feedback on their ideas, and make valuable connections. The conference hall at Academia Sinica is surrounded by spacious hallways in which poster presentations will be on display throughout the conference. Poster presenters will have the chance to discuss their projects with the conference participants during all coffee/tea breaks and during lunch breaks. The organizers plan to accept 20-40 abstracts for poster presentations.

The abstracts will be evaluated by the Science Program Committee using the following criteria:

• Impact: Does the abstract present new data , methods, and or applications that explore the impact of DNA barcoding in taxonomy, other fields of research, and/or practical applications?
• Originality: Does the abstract broaden the scope and/or depth of DNA barcoding research and its application?
• Credibility: Do the data and/or methods presented in the abstract meet the highest standards of practice?

Submission and Deadlines: Abstracts must be submitted via our web-based submission form. Submitters will receive an automated confirmation message via email.

                                             1 July 2007: Deadline for submission of abstracts

                                            19 July 2007: Submitters will be informed of evaluation results

                                            15 July 2007: Deadline to reserve an exhibit booth

                                                              Final Conference Program posted on website

Program of Invited Speakers

 [NC] Not confirmed

                                                                TUESDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER

                                                                WEDNESDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER

                                                              THURSDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER

Side Events

SUNDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER

Excursion to Taichung. Conference participants are invited to take part in an all-day bus excursion to Taichung, a city approximately 2 hours south of Taipei. The program will include a visit to the National Museum of Natural Science for a tour of collections, laboratories and the public exhibit, and the national seedbank located at the National Plant Genetic Resources Center. A fee of $25 per person will be collected to cover the cost of transportation and lunch.

Excursion to cultural sites.  The National Palace Museum is considered one of the world’s five great museums. Accumulated over a thousand years, its collections include ceramics, porcelain, calligraphy and ritual bronzes. Hsiaoyukeng is at an elevation of 800m and contains a host of volcanic fumaroles, sulfur crystals, and hotsprings. A fee of $25 per person will be collected to cover cost of transportation and lunch.

For more information on the pre- and post- conference cultural programs please see the links on this page.

MONDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER

Travel Bursaries

Travel bursaries will be provided to select participants to offset the costs of attending the conference. The travel bursary package includes:

Requirements. Applicants must be from developing countries and have a demonstrated interest in  barcoding. Preference will be given to:

             a) Applicants who have submitted abstracts that have been accepted for oral or poster presentations

             b) Researchers and doctoral students with active involvement in barcoding projects

             c) Government officials with policy-making responsibilites in areas related to species identification

 Submission and Deadlines. Applications for travel bursaries can be made through our web-based submission form which can be found on the right column of this page. Applicants will receive an automated confirmation that their application has been received.

      1 July 2007:         Deadline for submission of travel bursaries

      15 July 2007:       Submitters will be informed of decision ; final agenda released

Visa Requirements

Residents of the following countries do not need a visa to enter Taiwan provided they have a passport that does not expire for at least 6 months after entry into Taiwan, a return ticket, and no criminal record:

         Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

         Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Repubic of Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco,

         Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., U.S.A.

Conference Fees

Conference fees will cover attendance to all scientific sessions, conference kit, three lunches during the conference, coffee breaks, transportation between hotels and the meeting venue, an evening welcome reception, and a closing banquet (reservation required). Space in the conference will be limited. Participants must register and pay the conference fee to ensure a place in the conference. Payment of the conference fee can only be made by credit card (see How to Register, below). The conference fee will be waived for all speakers and recipients of travel bursaries. Participants whose abstracts have been accepted must register by 1 July or their place on the program will be canceled.

Conference Fees:

Exchange rate: NT$34 to US$1 (as of April 17, 2007 and is subject to change)

* Participants registering as students must provide a letter from their head of department to support their application. Please complete the student identification form provided on this website and return it to the Conference Secretariat upon registration.

** Fee for accompanying persons covers three lunches, the evening Welcome Reception and Closing Banquet

How to Register

Online: Use the online Conference Registration System, accessible on this website.

By fax, e-mail or air mail: Print and complete the Conference Registration Form on this website and return it to the Conference Secretariat at :

                          2F, 316, Wen-chang Street, Taipei, 110, Taiwan; Fax: 886-2-8789-3602

                         Telephone: 886-2-8780-5688 ext. 136; E-mail: BOL2007@convention.com.tw

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Any cancellation or change must be received and confirmed by the Conference Secretariat in official written notice via letter, fax, or e-mail. The refunds will be processed one month after the conference, less the applicable taxes and bank handling charges.

Deadlines for refund:

Date received                          By August 15, 2007                  After August 15, 2007

                                                Refunds 70%                          NO REFUND

Name Badges

Your name badges are coded to indicate your category of participation and also to provide information to the Secretariat. Name badges serve as authorization for entry to all sessions of the event including meeting, functions and excursions.

Location and Shuttle Information

The conference venue, the Research Centre for Humanities & Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, is located at 128, Academia Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei. Shuttle service will be provided between the conference venue and the hotels listed below. The timetable of the shuttles will be posted on the conference website and at the hotels, and will be included in the conference packets distributed at the registration table.

Accommodations

With your comfort and convenience in mind, special accommodation rates have been negotiated with four congress hotels. The conference organizers have reserved blocks of hotel rooms that offer participants a range of prices. Preference for rooms at the Academia Sinica Activities Center (AAC) will be given to participants with more limited budgets (i.e., students and participants from developing countries).

How to reserve a room:

Online: Use the online Registration & Hotel Reservation Request System, accessible on this website.

By fax, e-mail or air mail: Please print and complete the Hotel Reservation Request Form and return it to the Conference Secretariat at

2F, 316, Wen-chang Street, Taipei, 110, Taiwan