Accelerating through Adversity

Frequently Asked Questions

What is INCOSE?

INCOSE is the International Council on Systems Engineering. Information about the history of the organization, its mission and objectives can be found on the website at www.incose.org.

What is the INCOSE symposium?

The INCOSE symposium has a rich history that dates back to 1991, and has continued uninterrupted every year to the present. The symposium continues to be the largest annual gathering of systems engineering professionals, educators and researchers.
Previous International Symposium

When and where is the symposium this year?

IS2021 will be completely virtual, July 17 – 22, 2021.

Is there a theme for IS2021?

INCOSE began to brand the International Symposium since 2010 under the specially designed INCOSE International Symposium logo. The IS2021 theme, which is highly relevant for the current pandemic situation, is: Accelerating through Adversity.

Which video conferencing tools will be used for the virtual symposium?

INCOSE will use a customized web-based environment for the Virtual IS2021 Symposium providing access to on demand and live sessions. Live sessions will be conducted using Zoom.

Who can attend the symposium?

The symposium is an open event and everyone who registers and pays their registration fees is welcome to attend. Attendance includes access to the technical sessions (presentations, chat with presenters, abstracts and electronic proceedings).

Virtual event registration costs rationale

Running virtual events with parallel streams is different from running virtual meetings. We are working hard to ensure that when you attend IS2021, it is clear that you are still at an event, not just another teleconference.
Part of the value of the IS is the value of the material presented in the technical program as well as the keynotes and panels – and the value of this content had not diminished, even though it is being presented virtually.
Similar technical organizations that have switched their events from live to virtual due to the current situation are offering discounts anywhere from 0%-50%. Many are around the 30% mark in comparison to their physical events. We worked hard to create a Virtual IS rate that is more than 40% below the early bird rates for the in-person IS.
There is a misconception that virtual events are free to run. While the costs associated with a virtual event are less than with an in-person event, there are still costs which must be covered.
The benefit of profit from events is that they are reinvested back into the current activities of INCOSE and future initiatives as required for a not-for profit organization. We could not offer our continuing service to our members without doing so. We invest in support to working groups, Standards, tools, web services, membership engagement, events, product development, sponsorship, and STEM programs, just to name a few of these items. Though INCOSE strives to make a small profit on its events, some events are more investments for a specific purpose. For the Virtual IS, the registration rates created were intended to take all of these factors into account.

How much does symposium registration cost?

Registration options for the symposium include a full registration, including six days of access to plenary and technical presentations, recordings and to online proceedings. Tutorials are available for sale when you register. INCOSE members receive a discount on their registration fees. For more information visit the registration fees webpage. Questions about registration should be directed to <ahref="mailto:registration@incose.org">registration@incose.org.</ahref="mailto:registration@incose.org">

When can I register?

Registration is open.

I am a presenter; do I have to pay to attend the symposium?

Unless special arrangements are stipulated, all presenters shall pay the required fees to attend the INCOSE IS. Failure to register before the specified deadline may result in removal of the paper or panel in the technical program.
A virtual event requires that our presenters make major adjustments. In particular, creating presentation recordings, attending dry run sessions, and being prepared to answer questions both live and asynchronously. Recognizing the increased load on presenters for a virtual event, INCOSE would like to thank our presenters with a special rate of $250 for the Virtual Symposium. Instructions on how to register using this rate will be emailed separately to presenters.

What does the numbering next to each presentation mean?

Each presentation is identified with sequence of 3 numbers. The first number is the session number (x), the second number is the track number (y), the third number is order of presentation in the session (z).
x = session number (3 sessions per day over 4 days numbered 1 to 9)
y = track number (5 tracks per day numbered 1 to 5)
z = order of presentation in the session