Guidelines for organisers of L H Gray Conferences and Workshops

The L H Gray Memorial Trust was set up in 1967 to honour the memory of Hal Gray, a distinguished British scientist who made important contributions to the application of radiation physics to biology and medicine. The Trust was created jointly by The British Institute of Radiology, The Association for Radiation Research, and The Hospital Physicists' Association. The principal purpose of the Trust is:

'... furthering for the benefit of the public the knowledge and understanding of all aspects and all applications of radiation and kindred sciences and to this end ... promoting research in and the exchange of knowledge concerning such sciences by the organisation of conferences ...'

L H Gray Conferences and Workshops have become established as prestigious meetings at which a high level of presentation and discussion take place. The Trust is willing to entertain proposals from any individual or group who have identified a topic suitable for a Conference or Workshop, and who are willing to comply with these guidelines:

1. The Trust is not simply a grant-giving body; it retains a close interest in the organisation of the meetings. Conferences/Workshops are organised by an ad hoc (local) committee that is approved by the Gray Trust. There should normally be one or more Trustees on the organising committee of each Conference/Workshop.

2. Conferences/Workshops are organised in the name of the L H Gray Memorial Trust. Conferences usually last 3-5 days; Workshops 1-3 days. They are expected to be financially self-supporting. The Trust will provide starting funds if necessary but it is the responsibility of the organisers to obtain sufficient income from participants and from other bodies to cover the full cost of the meeting. Any surplus should be returned to the Trust, which also is liable for any loss.

3. The Gray Trust will normally provide a grant of up to £2000 for a Conference/Workshop, which should be paid back to the Trust, if possible, on completion of all transactions relating to the conference.

4. Conference/Workshop organisers should normally take out comprehensive insurance against financial liabilites incurred in the organisation of the meeting. In view of the financial liability, the organisers are required to report to the Trust regularly during the planning and preparations for the conference. The financial situation of the meeting with predictive budgets should form part of the report.

5. Financial accounts must be kept in accordance with best practice and within the requirements of the Charities Act. Thus a separate bank account must be opened for the Conference/Workshop; all withdrawals must require two signatories; and all incoming receipts and outgoing payments (cheques, bank transfers) should be photocopied. Receipts should be given for all income received and copies retained. Cash transactions should be minimised. It is important that all letter headings and publications of Conferences organised in the UK should note the phrase 'Registered Charity no. 252928' as well as 'L H Gray Memorial trust'. Accounts must be kept for six years after the Conference and must be available to the Secretary/Treasurer of the Trust on request.

6. The proceedings of Conferences will usually be published. The form of publication must be agreed between the organisers and the Trust. The Trust favours publication as a special issue of a refereed scientific journal. The words 'XXth L H Gray Conference' should appear on the cover of any such publication. Any royalties that derive from publication should be included as income in the accounts of the Conference, or delayed income should come to the Trust. A report of a Workshop must be provided to the Trust; publication of a short meeting report is encouraged.

7. Workshops are run along the lines of L H Gray Conferences but for a smaller number of participants. The areas of scientific interest are the same as Conferences, as are the principal guidelines. The intention of Workshops is to facilitate close interaction among a small group of investigators on a rather narrow area of scientific discussion. The main features of L H Gray Workshops are:

• The number of participants should be up to about 30.

• Participation will be by invitation of the organisers, but a representative of the Trust will expect to see and approve the list.

• The subject of the meeting should be topical and (for Conferences) of sufficiently wide interest to ensure an attendance of 50 or more, including recognised authorities. However, the number of participants (for Conferences) should not exceed about 150, in order to maintain a coherent and useful discussion.

• Adequate time for discussion should be included in the programme.

• Selection of participants and principal speakers should be made on scientific merit alone, and impartial as regards nationality, race, sex, or school of thought. Attendance at the meeting and the subject matter should be free from commercial influence.

• Opportunity should be provided for young investigators to participate, for instance by reducing the registration fee. Young investigators are envisaged generally as pre- or post- doctoral scientists under the age of about 33.

17 January 2017