With the fourth DHN conference being prepared for 6-8 March 2019 in Copenhagen, the Board would like to invite DHN members and others interested in DH to submit proposals for hosting the 2020 and 2021 conferences.

The DHN conferences in Oslo 2016, Gothenburg 2017 and Helsinki 2018 were great successes and the forthcoming one in Copenhagen promises to be just as stimulating and enjoyable.

The proposed time for the 5th (2020) and the 6th (2021) annual DHN conferences to take place is the first half of March. We encourage proposals from the Nordic and the Baltic countries, particularly from those where the DHN conference has not yet been held. The duration of the conference is normally 2.5 days with additional days for pre-conference workshops.

The main criteria for proposing a location/institution to host the conference are:

1. A suitable and accessible location, including a venue with a lecture hall big enough to seat all conference participants for keynote talks and the Annual General Meeting (AGM), as well as meeting spaces and smaller rooms for individual sessions and workshops. As a rough guide: there were approximately 200 participants and 3–5 parallel sessions in the 2016 and 2017 conferences in Oslo and Gothenburg, whereas Helsinki 2018 had 300 participants. High-speed Internet access, AV equipment, adequate catering facilities and a variety of accommodation for conference delegates are other important requirements. It is recommended to have a “compact” venue due to the parallel sessions.
2. Possible sources of funding to cover the costs of organization: costs will typically include renting of conference venue, salary for part-time conference organizer and administration of registration. Costs may be kept down by using conference facilities at a university campus.
3. Sufficient human resources to form an organizing committee and run the conference: we recommend a programme committee with approximately 10 members and a separate local organizing committee of 5–10 persons. On the basis of experiences from previous conferences, one should allocate a minimum of 4 person-months for the practical organization of the conference and a number of student helpers during the conference.

The resources described above are typical for any conference.

In addition to the above, the following will be taken into account in the selection process (unprioritized order): 1) air and rail transport connections, 2) cost for delegates (travel, accommodation, fees, etc.), 3) reliability of partner institutions and 4) outreach opportunities for DHN.

DHN has no central funds available to cover the costs of organizing the conference. However, the DHN Board and the 2018 conference organizing committee will be on hand to advise as necessary on matters related to the organization of the conference. The conference theme and programme will be decided by the Programme Committee, which will be appointed by the Board in collaboration with the local organizers.

Proposals should include a rough budget and potential sources of funding, a description of the venue, and notes regarding the human resources available.

Proposals and inquiries should be sent to the chair of DHN, Christian-Emil Ore: c.e.s.ore@iln.uio.no. Deadline for proposals: November 15, 2018.