Providing a global platform for researchers, policy makers and industry professionals to share relevant knowledge and examples from practice associated with new forms of rural development.
FINAL SCHEDULE - COSVARD 2020
The FINAL schedule (as of 07 Dec 2020) is available here.
Inaugural Session:
Monday, 07 December 2020 at 9:00am (Indian Standard Time) or 2:30pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)
Webinar Registration
Webinar registration link is now available for all the participants to register for COSVARD 2020. Those who are presenting the papers or posters in the conference, the presenters access will be provided after the formal inaugural session is over. Please note that inaugural session is scheduled at 9:00am (EST) or 2:30pm (AEDT) on Monday, 07 Dec 2020.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Dec 7, 2020 2:30 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
9:00 AM (Indian Standard Time)
Topic: COSVARD 2020
Please register via the link below:
https://unimelb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cGrhPt5aQ5qDOuehG7LGPQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
COVID-19 UPDATES (08 July 2020)
Given the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and taking into consideration of available options, the organising committee has agreed to host our COSVARD 2020 on a Webinar mode using Zoom digital platform. The committee is pleased to extend the deadlines for submitting full papers for COSVARD 2020 as shown below. All selected papers will undergo double peer review process as specified earlier.
Introduction
With over 40% of the world’s population now living in rural areas, there is global interest in research associated with the creation of “Smart Villages” to address the ever growing urban-rural divide. Smart Village research being undertaken in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne is exploring rural community development, practices and relevant policies with a focus on community-centric planning of affordable housing, infrastructure, sustainable development and growth, community empowerment and other issues related to the creation of Smart Villages.
About the conference
This will be a peer-reviewed conference with a scientific committee comprising global leaders and experts. Papers will be subject to a double-blind review before acceptance. The proceedings of COSVARD 2020 will an ISBN publication published through the University of Melbourne. The proceedings will be catalogued at the Australian National Library as well as in both hardcopy and e-collections at the University of Melbourne library. A downloadable file of the proceedings will be available under the 'Publications' section of the Smart Villages Lab homepage for public access and wider disseminations.
Details
Conference dates
7-8 December 2020 (Webinar format only)
Time: 9:00am (Indian Standard Time)/ 2:30pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)
Schedule
The FINAL schedule (as of 04 Dec 2020) is available here.
Smart Villages Poster Competition
Will be run as part of the conference. Please click here for details on how to enter.
Conference Organiser
Smart Villages Lab (SVL)
The University of Melbourne
Local Organiser
Assam Engineering College, Jalukbari, Assam, India
Key Dates
All papers must submit through COMS.
- Full paper submission: 31st August 2020 (revised date)
- Full paper acceptance: 25th September 2020 (revised date)
- Camera ready paper: 5th November 2020
- Registration on or before: 30th Sept 2020
- Conference date: 7th & 8th December 2020
Keynote speakers
1. Prof Satyanarayana, Director, IIT Tirupati, India
2. Prof Koshy Varghese, IIT Madras, India
3. Prof Mark Burry, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
4. Prof VK Vijay, Director (Unnat Bharat Abhiyan), IIT Delhi, India
5. Prof KC Iyer, IIT Delhi, India
6. Prof Atul Bora, Director (Technical Education), Assam, India
Chief Guests
Honourable Chief Minister of Assam and Honourable Finance Minister of Assam (TBA)
Registration fee (presenters)
- Early Bird Discount (until 30th September 2020): $150 (Revised)
- Full Price (from 1st October 2020): $200 (Revised)
- Student Price: $75 (student cards will be checked upon arrival and this would be strictly enforced)
- Local Student Price: $75 (Local students in India only)
Location
Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara, Guwahati
Webinar (link to be made available soon)
Contacts
- Dr Hemanta Doloi (Chair)
- Dr Atul Bora (Co-chair)
Scientific committee
- Professor Craig Langston, Bond University, Australia
- Professor Mark Burry, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
- Professor Anthony Mills, Deakin University, Australia
- Professor Bishwajit Bhattacharjee, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
- Dr Yoshiki Higuchi, Nippon Institute of Technology, Japan
- Dr Siddhartha Singha, Indian Institute of Technology,Guwahati, India
- Professor Shaila Bantanur, BMS School of Architecture, Bangalore, India
- A/Professor Masa Noguchi, The University of Melbourne, Australia
- Assistant Professor Sajal Chowdhury, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh
- Dr James Helal, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Professor Anu Gokhale, Illinois State University, U.S.
- Professor Reeta Sarmah, Jorhat Engineering College, India
- Dr Benny Raphael, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
- Professor K.C. Iyer, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
- Dr Dominique Hes, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Dr Peter Raisbeck, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Professor Koshy Varghese, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
- A/ Professor Arup Bhattachajee, Jorhat Engineering College, Assam, India
- Dr Mehdi Amirkhani, University of Melbourne, Australia
- A/Professor Manjuri Hazarika, Assam Engineering College, India
- Geoff Kimm, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
- Dr Citra Ongkowijoyo, Deakin University, Australia
- A/ Professor Boeing Singh, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India
- A/ Professor Nithyadharan Mokkaiyan, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, India
- Dr Salman Shoostarian, RMIT University, Australia
- A/ Professor Essam Almahmoud, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia
- Dr Mohammad Arif Rohman, Sepulah Nopember Institute of Technology, Indonesia
- Velyne Katharpi, University of Melbourne, Australia
- A/Prof Sean Jin, Western Sydney University, Australia
- Dr Sasanka Borah, Assam Engineering College, India
- Professor Bipul Talukdar, Assam Engineering College, India
- Dr Medalson Ronghang, Bineswar Brahma Engineering College, India
- Dr Kiran Shinde, La Trobe University, Australia
- Dr Hannah Robertson, The University of Melbourne
- Dr Alessandro Liuti, The University of Melbourne
- Dr Rakhee Das, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
- Dr Sally Donovan, Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne
- Dr Arif Rohman, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Indonesia
- Dr Mahesh B., IIT Madras, Chennai, India
Themes
Conference themes include, but are not limited to:
- Rural Housing
Housing affordability, low-cost housing, materials selection, energy and water solutions, sanitation, reusability and recycling of waste, skill development, environmental design, disaster resilience and other relevant topics. - Rural Infrastructure
Construction and maintenance of roads and other forms of infrastructure, access to education and health care, provision of services, including energy, potable water, waste and sewage management, creation of public spaces, ICT applications and operations, and other related topics. - Rural Economy
Building social capital, micro and community-led finance, income generation, farming support, crop selection and improvement, market access, pricing, various forms of tourism and other related topics. - Sustainability
Environmental, Social, and Economic sustainability. - Smart Governance
ICT and data-driven solutions, machine learning applications, alternative forms of governance and other relevant topics.
Location
COSVARD 2020 will again be held in the city of Guwahati, in the North-Eastern Indian state of Assam. Guwahati is the capital of Assam and contains the famous “Kamakhya Temple”, as well as the world’s smallest habitable island “Umananda” and many sites of archaeological significance.

Assam is located in the Himalayan Valley, and has an abundance of pristine natural beauty. It is also the gateway to the seven sister states of North-East India and neighbouring countries. It is home to an incredible variety of wildlife, including the single-horned rhinoceros, as well as a very high concentration of Bengal Tigers.
It is also where Majuli Island, the world’s largest river island, is located within the mighty Brahmaputra River. Assam is famous for its tea plantations and silk. Assam’s emerging economy, and rapid modernisation is attracting not only people from other parts of India but also visitors from around the world. For more information on things to do in Assam click here or here.

Accommodation
If you are looking for accommodation for your visit to the conference we recommend The Lily hotel or the Royal de Casa
Both venues are aware of the conference, and if you mention you are attending COSVARD 2019 they will offer a special rate.
If you are a student looking for discounted accommodation please contact the local organisers at Assam Engineering College Pradip Baishya or Sasanka Borah.