The Congress will consist of plenary and parallel sessions which are open to all areas of microsimulation including:

• Tax-transfer microsimulation models
• Dynamic microsimulation models
• Traffic, Transport and Land Use microsimulation modelling
• Spatial microsimulation
• Environmental microsimulation
• Pensions
• Health, disease and care provision microsimulation models
• Behavioural microsimulation
• Agent-based models/microsimulation
• Issues of microdata used in microsimulation models
• Microsimulation methodology, including uncertainty
• Micro-Macro linkage
• Microsimulation modelling platforms
• Microsimulation models as input for policy decisions and diffusion to the greater public or stakeholders

Papers will be:

• Applied (e.g. reporting results of model simulations)
• Theoretical (e.g. reporting innovative techniques and methodologies)
  and
• Descriptive (e.g. describing existing models, new models or the development of particular modules or applications)

We are delighted to announce that the keynotes speakers of the Congress will be:

• Theo Arentze (Eindhoven University of Technology)
• Olivier Bargain (Aix-Marseille School of Economics and IZA)
• Elsa Fornero (University of Turin, former Minister of Labor, Social Policies and Equal Opportunities in Italy)
• Luc Savard (University of Sherbrooke)

A panel of invited experts will also be organised with participants from the European Commission, including the Social Protection Committee, and from academia. The objective of this panel is to reflect on the importance of ensuring effective interactions between microsimulation modelers (providers) and policy makers at national and international levels (users) and to underline strengths and weaknesses of microsimulation models in the policy assessment process from the standpoint of policy makers.

During the Congress will also be organised a General Assembly of the IMA, aiming to present its first constitution for becoming a non-profit association, to renew the management board of the association and to discuss in face to face future plans for the development of microsimulation.

It is worth mentioning that the president of the IMA and the chief editor of the International Journal of Microsimulation will step down during the Congress. Candidacies for the two positions are therefore welcome.

The scientific committee of the Congress is composed, out of the IMA board members (Cathal O'Donoghue, André Decoster, Gijs Dekkers, Marcia Keegan, Jinjing Li, Philippe Liégeois), of Didier Blanchet, Conchita d'Ambrosio, Philippe Gerber, Francesco Figari, Lennart Flood, Nizamul Islam, François Legendre, Andreas Peichl, Sophie Pennec, Robert Tanton, Xavier Timbeau, Gerlinde Verbist and Raymond Wagener.

Patrick Bousch, Isabelle Bouvy, Gijs Dekkers, Karima Djaït, Claire Egan, Anne-Sophie Genevois, Sylvie Herschbach, Benoît Lanscotte, Begoña Levices, Philippe Liégeois and Carole Wiscour-Conter.