Academic Partnership
| 1 YearTerm of the MoU, Renewable | ₹0Cost to Partner Institutions | 1Standard MoU for All Partners | OnlineNo Hosting Duties |
A Partnership Built on Equal Terms
The Research Centre for English Language and Literature (RCELL) publishes The Criterion: An International Journal in English (since 2010) and Galaxy: International Multidisciplinary Research Journal (since 2012). Each year, RCELL organises the RCELL International Conference, its annual flagship academic conference, held entirely online.
Departments and institutions can join each edition as Academic Partners. Every partner signs the same standard Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and receives exactly the same recognition. No partner receives special terms, titles or forms of recognition.
Founding Academic Partners — 2027
The inaugural edition, RCELL International Conference 2027: Literature in the Age of AI — Posthumanism, Digital Humanities and Ecological Futures (13–14 February 2027, online), is organised by RCELL in academic partnership with:
Sahrdaya College of Advanced Studies (Autonomous)
PG Department of English · Kodakara, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University
Department of English · Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India
Partners are listed in alphabetical order. Full details of the 2027 edition are on the conference website: conference2027.rcell.co.in.
How the Partnership Works
The partnership is non-exclusive. RCELL may partner with other institutions, and partners remain free to work with other academic or research bodies. Either party may end the MoU with ninety days’ written notice; an edition already substantially under way is completed.
What Every Partner Receives
Each of the following is extended equally to every partner institution of a conference edition.
- Academic Partner listing — equal listing on the conference website, programme and promotional material, in a single partner credit line, with logos of uniform size in alphabetical order.
- Institutional Convener — the partner nominates one senior faculty member, normally its Head, to serve as “Institutional Convener – [Partner Name]”, coordinating the partner’s participation.
- Co-signed certificates — every participation certificate is co-signed by the Chief Convener and by the Institutional Convener of each partner institution.
- Patron and Patron’s greeting — the partner may nominate one Patron from its institutional leadership, such as its Vice-Chancellor, Rector, Dean or Principal, with that person’s written consent. Patrons are listed in a common Patrons section, and the Patron is invited to offer a greeting at the inaugural session.
- Conference Associates — faculty members and students who support the conference from the partner institution are listed as Conference Associates and receive a Certificate of Appreciation.
- Collaboration letter — after each edition, RCELL issues a formal letter recording the partner’s role, including sessions chaired, participation from the institution and certificate co-signature.
- IQAC and NAAC record pack — every partner receives the same post-conference record pack to support its IQAC documentation and NAAC and other institutional assessments.
The Partner’s Role
Each partner institution agrees to:
- Circulate the Call for Papers and promote each edition within the institution and its wider academic network
- Encourage faculty and student participation as presenters and attendees
- Nominate an Institutional Convener and a Faculty Coordinator (who may be the same person) as its point of contact with RCELL
- Make faculty available, where possible, to chair and moderate paper presentation sessions allocated by RCELL
What RCELL provides: RCELL bears all costs of organising each edition, including the online platform, conference website, registration, keynote arrangements and certificates. It gives partners reasonable advance notice of dates, thematic streams and opportunities for participation. No financial, infrastructural or logistical contribution is required from any partner at any stage.
Principles That Apply to Every Partnership
- One conference identity. The conference is always titled “RCELL International Conference [Year]”. It is not renamed, shortened, prefixed or co-branded with the name of any partner institution.
- Overall academic authority. The Chief Convener, Dr. Madhuri Bite, Director, RCELL, holds overall authority over the programme, dates, structure, keynote speakers and review process.
- Streams open to all. No stream, theme or session is allotted to, or reserved for, any partner. Sessions and session chairs are allocated by RCELL according to academic expertise and the volume of submissions.
- Independent review. Abstract screening and peer review are carried out by an independent review committee of individually invited academics, not by partner institutions.
- Individual roles are personal. Faculty invited to serve on organising, review or advisory committees, or as session chairs, do so in their individual academic capacity, not as institutional roles in the governance of the conference.
- Accurate description. A partner may describe itself as an academic partner of the conference, but not as its organiser or owner. The conference name, website and materials remain the property of RCELL, and each party keeps ownership of its own name, logo and work.
Publication
Selected full papers presented at the conference may be invited for a special issue of The Criterion: An International Journal in English (ISSN 0976-8165), subject to the journal’s independent editorial assessment and peer review.
The Criterion is the sole publication pathway. No other journal, including any journal published by a partner institution, is named as a publication outlet of the conference. Conference presentation and partnership never guarantee publication, and publication is never purchased through registration.
Become an Academic Partner
RCELL now welcomes expressions of interest from departments and institutions that would like to partner with the RCELL International Conference 2028. Please email conference@rcell.co.in with:
- the name of the department and institution
- the name and designation of the Head of the department
- a contact person, with email and phone number
- a short note on the department’s areas of teaching and research
RCELL will reply with the standard MoU and the draft Annual Conference Annexure for review by your competent authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any fee or cost for partner institutions?
No. RCELL bears all costs of organising and conducting each edition. Because the conference is fully online, no financial, infrastructural or logistical contribution is required from partners at any stage.
How long does the partnership last?
The MoU is valid for one year and may be renewed by mutual written consent. Each edition is recorded in a one-page Annual Conference Annexure.
Can our department have its own stream or session?
No. All thematic streams are open to all participants, and no stream, theme or session is reserved for any partner. Sessions and chairs are allocated by RCELL according to academic expertise and the number of submissions. Partner faculty are welcome to chair sessions allocated to them.
Can our institution’s journal publish the conference papers?
No. The Criterion: An International Journal in English is the sole publication pathway associated with the conference. No other journal, including one published by a partner institution, is named as a publication outlet.
Can the conference carry our institution’s name?
The conference title is always “RCELL International Conference [Year]” and is never co-branded. Your institution is listed as an Academic Partner, with its logo, in the common partner credit line, and you may describe yourselves as an academic partner of the conference.
Does partnership guarantee publication for our faculty or students?
No. Selected full papers may be invited for the special issue of The Criterion, but every paper goes through the journal’s independent editorial assessment and peer review. Presentation at the conference does not guarantee publication.
How many Patrons can a partner nominate?
Under the MoU, each partner may nominate one Patron from its institutional leadership, with that person’s written consent. Patrons are listed in a common Patrons section in a uniform format.
What will we receive for our IQAC and NAAC records?
After each edition, every partner receives a formal collaboration letter recording its role, together with the same post-conference record pack, to support IQAC documentation and institutional assessments.
Partner with the RCELL International Conference
For partnership enquiries, the standard MoU or questions about the 2028 edition, write to
conference@rcell.co.in