[TYPES/announce] FMBC 2021 - Call for Papers

[Bruno Bernardo]

[ Please distribute, apologies for multiple postings. ]

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3rd International Workshop on Formal Methods for Blockchains (FMBC) - First Call

https://fmbc.gitlab.io/2021

July 18 or 19 (TBA), 2021

Co-located with the 33nd International Conference on Computer-Aided Verification (CAV 2021)

http://i-cav.org/2021/


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IMPORTANT DATES
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Abstract submission: April 22, 2021
Full paper submission: April 29, 2021
Notification: June 10, 2021
Camera-ready: July 8, 2021
Workshop: July 18 or 19 (TBA), 2021

Deadlines are Anywhere on Earth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anywhere_on_Earth

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TOPICS OF INTEREST
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Blockchains are decentralized transactional ledgers that rely on
cryptographic hash functions for guaranteeing the integrity of the
stored data. Participants on the network reach agreement on what valid
transactions are through consensus algorithms.

Blockchains may also provide support for Smart Contracts. Smart
Contracts are scripts of an ad-hoc programming language that are
stored in the Blockchain and that run on the network. They can
interact with the ledger’s data and update its state. These scripts
can express the logic of possibly complex contracts between users of
the Blockchain. Thus, Smart Contracts can facilitate the economic
activity of Blockchain participants.

With the emergence and increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies such
as Bitcoin and Ethereum, it is now of utmost importance to have strong
guarantees of the behavior of Blockchain software.
These guarantees can be brought by using Formal Methods. Indeed,
Blockchain software encompasses many topics of computer science where
using Formal Methods techniques and tools are relevant: consensus
algorithms to ensure the liveness and the security of the data on the
chain, programming languages specifically designed to write Smart
Contracts, cryptographic protocols, such as zero-knowledge proofs,
used to ensure privacy, etc.

This workshop is a forum to identify theoretical and practical
approaches of formal methods for Blockchain technology. Topics
include, but are not limited to:
* Formal models of Blockchain applications or concepts
* Formal methods for consensus protocols
* Formal methods for Blockchain-specific cryptographic primitives or protocols
* Design and implementation of Smart Contract languages
* Verification of Smart Contracts

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SUBMISSION
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Submit original manuscripts (not published or considered elsewhere)
with a page limit of 12 pages for full papers and 6 pages for short
papers (excluding bibliography and short appendix of up to 5
additional pages).

Alternatively you may also submit an extended abstract of up to 3
pages (including bibliography) summarizing your ongoing work in the
area of formal methods and blockchain. Authors of selected
extended-abstracts are invited to give a short lightning talk.

Submission link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=fmbc2021

Authors are encouraged to use LaTeX and prepare their submissions
according to the instructions and styling guides for OASIcs provided
by Dagstuhl.

Instructions for authors: https://submission.dagstuhl.de/documentation/authors#oasics

At least one author of an accepted paper is expected to present the
paper at the workshop as a registered participant.

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PROCEEDINGS
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All submissions will be peer-reviewed by at least three members of the
program committee for quality and relevance. Accepted regular papers
(full and short papers) will be included in the workshop proceedings,
published as a volume of the OpenAccess Series in Informatics (OASIcs)
by Dagstuhl.

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INVITED SPEAKER
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To be confirmed

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PROGRAM COMMITTEE
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PC CO-CHAIRS
* Bruno Bernardo (Nomadic Labs, France) (bruno at nomadic-labs.com)
* Diego Marmsoler (University of Exeter, UK) (D.Marmsoler at exeter.ac.uk)

PC MEMBERS
To be confirmed