The Collaborative European Research Conference (CERC) is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary annual conference established in 2011 by a consortium of European university partners. Now in its 10th edition and hosted for the first time at Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Galway, Ireland, CERC has grown into a forum for interdisciplinary exchange, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and early-career scholars from across Europe and beyond.
In previous years, contributions came from computer science, biology, bioinformatics, business information systems, marketing, IT-security, civil engineering, education, psychology, multimedia, art, etc. Contributing students came from Ireland, Germany, United Kingdom, USA, Japan, Norway, France, Turkey, etc.
CERC 2026
Friday – Saturday, 16–17 October 2026
ATU Wellpark Road Campus, Galway, Ireland
The conference will be held in a hybrid format : in person in Galway and online.
The central theme of CERC 2026
The 2026 edition is themed »Digital Transformation and AI Across Disciplines«, reflecting one of the most significant structural shifts of our time. Artificial intelligence and digital transformation are reshaping every sector of society. The European Commission's Digital Decade 2030 policy programme (European Commission, 2023) sets ambitious targets for digital infrastructure in Europe, while the OECD's Artificial Intelligence in Society report (OECD, 2019) highlights both the transformative potential and the governance challenges AI presents across disciplines. UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (UNESCO, 2021) further underlines the urgent need for interdisciplinary, human-centred research that places people, values, and equity at the centre of technological change.
CERC 2026 invites researchers to engage critically, empirically, and creatively with these issues, whether your work addresses the technical dimensions of AI systems, their social and ethical implications, their application in creative practice, or the organisational transformations they drive. We are particularly committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment for early-stage researchers, PhD candidates and Master's by Research students. Contributions accepted for presentation in all categories are welcomed across seven thematic tracks, detailed below.
Conference Tracks
CERC 2026 welcomes submissions across seven thematic tracks, listed below alongside examples of research topics; however, this is not an exhaustive list. Contributions that span multiple tracks or address emerging cross-disciplinary topics are encouraged. Authors should select the track that best reflects the primary focus of their work.
Planned Tracks
1. Smart Mobility and Connected Systems
Smart transport, connected infrastructure, electric mobility, mobility planning, mobility policy.
2. AI in Health, Bioscience and Medical Technologies
Artificial intelligence in clinical decision-making, medical devices, bioinformatics, genomics, eHealth systems, precision medicine.
3. Robotics, Automation and Intelligent Systems
Industrial robotics, human-robot interaction, autonomous systems, AI/ML engineering, automation.
4. Cybersecurity, Privacy and Digital Trust
Cyber threats and resilience, data privacy, IT governance, GDPR compliance, ethics and trust in digital systems.
5. Business, Society and Digital Innovation
Digital transformation in business and public services, entrepreneurship, sustainable and circular business models, the digital-green transition, AI and societal change, innovation ecosystems.
6. Education, Digital Learning and AI
AI in teaching and learning, digital pedagogy, academic integrity in the age of AI, professional development.
7. Creative Practice in a Digital Age: Arts, Design and Culture
AI-generated and AI-assisted creative work, interactive media, cultural heritage and digitalisation, the digitalisation of creative industries.
