Call for Papers & Submission

The 10th Collaborative European Research Conference.

CERC 2026 : Digital Transformation and AI Across Disciplines

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Date of Conference

Friday – Saturday, 16–17 October 2026

Important Dates

Next Important Date :
Registration deadline : 5 October 2026

Submission deadline (extended)

10 June 2026
In response to multiple requests, we have extended the deadline to June 10, 2026.

Notification of decisions

24 July 2026
Due to delays in the review process, we are postponing the date on which authors will be notified to 24 July.

Final version deadline

10 September 2026

Final acceptance notification

15 September 2026

Registration deadline

5 October 2026

Conference at ATU Wellpark Road Campus, Galway, Ireland

16–17 October 2026

Venue

ATU Wellpark Road Campus, Galway, Ireland

For more information visit our »Venue Page«.

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.

Submission

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Submission Categories

Authors are invited to submit their contributions in one of three categories: full papers, extended abstracts or posters. All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review by members of the Conference Scientific Committee.

1. Full Paper

A Full Paper presents original, unpublished research with a clear research question, methodology, results, and discussion. Contributions may be empirical, theoretical or systematic reviews. Full Papers are eligible for the Best Paper Award and will be published in the CERC 2026 proceedings. All accepted submissions must be presented at the conference by at least one registered author to appear in the proceedings.

Size : maximum 10 pages / 4500 words, including references, tables and figures.
Presentation : 20-minute slot (15 min. presentation + 5 min. Q&A).

2. Extended Abstract

An extended abstract is suitable for work in progress, preliminary findings, practice-based innovations, or emerging research ideas not yet ready for a full paper. It provides a structured extended abstract of sufficient depth to enable peer review.

Size : maximum 2 pages / 1000 words, including references, tables and figures.
Presentation : 15-minute slot (10 min. presentation + 5 min. Q&A).

3. Poster

Posters are an interactive format suited to early-stage research, practice-based projects, industry case studies or work where visual communication is central. Accepted posters will be displayed throughout the conference, and authors will present informally during a dedicated Poster Session. Posters are eligible for the Best Poster Award.

Poster format : A1 portrait. Printing is the responsibility of the author/s.

Submission Notes

Language : English only.
Templates : Submission templates and formatting guidelines will be available soon. Manuscripts must not include author names, affiliations, or other identifying information. Author details are entered separately via the submission portal.
Submission portal : Submission is electronic, via the conference management system EasyChair : https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cerc2026

Submission via EasyChair

Please use the following link : https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cerc2026.

Template

To download the template for your paper, please use the following link : Word Template.

(We only accept submissions in PDF format that use this template.)

Help for Submission via EasyChair

If you need help submitting via EasyChair, please use our »Help Page«.

Publication

Full Papers, Extended Abstracts and Posters accepted and presented at CERC 2026 will be published in the CERC 2026 Conference Proceedings and will be available on the CERC website.

Authors of accepted high-quality full papers will be invited to submit to a peer-reviewed proceedings volume, indexed in major academic databases. These selected manuscripts will undergo additional review and editing before publication.

Registration Fees

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Conference Tracks

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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. Business, Society and Digital Innovation

Digital transformation in business and public services, sustainable and circular business models, the digital-green transition, environmental costs and challenges of AI maintenance, AI and societal change, surveillance capitalism, algorithmic bias and discrimination.

2. Education, Digital Learning and AI

AI in teaching and learning, digital pedagogy, academic integrity in the age of AI, erosion of critical thinking, inequitable access to digital learning.

3. Cybersecurity, Privacy and Digital Trust

Cyber threats and resilience, data privacy, IT governance, GDPR compliance, cybergames, ethics and trust in digital systems, surveillance and loss of autonomy.

4. Robotics, Automation and Intelligent Systems

Industrial robotics, human-robot interaction, autonomous systems, AI/ML engineering, workforce automation and job displacement.

5. AI in Health, Bioscience and Medical Technologies

Artificial intelligence in clinical decision-making, bioinformatics, genomics, eHealth systems, precision medicine, privacy concerns in health data, ethical issues in genomic AI applications.

6. Smart Mobility and Connected Systems

Smart transport, connected infrastructure, electric mobility, mobility planning, mobility policy, environmental footprint of smart infrastructure, hacking and safety concerns.

7. Creative Practice in a Digital Age: Arts, Design and Culture

AI-generated and AI-assisted creative work, interactive media, cultural heritage and digitalisation, copyright conflicts, cultural homogenisation, ethical concerns in deepfakes and generative media.

Programme Committee

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Afli, Haithem – Munster Technological University, Ireland
Ambroze, Marcel – University of Plymouth, UK
Bleimann, Udo – Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Breitsameter, Sabine – Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Butterer, Nina – Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, Germany
Carthy, Una – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Chang, En-Chi – Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Cunningham, Stephen – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Curtin, Celine – Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland
Curtin, Phil – Munster Technological University, Ireland
Dimache, Aurora – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Dogu, Simone – DB AG, Germany and University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany and University of Plymouth, UK
Eckart, Jochen – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Fassbender, Stefanie – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Fischer-Hellmann, Klaus-Peter – Digamma GmbH, Mühltal, Germany
Furnell, Steven – University of Nottingham, UK
Gliga, Gabriela – Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland
Gorman, Geraldine – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Gruber, Melissa – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Henning, Peter – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Howe, Rita – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Humm, Bernhard – Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Kankanam Gamage, Chethaka – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Kelly, Mark – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Kenny, Tomas – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Keogh, Sinead – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Lange, Luisa – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Li, Fudong – Bournemouth University, UK
Loew, Robert – Centre for Applied Informatics z.a.i. Darmstadt and Berufsbildungswerk Südhessen gGmbH, Germany
Lohan, Garry – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Lorenzon Carrer, Filippo – University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Italia
Lothary, Sebastian – University of Hagen, Germany
Malik, Maria – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Malone, Fiona – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Massoth, Michael – Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Mato Diaz, Francisco Javier – University of Oviedo, Spain
McGinn, Janine – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
McMorrow, Eva – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Memon, Saad – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Montgomery, Therese – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
O'Connell, Trish – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Onofrei, George – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Quigley, Cormac – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Quintela-Pumares, Manuel – University of Oviedo, Spain
Riel, Jan – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Rodrigo, Dhanushi – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Scahill, John – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Schalles, Christian – DHBW Mosbach, Germany
Stengel, Ingo – Hochschule Karlsruhe, University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Stoess, Jan – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Sweetman, Roger – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Syed, Muslim Jameel – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Tamla, Philippe – University of Hagen, Germany
Tobin, Patrick – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Travers, Claire – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Vega, Amaya – Atlantic Technological University, Ireland
Weigl, Klemens – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany
Weis, Christiane – University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe, Germany

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Contact

For all enquiries regarding submissions, registration, or sponsorship, please contact the conference team at info@cerc-conf.eu.

CERC

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