13th European Computer Science Summit

The European Computer Science Summit 2017 gathered over 110 deans, departments heads, research directors and senior academics from over twenty countries in Lisbon, Portugal.

See conference highlights and photos.
Download the slides of the various talks on the ECSS 2017 program page.

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Conference Program
Program of the Workshop for Deans and Department Heads
Keynote speakers and talks summaries

ECSS 2017 is the 13th Summit of Informatics Europe. It is the only place, once a year, where leaders and decision makers in Informatics research and education in Europe gather to debate strategic themes and trends related to research, education and policies in Informatics. It is a unique opportunity to meet leaders in the field and discuss critical issues of the discipline related to education, research, funding, entrepreneurship, management, career development, and policies.

ECSS conferences are organised by Informatics Europe in collaboration with a host institution, active member of the association. ECSS 2017 is hosted by the Department of Informatics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, in Lisbon, Portugal, 23-25 October, 2017. The Summit is co-chaired by Lynda Hardman - Informatics Europe President, and Luís Caires, Head of Department of Informatics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Program Chairs are José Luiz Fiadeiro, Department of Computer Science, Royal Holloway University of London and Markus Püschel, Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich.

The central topic of the 2017 Summit is "Informatics Connects"

The ongoing digital revolution and globalization is deeply affecting education and research in Informatics, as well as the role that the domain plays in society. On the one hand, Informatics is driving this digital revolution, creating a huge demand for specialized graduates and professionals. It is also contributing to developing innovative, fundamental approaches and tools for other disciplines: data-driven science, personalized medicine, manufacturing, architecture, finance and the creatives industries among others.

On the other hand, Informatics is a global discipline that remains largely unaffected by local or country-specific regulations. That is why education and talent-search know no boundaries, as we can see from the ever-increasing number of joint programmes, online courses (MOOCs) and the presence of major IT companies across all the globe.

A key challenge in education and university research for our discipline is to properly manage this increased “connectivity”.

Keynote Speakers

ECSS 2017 features keynote talks by prominent academics, researchers, industry leaders and policy makers, who will present their latest findings and debate the future of the field:

Kurt Mehlhorn, Max-Planck-Institut für Informatik, Germany
Michael Kölling, King's College London, UK
Wendy Hall, University of Southampton, UK
Pierre Dillenbourg, EPFL, Switzerland
Nuno Correia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Marie-Paule Cani, Ecole Polytechnique, France
João Claro, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
Roberto Di Cosmo, INRIA and Université Paris Diderot, France
Elham Kashefi, University of Edinburgh, UK

Pre-Summit Workshop

Pre-summit Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors
October 23, co-chaired by Mehdi Jazayeri, University of Lugano, and Hannes Werthner, Vienna University of Technology.

Audience

The ECSS audience includes anyone with a stake in the future of Information and Communication Science and Technology in Europe. Traditionally, many department heads, directors of both industrial and academic labs, and other decision makers make up a substantial share of ECSS participants. However, the scope of the conference is much broader and professionals from all levels and all sectors (academia, industry, government) would benefit from the discussions and critical debate on the future of the discipline.

Purpose of the European Computer Science Summit:

Debate the future of the discipline, its role and influence in both academy and society.
Expand the international network of deans, heads of departments, and research directors in Informatics.
Provide a forum for discussion and the exchange of solutions and best practices on common issues.
Examine ways in which deans, department heads, and research directors in Informatics can work together to improve teaching and research, implement the Bologna process, can influence the policies of their universities, governments and the EU, and take joint initiatives on many other issues.
Provide opportunities for liaisons with other groups pursuing relevant interests.

ECSS 2017 is organised by