During three beautiful sunny days Barcelona hosted deans, department chairs, research directors and senior faculty from academic and industrial institutions in Europe and beyond united to participate in the 8th edition of the European Computer Science Summit. ECSS is annually organized by Informatics Europe and a member institution; this year the co-organizing partner was the Facultat d'Informatica de Barcelona at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. Close to 100 participants joined the Informatics Europe community contributing to a memorable event.

On November 19 around 50 participants gathered for two pre-summit workshops: Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors and Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics.

The traditional workshop for Deans and Department Chairs addressed this year the topic of Faculty Promotion Policies and Procedures, participants had the opportunity to share their experiences, learn about different systems of faculty promotion in many European countries, exchange best practices and build relationships among different European Informatics research and education institutions.

The main Summit run successfully on November 20 and 21 with the exciting keynote talks of Manfred Nagl, Kees van Hee, Farnam Jahanian, Danny Dolev, Diomidis Spinellis, Walter Gander and Natalia Juristo. Discussion panels, talks selected from submitted contributions and the Informatics Europe sessions and General Assembly complemented the program.

In the social events, lunches and the memorable guided visit to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and dinner in the amazing Oleum restaurant, hosted inside the musem, participants were able to taste the delicious culinary, appreciate the highlights of the art, and warm hospitality of Catalonia.

Overall the conference provided the participants with the unique opportunity to engage with their peers in extremely interesting discussions on topics of great relevance for the future development of the discipline. As remarked by many participants, this unique forum provided yearly by Informatics Europe is of great importance to strength the European Informatics community and contribute to the future development of the research and education in the field.

Below a few photos of the event by Cristina Pereira and Bertrand Meyer.

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• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors

• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors

• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors

• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors Lunch

• Carlo Ghezzi, Mehdi Jazayeri and Manuel Hermenegildo

• Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics

• Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics

• Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics

• Summit Opening, Carlo Ghezzi (IE President), Nuria Castell Ariño (ECSS 2012 Chair), Ana Isabel Pérez Neira (Vice-rector for Research UPC)

• ECSS 2012 Audience Discussion with Keynote Manfred Nagl

• Discussion Panel: What Makes a Good PhD in Informatics?

• Judith Bishop and Carlo Ghezzi

• Keynote Farnam Jahanian

• Keynote Danny Dolev

• Discussion with Danny Dolev and Farnam Jahanian

• Informatics Europe Initiatives Session

• Wlater Gander Keynote

• Fabrizio Gagliardi and Nuria Castell Ariño

• Keynote Natalia Juristo

• Discussion Panel: Experiments in Computer Science: Are Traditional Experimental Principles Enough?

• Award Ceremony 2012 Informatics Europe Curriculum Award

• Award Ceremony 2012 Informatics Europe Curriculum Award

• Jakob Bardram, Winner 2012 Informatics Europe Curriculum Award

• Stefan Kowaleswski, Winner 2012 Informatics Europe Curriculum Award

• Carlo Ghezzi, Nuria Castell Ariño and Manuel Hermenegildo

• Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

• View from Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

• Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

• Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

• Conference Dinner at the restaurant Oleum, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

• Conference Dinner at the restaurant Oleum, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

• Conference Dinner at the restaurant Oleum, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

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The workshop was successfully held in Barcelona on Nov 19, 2012!

Slides of the keynote talks are available at the bottom of this page with the program details.

The workshop will be coordinated by Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano, and chaired by Fabio A. Schreiber,  Francesco Bruschi, Jan Van Leeuwen and Letizia Tanca 

A trend has recently emerged toward making the experimental scientific method take center stage in computer science and engineering. Unfortunately, computer scientists do not seem to agree on how experimental methods are supposed to impact their theory and practice. This workshop is intended to give a home to interests in, and concerns about, the role and relevance of experimentation in informatics.

Among the questions that will be discussed are the following:

- Does it make sense to 'import' traditional experimental principles (such as comparison, reproducibility, repeatability, justification, explanation) from traditional scientific disciplines into computer science and engineering? On the one side, the application of these principles allows for a more rigorous approach to experiments within computer science and engineering; on the other side, these principles are valid for disciplines (such as physics and biology) that aim at understanding and explaining natural phenomena, whereas computer science and engineering realize artifacts.

- Computer science and engineering are composed of very heterogeneous subfields: is it possible to single out some common features characterizing "good experiments" across these subfields?

- What does it mean to make experiments in computer science and engineering? Is it possible to ask this question in general terms or does it need to be specifically declined for each subfield?

- Stimulating a deeper discussion on experiments in computer science and engineering can help promote a more scientific approach to the discipline: is this a possible way to look at the current debate on the relationship between computing and science?

Speakers (partial list):

• Carlos Andujar, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain
• K.M. (Kees) van Hee, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) - The Netherlands
• Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano - Italy
• Matti Tedre, Stockholm University, DSV - Sweden

Contributions on the theme of the workshop are encouraged. They will be evaluated and selected by the ECSS 2012 program committee on the basis of relevance to (and capacity of) the program. Selected papers will be scheduled for presentation as part of the workshop, or in the main conference on November 21.

All details on how to submit and deadlines can be found here.

------Workshop Program-Monday, November 19------

Workshop room will be in Building C6, Room 003 (see a map here)

14:00 – 14:30 Registration and workshop opening

14:30 – 15:00 Keynote

     "Competing Viewpoints on Experimentation in Computing" [Slides]

        Matti Tedre, Stockholm University, DSV

15:00 – 15:30 Keynote

     "Beyond Benchmarking: Statistically Sound Experimentation" [Slides]

       Kees van Hee, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

15:30 – 16:00 Keynote

         "Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics" [Slides]

       Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee Break (In Building B6, FIB, in front of Sala d'Actes)

16:30 – 17:00 Keynote

     "Role of user studies in Computer Graphics and Virtual Reality" [Slides]         

       Carlos Andujar, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

17:00 – 18:00 Submitted papers and Roundtable discussion

Chairs: Letizia Tanca, Politecnico di Milano, and Jan van Leeuwen, Universiteit Utrecht

Faculty Promotion Policies and Procedure: tenure, tenure track, or?

The workshop was successfully held in Barcelona on Nov 19, 2012!

Slides of the keynote talks are available at the bottom of this page with the program details.

Workshop chair: Prof. Mehdi Jazayeri, Faculty of Informatics, University of Lugano

Technical and societal changes are all around us and universities in Europe are undergoing fundamental changes. Department chairs at informatics groups face ever-increasing challenges. The goal of the workshop is to provide a networking opportunity for department chairs, old and new, to share experiences, common challenges, and best practices. It provides a forum for strengthening your leadership and management competencies by exchanging best practices and by building relationships among department heads at European Informatics research institutions. This year's meeting focuses on an issue that is changing across Europe: faculty promotions. The US tenure-track system is well-known and almost treated as a standard. But there are many systems used across Europe and they are undergoing major changes.

The workshop will be a mixture of discussions/knowledge sharing in smaller groups. Please bring the issues you are facing and approaches you have found to work. The workshop focuses on current procedures and practices for faculty promotion. Both new and experienced department heads are invited for an exchange of best practices, new ideas and common challenges. Benefits for participants include:

• Learning best practices from heads of European Informatics departments and research labs
• Offering a networking platform for heads of European Informatics departments and research labs
• Inspiration for improving department processes

Speakers:

• Anthony Finkelstein, University College London, UK
• Mehdi Jazayeri, University of Lugano, Switzerland
• Axel van Lamsweerde, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
• Leszek Pacholski, Wroclaw University, Poland

------------ Workshop Program - Monday, November 19------------

Workshop room will be in Building B6, Sala d'Actes (see a map here)

10:00-10:30 Registration and workshop opening

10:30-11:30 Workshop Opening Presentation

          "Goals and Practices in Faculty Promotion" [Slides]

            Mehdi Jazayeri, University of Lugano

11:30-12:30 Keynote

         "Improving the Academic Promotion Process: an Experience Report" [Slides]

          Axel van Lamsweerde, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium

12:30-14:00  Lunch (at FIB Cafeteria, Building B6)

14:00-15:00  Keynote

         "Inside Promotions Committee"

          Anthony Finkelstein, University College London, UK

15:00-16:00  Keynote

          "Promotion in a Non-Competitive Environment" [Slides]

            Leszek Pacholski, Wroclaw University, Poland

16:00-16:30 Coffee Break

16:30 Discussion

18:00 Workshop Closing

The ECSS 2012 will be held at the Facultat d'Informatica de Barcelona (FIB), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC) located at the "Campus Nord", Carrer de Jordi Girona, 1, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.

Below you can see a map of the campus. The main reception and registration desk will be in Building B6, where FIB is located, Sala de Reunions 1st floor.

The main conference room (Nov. 20-21) will in the Vertex building, Sala d'Actes

A printable version of the map with further details can be dowloaded here.

How to reach the Campus Nord by public transportation

Here are basic directions to reach the Campus.

From train station Estació de Sants:

Take subway line 3 (green line) http://www.tmb.cat/ca/detall-linia-metro/-/linia/L3 direction Zona Universitària, and the station is Palau Reial.

From El Prat Airport (about 12 Km far from the city center):

Barcelona-El Prat Airport is located south-west of the city of Barcelona, and has 2 terminals, T1 and T2. The buses are called Aerobus A1 (from T1) and Aerobus A2 (from T2); the AeroBus A2 has 3 stops at terminal T2 (T2A, T2B and T2C) and the AeroBus A1 one in terminal T1. You can buy the ticket on the bus, cash, for 5,65 €, return ticket 9,75 €, for return in a term for 9 days. In Barcelona, there is a first stop at Plaça d’Espanya, and a final stop at Plaça de Catalunya. If you wait at the bus stop, to stop you should make a visual signal, arm or hand, otherwise it may take longer. The bus stop is outside, behind the taxi rank and it is indicated.

A taxi from the airport to the city center costs between 30 and 45 €.

You can also go to the city center by train. Sants Estació is closer to the Campus Nord.; from there you can take the subway

Using subway

Line 3 (green line) http://www.tmb.cat/ca/detall-linia-metro/-/linia/L3 direction Zona Universitària, and the station is Palau Reial.

Below we provide a list, and respective contacts, of a number of hotels recommended by the International Relations Office of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.

To benefit of the discounted prices negotiated with the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, make your reservation using the forms at the at the UPC's International Relations Office website.

Hotels Close to the Conference Venue:

ABBA GARDEN * * * *

Tel: +34 93 363 2330   Website: http://www.abbagardenhotel.com

AC VICTORIA SUITES****

Tel: +34 93 206 9900       Website: http://www.victoriabcn.com/

CATALONIA RIGOLETTO****

Tel: +34 93 236 0000       Website: 

http://www.hoteles-catalonia.com/es/nuestros_hoteles/europa/espanya/catalunya/barcelona/hotel_catalonia_rigoletto/index.jsp

HUSA ARENAS****

Tel: +34 93 280 0303       Website: http://www.hotelhusaarenas.com/

MADANIS****

Tel: +34 93 447 0006     Website:  http://www.hotelmadanis.com/

MADANIS LICEO

Tel: +34 93 447 0006       Website: http://www.hotelmadanis.com/

PRINCESA SOFÍA GRAN HOTEL*****

Tel: +34 93 508 1000     Website: http://princesasofia.concorde-hotels.com/en/?

MEDIUM PRISMA**

Tel: +34 93 439 42 07  Website: https://www.mediumhoteles.com/es/espana/barcelona/sants/hotel-medium-prisma

Hotels In the City Center

CATALONIA BCN PLAZA****

Tel: +34 93 236 0000      Website:  http://www.hoteles-catalonia.com

CATALONIA PORT***

Tel: +34 93 236 0000      Website:  http://www.hoteles-catalonia.com

CONDES DE BARCELONA

Tel: +34 93 445 3222       Website: http://www.condesdebarcelona.com/

MARKET***

Tel: +34 93 325 1205     Website:   http://www.forkandpillow.com/es/hoteles/hotel-market/

You can find all the information about hotels at the UPC's  International Relations Office web.

The ECSS 2012 will be held at the Facultat d'Informatica de Barcelona (Barcelona School of Informatics), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC) located at the "Campus Nord", Carrer de Jordi Girona, 1, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.

The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech (UPC) is a public institution dedicated to higher education and research, specialised in the fields of engineering, architecture and science.

In a highly creative context, the UPC's research, teaching and management projects are based on the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, solidarity, cooperation, sustainability, efficiency, transparency and social responsibility. They also reflect the University's commitment to the environment and to change.

The activity that goes on at UPC campuses and schools has made the University a benchmark institution. The University harnesses the potential of basic and applied research, and transfers technology and knowledge to society. These actions make the UPC—in partnership with industry—an agent and driver of economic and social change. The University puts its scientific and technological infrastructure at the service of research groups and centres, researchers and students, professionals, companies and institutions.

The conference sessions and the workshops will be held in different rooms of the Campus Nord. See details below or download a map with further details here.

• Registration desk will be in Building B6, 1st floor, Sala de Reunions
• Main conference (Nov. 20-21) will be in Vertex Building, Sala d'Actes
• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors (Nov 19, 10h-18h) will be in Building B6, 1st floor, Sala d'Actes
• Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics (Nov 19, 14h-18h) will be in Building C6, Room 003 (C6003)

Conference Chairs

• Carlo Ghezzi, Politecnico di Milano, President of Informatics Europe
• Núria Castell Ariño, FIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech

Program Chair

• Manuel Hermenegildo,  IMDEA Software Institute and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Pre-Summit Workshops Chairs

• Mehdi Jazayeri, University of Lugano
• Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano
  

Program Committee

• Frédéric Benhamou, Université de Nantes
• Georg Gottlob, University of Oxford
• Marh Harris, Innovaventures
• Lynda Hardman, CWI
• Hans-Ulrich Heiss, TU Berlin
• Bertrand Meyer, ETH Zurich
• Manfred Nagl, RWTH Aachen University
• Enrico Nardelli, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata" and GRIN
• Leszek Pacholski, University of Wroclaw
• Antoine Petit, INRIA
• Heikki Saikkonen, Aalto University

Organizational Committee

• Cristina Pereira, Informatics Europe
• Christine Brenot Rency, FIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech
• Josep Fernández Ruzafa,  FIB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech
• Cristina Gómez Seoane, ESSI Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech
• Beatriz Otero Calviño,  AC Departament, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech

 

Deadline Paper Submissions: September 1, 2012

Notifications of Acceptance: September 20, 2012

Deadline Early Registrations: September 25, 2012

Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors: November 19, 2012

Workshop on Experiments in Informatics: November 19, 2012

ECSS 2012 Main Conference: November 20 -21,  2012

The program of the ECSS 2012 consists of special invited talks, workshops, panels and other interactive sessions devoted to common issues, problems and proposals in the area of Informatics (Computer Science/Computing/ICT).

The conference was succesfully held in Barcelona.

The slides of the talks, kindly shared by the speakers,  are available below, just after the title of each talk.

Monday, November 19

(During the day) - Pre-Summit Workshops

• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors
• Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics

18:00- Welcome party

Tuesday, November 20

All talks and sessions will be in Sala d'Actes, building Vertex (see details here)

08:30-09:00   Registration

09:00-09:30   Welcome and introduction

• Carlo Ghezzi, Nuria Castell Ariño, Manuel Hermenegildo
• Ana Isabel Pérez Neira, Vice-rector for Research Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya

09:30-10:50   Keynotes

Session chair: Hans-Ulrich Heiss, TU Berlin

• 09:30-10:10 - Manfred Nagl, RWTH Aachen University

          "Doctoral Dissertations in Informatics in Europe - Some Facts and Figures" [Slides]

• 10:10-10:50 - K.M. (Kees) van Hee, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

         "Engineering Doctorates: the Bridge between Science and Industry" [Slides]

10:50-11:20   Coffee break

11:20-12:35   Discussion Panel "What Makes a Good PhD in Informatics?"

Moderator: Jan van Leeuwen, University of Utrecht

Panelists:

• Anindya Banerjee, IMDEA Software Institute
• Judith Bishop, Microsoft Research
• K.M. (Kees) van Hee, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
• Bertrand Meyer, ETH Zurich
• Manfred Nagl, RWTH Aachen University
• Fernando Orejas, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
• Esko Ukkonen, University of Helsinki

12:35-13:50   Lunch (Restaurant in Building B4)

13:50-15:10   Keynotes

 Session chair: Georg Gottlob, University of Oxford

• 13:50-14:30 - Farnam Jahanian, US National Science Foundation

          "Pillars of Societal Innovation: Research and Education in Computer Science and Informatics"

• 14:30-15:10 - Danny Dolev, European Research Council

           "The Promise in Computer Science Research Activities" [Slides]

15:10-15:30 - Discussion with both session speakers

15:30-16:30   Special Session Informatics Europe Initiatives

 Session Chair: Carlo Ghezzi, Informatics Europe President

• 15:30-15:40 Informatics Europe - ACM Collaboration on Education Initiatives - Carlo Ghezzi

• 15:40-15:50 Key Data on Informatics Higher Education in Europe - Cristina Pereira

• 15:50-16:05 Working Group "Parallel Computing (Supercomputing) Education in Europe" - Vladimir Voevodin

• 16:05-16:15 Working Group "Women in Informatics Research and Education" - Lynda Hardman

• 16:15-16:25  EQANIE - Hans-Ulrich Heiss

• 16:25-16:45 Department Evaluation - Manfred Nagl

16:45-17:15   Coffee Break

17:15-18:15   Informatics Europe General Assembly

Session chairs: Carlo Ghezzi (President), Cristina Pereira (Secretary-General)

19:30-20:30   Visit to Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

20:30-22:30   Conference Dinner at the Restaurante Oleum  in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

Wednesday, November 21

All talks and sessions will be in Sala d'Actes, building Vertex (see details here)

08:30-08:45   Registration

08:45-10:05   Keynotes

Session Chair: Leszek Pacholski, University of Wroclaw

• 08:45-09:25 - Diomidis Spinellis, Athens University of Economics and Business

         "Theory Meets Reality: Managing IT Systems at the Greek Ministry of Finance" [Slides]

• 09:25-10:05 - Walter Gander , ETH Zurich and BU Hong Kong

          "Informatics in Schools? - Urgently Needed!"  [Slides]

10:05-10:30   Coffee Break

10:30-12:30   Submitted Contributions

Session Chair: Manuel Hermenegildo, IMDEA Software Institute and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

• 10:30-10:50 Maria Del Carmen Calatrava Moreno and Hannes Werthner, Vienna University of Technology

         "The Vienna PhD School of Informatics. Design, Implementation and Experiences" [Slides]

• 10:50-11:10 Andrey Terekhov, Saint-Petersburg State University

         "PhD education in Saint-Petersburg State University. Integration with Innovations" [Slides]

• 11:10-11:30 Ulrich Kuehne and Rolf Drechsler, University of Bremen

         "SyDe – a New Graduate School for System Design in an Excellent Setting" [Slides]

• 11:30-11:50 Ali Yazici, Atilim University and Paul Kontogiorgis, IBM

          "IT Service Management Research and Education: A Global View" [Slides]

• 11:50-12:10 Tarmo Uustalu, Tallinn University of Technology

          "Running a Centre of Excellence in Computing in a Small country: An Experience Report"

• 12:10-12:30 Zoltán Horváth and Zoltán Istenes, Eotvos Lorand University

          "Involving PhD students into Industry Initiated Software-Engineering Projects"  [Slides]

12:30-13:45   Lunch (Restaurant in Building B4)

13:45-14:25   Keynote

Session Chair: Lynda Hardman, CWI

• Natalia Juristo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

          "Applying the experimental paradigm to Software Engineering" [Slides]

14:25-15:45   Discussion Panel "Experiments in Computer Science: Are Traditional Experimental Principles Enough?"

Moderator: Fabio Schreiber, Politecnico di Milano [Slides]

Panelists:

• Francesco Bruschi, Politecnico di Milano [Slides]
• Natalia Juristo,Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
• Antoine Petit, INRIA [Slides]
• Matti Tedre, Stockholm University

15:45-16:15   Coffee Break

16:15-16:45   Award Ceremony "2012 Informatics Europe Curriculum Award"

Session chair: Carlo Ghezzi, Informatics Europe President

16:45-17:00   Closing Remarks

• Carlo Ghezzi, Nuria Castell, Manuel Hermenegildo

17:00-            Closing Informal Discussions

On Monday November 19, the day before the main Summit, two special workshops will be organized.

To see all details, content, speakers, program, please follow the respective links below or in the menu at the right.

• Workshop for Deans, Department Chairs and Research Directors (Nov 19, 10h-18h) - Location:  UPC, FIB, Building B6, Sala d'Actes

          Workshop chair: Mehdi Jazayeri, Faculty of Informatics, University of Lugano

• Workshop on the Role and Relevance of Experimentation in Informatics  (Nov 19, 14h-18h) - Location: UPC, Building C6, Room 003 (C6003)

          Workshop coordinator: Viola Schiaffonati, Politecnico di Milano

          Workshop Chairs: Francesco Bruschi, Fabio A. Schreiber, Letizia Tanca, Politecnico

          di Milano and Jan Van Leeuwen, University of Utrecht