Around 120 deans, department heads, research directors and senior academics from 26 countries met in Gothenburg (Sweden), October 8-10 for the 14th edition of the European Computer Science Summit. With this year’s main theme ‘Informatics Transforms and Renews’, the summit was a platform of inspiring presentations and lively discussions dedicated to new opportunities and risks that Informatics transformation brings to our reality.  

The next Summit, ECSS 2019, will be held in Rome, Italy, October 28-30, hosted by the IRAFS at the Pontifical Lateran University. It will be again a unique opportunity to join your European peers to debate the future of our field and contribute to a stronger European Informatics community.

Save the dates on your calendar! ECSS 2019, 28-30 October.

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• Geraldine Fitzpatrick (Vienna University of Technology) explains how to lead leaders at Deans Workshop

• Small group discussions at Deans Workshop

• Sharing best practices with colleagues at Deans Workshop

• Round-table dialogues at Deans Workshop

• Michel Chaudron (University of Gothenburg) presents best practices in educating PhD students

• Small talks and networking at coffee breaks

• Enrico Nardelli (Informatics Europe President) opens the ECSS 2018

• John Shawe-Taylor (University College London)

• Hannu Toivonen (University of Helsinki)

• May Britt Thorseth (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

• Klaus Tochtermann (ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics)

• Giving out the 2018 Best Practices in Education Award

• Angelika Mader (Winner of 2018 Best Practices in Education Award) with Michael Kölling (Award Chair) and Enrico Nardelli (Informatics Europe President)

• Giving out the 2018 Minerva Informatics Equality Award

• Minerva Award Winners with Panagiota Fatourou (Award Chair), Beate List (Google) and Enrico Nardelli (Informatics Europe President)

• Winner of the ERCIM Cor Baayen Award and Jos Baeten (ERCIM President)

• Martina Lindorfer (Winner of the 2018 Cor Baayen Award)

• Panel on Informatics Education

• Georgi Dimitrov (European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture)

• Michael Caspersen (It-vest - networking universities) and Gianfranco Basti (Pontificia Università Lateranense) at Panel on Informatics Education

• Gianfranco Basti (Pontificia Università Lateranense)

• Hilde G. Corneliussen (Western Norway Research Institute) at Panel on Informatics Education

• James Larus (EPFL) gives recommendations on Machine-Learned Automated Decision Making

• Hélène Kirchner (INRIA) presents Informatics Research Evaluation Report

• Wendy Mackay (INRIA)

• Amy Loutfi (Örebro University)

• Ivica Crnkovic and Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic (Chalmers University of Technology), Letizia Jaccheri (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Mark Coeckelbergh (University of Vienna)

• Letizia Jaccheri, ECSS 2018 Program Chair (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

• Luca Cardelli (Oxford University)

• Per Delsing (Chalmers University of Technology)

• Pekka Orponen, ECSS 2018 Program Chair (Aalto University)

• Mark Coeckelbergh (University of Vienna)

• Ivica Crnkovic and Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic (Chalmers University of Technology)

• Claude Kirchner (INRIA), Damien Magoni (SIF) and Steve Kremer (INRIA)

• Ninni Carlsund (KTH), Björn Levin (SICS) and Zoltán Horváth (Eötvös Loránd University)

• Erika Abraham (RWTH Aachen University) and Susan Eisenbach (Imperial College London)

• Working Session 'Women in Informatics Research and Education'

• Meeting of National Informatics Associations

• Working Session 'The Wide Role of Informatics at Universities'

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Since 2015, ERCIM fall meetings are being collocated with European Computer Science Summit (ECSS) with the goal of fostering collaboration between the two organisations and strengthening the European Research and Education community. This year, the ERCIM meetings were held in Gothenburg 7-9 October and hosted by RISE-SICS.

More information about the event can be found on the ERCIM web-site.

Dear Colleagues,

The 14th European Computer Science Summit (ECSS 2018) will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, gathering the European Informatics community during October 8-10, 2018. It will be hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, joint between Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg.

The theme of the ECSS 2018 will be “Informatics Transforms and Renews”. Informatics has become a pervasive element of our reality that is transforming essentially all areas of science, technology and society, bringing with it new insights and new opportunities, yet also new risks and challenges. At the ECSS 2018, we are aiming to explore this continuing process of transformation and renewal set in motion by Informatics and discuss radical Informatics ideas that are emerging now and impacting the future.

ECSS 2018 will gather a selection of excellent speakers to address the opportunities and challenges that the Informatics transformation brings about; it will feature talks on selected “hot” topics, panel discussions and examples of successful stories.

To complete the program, the winners of the Best Practices in Education Award and of the Minerva Informatics Equality Award will be presented at a special Award Ceremony. This ceremony will be organized jointly with ERCIM and include their annual Cor Baayen Award, given to a promising young researcher in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.

For the day before the main summit starts, October 8, 2018, we have planned the traditional Pre-Summit Workshop for Deans and Department Heads, chaired this year by Erika Abraham, RWTH Aachen University, Gregor Engels, Paderborn University, and Mehdi Jazayeri, University of Lugano. The workshop is a forum for discussion and exchange of practical experiences and proven successful strategies on the main issues encountered when managing faculties, departments or research work.

Like its previous editions, ECSS 2018 promises to be an enriching and memorable experience, both personally and professionally, for all participants. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Gothenburg!

Conference Chairs

Program Chairs

Is your organisation considering becoming a member of Informatics Europe? Then this special offer in combination with ECSS 2018 may interest you:

When joining Informatics Europe, your ECSS registration fee will be discounted from the annual membership fee.

The offer includes the discount of one individual registration fee per institution (ECSS main conference and/or one Pre-Summit Workshop) up to the value of maximum one annual membership.

For details about membership, please visit our Membership page.
For further information about this offer, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Gothenburg, or Göteborg, is Scandinavia’s largest port and sometimes lovingly referred to as Sweden’s ‘second city’. Situated on Sweden's west coast at the outlet of the Göta river, it has a reputation of being a friendly place, even more welcoming than the Swedish capital. Birthplace of Volvo, home to Michelin-star restaurants, picturesque architecture, sophisticated bar culture, renowned galleries and art museums, Gothenburg blends a distinct feeling of Nordic charm with the pulse of modern urban life. 

Read more:

 Official Visitor Guide of Gothenburg

 You can also watch a video about Gothenburg on Youtube.

The ECSS 2018 and the Pre-Summit Workshop for Deans and Department Heads was held at:

The ECSS 2018 Welcome Reception (8 Oct, Monday, 18:30) was held at: 

Arriving to Gothenburg by air:

Gothenburg Landvetter Airport is conveniently located close to the center. ECSS visitors could take the airport bus from Landvetter Airport to "Nils Ericsson terminal" in the centre of Gothenburg. Then, take bus 16, destination Högsbohöjd, from the stop Nordstan, just outside the terminal, to stop Chalmers. From Drottningstorget, also just outside the central station, you can take tram 13, heading “Sahlgrenska”, to Chalmers. From Brunnsparken, approximately 500 meters from the central station there are additional tram lines that will take you to Chalmers. Please visit Västtrafik for details. 

Getting here by taxi: 

The taxi costs approximately SEK 420 (43 EUR) to/from Landvetter Airport. Ask for a fixed price. The driver should have a taxi ID card clearly displayed in the vehicle. Service is included in the taximeter price. Avoid unlicensed taxis.

We recommend:
Taxi Göteborg: +46 (0)31 650 00,
VIP Taxi: +46(0)31 27 16 11
Taxi Kurir: +46 (0)31 27 27 27

Arriving to Gothenburg by train:   

Exit the train at the central station/the Nils Ericsson terminal.  Take bus 16, destination Högsbohöjd, from the stop Nordstan, just outside the terminal. From Drottningstorget, also just outside the central station, you can take tram 13, heading "Sahlgrenska", to Chalmers. From Brunnsparken, approximately 500 meters from the central station there are additional tram lines that will take you to Chalmers. Please visit Västtrafik for details. 

Getting here by tram or by bus:

The following buses are operating Chalmers: 16, 55, 58, 158 and 753. In addition, the trams 6, 7, 8 10 and 13 are operating Chalmers.

Getting to Welcome Reception Venue:

The ECSS 2018 Welcome Reception will be held on Monday, 8 Oct, 18.30 at "Chalmersska huset" (also known as “The House of William Chalmers”). It’s a historical building located in the centre of Gothenburg where William Chalmers – founder of the Chalmers University of Technology – lived and hosted delightful dinners, meetings and deliberations 200 years ago. To get there from the Chalmers Conference Center, participants could take the bus 16 (destination Eketrägatan) to Domkyrkan (see details here). Bus tickets can be bought by credit card via APP Vasttrafik TO GO. A walk form the ECSS venue to "Chalmersska huset" takes around 30 minutes. 

Useful links: 

• Landvetter Airport
• Local public transport - Västtrafik

The local organizing committee recommends the following hotels close to the conference venue, see here a map for directions:

• Hotel Scandic Rubinen****
• Elite Park Avenue Hotel****

At a joint Award ceremony with ERCIM, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, three Awards will be presented during ECSS 2018:

To recognize initiatives that advance the quality of research and education in Informatics in Europe, Informatics Europe will present:

• The Best Practices in Education Award recognizing educational initiatives across Europe that improve the quality of Informatics teaching and the attractiveness of the discipline. This award was initiated in 2011.
• The Minerva Informatics Equality Award recognizing best practices in departments or faculties of European universities and research labs that encourage and support the careers of women in Informatics research and education. This award is first presented in 2016.

ERCIM will present

• The Cor Baayen Young Researcher Award to a promising young researcher in computer science and applied mathematics. The award was created in 1995 to honour the first ERCIM President.

All award winners will be invited to present their winning project.

After the closing of the ECSS 2018 main summit, the following working sessions were held in the afternoon of October, 10th. 

• Meeting of National Informatics Associations (Chalmers Conference Center, Ledningsrummet)

• Women in Informatics Research and Education (Chalmers Conference Center, Valdemar)

• The Wide Role of Informatics at Universities (Chalmers Conference Center, Catella)

The 14^th European Computer Science Summit – ECSS 2018 – is calling the participation of the community and in particular of:

• Heads (deans, chairs) of Academic Informatics /Computer Science /IT Departments (Schools, Faculties, Institutes);
• Research Directors and Managers of Research Centres, Institutes and Labs, both in public institutions and in industry;
• Faculty members and researchers from both academia and industry;
• Members of funding and governmental agencies at European, national regional and local level;
• Experts, advisors and thinkers of numerous key issues like ethics, the relation between Informatics and other sciences, the discipline’s future and its influence on the academic world and society.

ECSS 2018 will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, October 8-10, 2018 and will be hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, joint between Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg. The summit is co-chaired by Ivica Crnkovic and Gordana Dodig Crnkovic, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, and Enrico Nardelli, Informatics Europe President, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata". The Program Chairs are Letizia Jaccheri, Department of Computer Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Pekka Orponen, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University.

The Summit is devoted to important and timely strategic issues and trends regarding all aspects of Informatics, including research, education, entrepreneurship, funding, career development, management and policies.

The main theme of the 2018 Summit is: Informatics Transforms and Renews. 

Informatics has become a pervasive element of our reality that is transforming essentially all areas of science, technology and society, bringing with it new insights and new opportunities, yet also new risks and challenges. The ECSS 2018 aims to explore this continuing process of transformation and renewal set in motion by Informatics, and its future outlook, from three perspectives:

• Informatics transforms science and technology: What radical changes are being brought about by Informatics in other sciences, and even in the scientific process itself? How is Informatics transforming our fundamental technologies and industries, e.g. through digitalisation and artificial intelligence?
• Informatics transforms society and life: Is an open society ideal sustainable in a world of big data and social media? What is the effect of artificial intelligence on the future of work? The reciprocal relationship between art and Informatics. The technics and ethics of autonomous systems.
• Informatics in transformation: What are the radical Informatics ideas emerging now and impacting the future? How to maintain the momentum in Informatics research and education, especially in Europe?

Invited Speakers

ECSS 2018 will gather a selection of distinguished speakers to address the opportunities and challenges that the Informatics transformation brings about; it will feature talks on selected “hot” topics, panel discussions and examples of successful stories.

A list of speakers includes:

• Luca Cardelli, Microsoft Research and Oxford University
• Mark Coeckelbergh, University of Vienna
• Per Delsing, Chalmers University of Technology
• Georgi Dimitrov, European Commission, Directorate General Education and Culture
• Amy Loutfi, Örebro University
• Wendy Mackay, INRIA
• John Shawe-Taylor, University College London
• Klaus Tochtermann, ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics
• Hannu Toivonen, University of Helsinki.

 Follow the ECSS 2018 website and our Twitter with hashtag #ecss_2018 for up to date information.

Pre-Summit Workshop for Deans and Department Heads

Every year, jointly with the ECSS main Summit, Informatics Europe organises a special Workshop for Deans and Heads of Informatics Departments to address specific challenges they encounter in their role. The workshop is a unique networking forum for leaders of Informatics institutions, and focuses on concrete issues and practical solutions.

The theme of the 2018 Pre-Summit Workshop is Personal Development, with main focus on special skills and management training needed by deans and professors on the one hand; and PhD strategy and career training on the other hand. Visit the Pre-Summit Workshop Website for more information.