Quo Vadis Informatics in Europe?

• Definition of the computer science discipline, what is part of it and
  what is not, what are the frontier areas with other disciplines,
  what are the differences between CS and other disciplines like
  engineering disciplines.
• Teaching CS : curricula guidelines, ACM, Bologna implementation, how to
  attract students, the development of international MSc programs,
  formation of Graduate Schools, etc.
• CS, Industry and Academics: What are the expectations on both sides,
  what are the relationships? Outreach in enterprises, Research
  collaboration.
• Research in CS: Strategic directions in Europe, What are the research
  methods of CS as regards theory, practice, empirical approaches ? What
  are the criteria for publication and research evaluation. What
  is the status of FP 7, national funding etc.
• EuroTICS: further establishment, executive board and defining committees.

`Quo Vadis Informatics: Are We Preparing Europe For
The Century of Information Technology'

The 21st century will see IT impacting on science, business and everyday life at a scale never achieved before. In all European countries, research and teaching in computer science and information technology at universities and institutions of higher learning are facing enormous challenges. The `European Computer Science Summit 2006' is the second, international meeting for all heads (chairs, deans, directors, etc) of Informatics departments, research institutes, and laboratories for IT in Europe. Its aim is to identify the current problems and trends in the European context, and to provide a forum for discussing them together. Industry involvement is integral to these discussions.

The `European Computer Science Summit 2006' follows the very successful Summit held in 2005, also in Zurich. It is the annual meeting now of the recently founded `European University and Research Organization for the Technologies of Informatics and Computer Science' (EuroTICS). Industry leaders are also very welcome to participate.

PROGRAM

Are our departments and institutes preparing Europe for the new century of IT? The program of the Summit meeting will consist of Invited Talks by prominent Informatics/CS academics and professionals, plenary discussion sessions on current issues, an industry panel, and workshops. It will provide outstanding opportunities for interaction with fellow leaders of departments, schools, and institutes in Informatics research and teaching in Europe as well as leaders from the European IT and ICT industries. Original presentations can be submitted by all persons fitting EuroTICS. There will also be a pre-conference program of workshops on Sunday October 15, 2006.

TOPICS

Contributions should address issues of general interest to the participants of the Summit meeting. The Summit is not a traditional scientific conference but it is focused on analysis, discussion and policy in connection with research and education in computer science in Europe. Examples of possible topics (non-exhaustive) include:

Informatics/CS Trends and Strategies

• Strategic directions in Computing research in Europe, FP7, European Technology Platforms, national trends, innovation programs
• IT Trends in business and industry, role of universities, consequences for research and training in Computing, need for new institutes

Informatics/CS Discipline

• Computing Science as a discipline: what is part of it and what is not, what are its methodologies, theory versus applications, experimental research, differences with other sciences and engineering

Informatics/CS Research

• Interdisciplinary research, research collaboration with industry, research infrastructures, trends in funding programs
• PhD programs in Computing and in interdisciplinary areas (Game research, Data-intensive Computing, Bioinformatics), standards, relations with other sciences
• Criteria and standards for Informatics research evaluation and assessment

Informatics/CS Teaching

• Implementation of the Bologna process, Bachelor and Masters programs, connections with research, forming Graduate Schools, links with companies
• Curriculum organization throughout EU, Erasmus Mundus, internationalization
• Accreditation criteria, quality certification, curriculum standards
• Computing didactics, problems in introductory courses, teacher training

Informatics/CS Careers

• Careers in Computing and IT research, women in computer science, starting companies, how to lead research institutes
• How to attract students, how to keep them, how to turn them into great professionals
• Computing, academics, industry and business: expectations, difficulties, research collaboration, outreach, e-inclusion

CONTRIBUTED PRESENTATIONS

In order to contribute to the ECSS 2006 program, submit your proposal before September 1st, 2006. Proposals will be screened and selected by the ECSS 2006 Program Committee on the basis of relevance to (and capacity of) the program. Proposals may aim at a 15 or 25 minute presentation or demonstration, and should consist of an abstract containing

• a header with a clear title of your contribution, your name, position, and affiliation
• the preferred duration (15 or 25 minutes)
• an indication whether you will attend the preconference program
• a clear description of the proposed presentation
• a total size not exceeding two A4 pages

Please submit your proposed abstract as a PDF file to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

EuroTICS 2006 PROGRAM COMMITTEE

See committees.

TIME SCHEDULE

• Abstract Submission : September 1, 2006
• Notifications : September 15, 2006
• ECSS 2006 pre-program : October 15, 2006
• ECSS 2006 conference : October 16-17, 2006

ATTENDANCE

The `European Computer Science Summit 2006' is open to all heads (or deans, chairs etc.) of departments, institutes, laboratories or comparable units in computer science (or informatics, information technology, informatics, EECS etc.) from universities or research organizations in Europe. Deputy heads may participate if their deputy position is permanent. In addition, the conference is open to authors of accepted abstracts.

If you do not fit these categories but would like to attend as an observer, please contact the organizers. Examples of observers include representatives from industry, government, university administration, and representatives from other organizations with related aims in Europe and other regions.

We look forward to seeing you at the EuroTICS/ECSS2006 Summit.

Conference Chair

• Christine Choppy (Universite Paris 13)

Conference Chair

• Jan van Leeuwen (Univ. Utrecht)

Industry Liaison

• Roger Mohr (ENSIMAG)

Program Committee

• Gregor Engels (Universitaet Paderborn)
• Andrew McGettrick (University of Strathclyde, UK)
• Letizia Tanca (Politecnico di Milano)

Advisory Committee

• Bertrand Meyer (ETH Zurich, Chair Executive Board)
• Piere Lescanne (ENS Lyon)

Organization Committee (ETH Zurich)

• Claudia Günthart
• Peter Kiowski
• Bertrand Meyer

ETH Zürich (from its German name Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, ETHZ) is the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland. The conference will take place in the main building of the ETH Zürich. It is located in the center of the city, close to the main station. The ETH is considered by many one of Europe's premier universities in the fields of Chemistry, Physics, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science.

Zürich is the is the largest city in Switzerland (population 364,558 in 2002; as agglomeration 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. The city is Switzerland's main commercial centre, and home to the country's largest airport.

The summit will take place in the ETH main building (Hauptgebäude, also referred to in short as HG). Signs will be set up to guide you from the entrance to this room.
Address

ETH Zürich
Rämistrasse 101
8092 Zürich

• Map of the central ETH campus with the main building (where the summit will take place). The main entrance of the building is on Rämistrasse, where on the map you see the tram stop called "ETH Zentrum/Universitätsspital". Inside the building you will find indications of how to get to room G5, where the summit sessions will take place.
• Arrival in Zurich

Important dates

• Abstract Submission : September 1, 2006
• Notifications : September 15, 2006
• euroTICS 2006 pre-program : October 15, 2006
• euroTICS 2006 conference : October 16-17, 2006

Registration

Registration fees are EUR 250 or CHF 400.

Companion invitations at the conference dinner are available for CHF 100.

Please register here: Registration euroTICS 2006

The confirmation of your registration will contain information on how to pay the registration fee.

The registration fee covers:

• Participation in all activities of the Summit
• Coffee breaks, lunches (Monday & Tuesday) and conference dinner on Monday evening
• Conference materials

Below is the list of hotels where we have made reservations. Please note the following:

• All hotels are within 10 minutes walking distance of the ETH main building, where the Summit will take place.
• All prices are at the discount rates that ETH has with these hotels. On making the reservation, please mention "euroTICS" to get these prices.
• Reservations must be made before the date indicated for each hotel.
• Prices for hotel rooms are per night, including breakfast (Hotel Du Theatre without breakfast).
• When we indicate 0 as number of reserved rooms, it means that at the time we inquired the hotel had no available rooms. However, this can change, so we provide the information on these hotels too.

European Computer Science Summit
2nd Annual EuroTICS Meeting
16-17 October 2006, Zurich

Conference Chair: Christine Choppy, Paris
Program Chair: Jan van Leeuwen, Utrecht
Industry Liaison: Roger Mohr, Grenoble

About the conference:

In all European countries, teaching and research in information technology are facing constant challenges, some shared with our colleagues in other regions, some more specific. The heads of CS departments are in a unique position to appreciate the issues and to look for solutions.

The purpose of the first European Computer Science Summit is:

• To bring together the heads (who may also go by the title of "dean", "chair", "president" depending on the country and institution) of departments (or "schools", "faculties") of computer science or equivalent. ("Informatique/Informatik/Informatica/Informatics", "Information Technology", "Electrical Engineering and Computer Science") in PhD-granting universities in the European region.
• To provide them with a forum for discussion of common issues and search for joint solutions.
• To examine ways in which department heads can work together to improve teaching and research, implement the Bologna process, influence the policies of universities, governments and the EU. (A typical example of an open issue is the current efforts of university managers to establish quantitative criteria for assessment, based e.g. on publication and citation measures, often poorly adapted to our discipline.)
• To offer workshops, panels and other interactive sessions for discussion of problems and proposals.
• To provide a liaison with other groups pursuing relevant interests, such as the CRA in the US.

After the first Summit at ETH Zurich in October 2005, it was decided to set up EuroTICS as a permanent collaboration structure and to turn the Summit into a regular event.

This is not a traditional scientific conference; the emphasis will be on discussion. The theme of the Summit is: "Are We Preparing Europe For The Century of Information Technology". Please see the Call for Presentations.

Attendance at the conference is limited to heads of CS departments, as defined above, in the European region; deputy heads may be acceptable if their deputy position is permanent, but no other substitution will be permitted. In addition, we will invite a number of observers from industry (research labsand entrepreneurial companies), governments (national and EU) and university administration. Attendees are welcome to suggest observers.

Please register here.

Program

16 OCTOBER

08:15-09:15 Registration

09:15-09:30 Welcome and introduction: Christine Choppy, University Paris-XIII, France

CHALLENGES FOR CS DEPARTMENTS AND INSTITUTIONS

09:30-10:30 Keynote: Robert L. Constable, Dean of Computer and Information Sciences, Cornell University, USA                         

"What Deans of Informatics should tell their University Presidents'' [Slides]

Session chair: Jan van Leeuwen, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-11:45 Keynote: Michel Cosnard, President of INRIA, France

"INRIA Strategic Plan"

Session chair: Pierre Lescanne, École Normale Supérieure, Lyon, France

11:45-12:15 Keynote: Manfred Nagl, RWTH Aachen, Germany Chairman Fakultätentag

"Cooperation between Informatics and Engineering on the Level of Dean Conferences in Germany: Motivation, Activities and First Results'' [Slides]

Session chair: Christine Choppy, University Paris-XIII, France

12:15-14:00 Lunch, ETH Faculty Club

14:00-15.30 EuroTICS General Assembly - Future and Activities

Discussion, Executive Board
Chair: Bertrand Meyer, ETH Zurich

15:30-16:00 Coffee break

16:00-16:45 Keynote: Mads Tofte, Vice Chancellor of IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark

"IT is not what it used to be. It is far better." [Slides]

Session chair: Andrew McGettrick

17:00-18:00 INDUSTRY PANEL

Panellists: Dietman Fauser (Amadeus), Jean-Marc Djian (AtosOrigin),
Sailesh Chutani (Microsoft Research), Catherine Charmoille (Oracle).

Chair: Roger Mohr, Director of ENSIMAG, Grenoble, France

18:30-21:00 Conference dinner, ETH Faculty Club

17 OCTOBER

RESEARCH AND TRAINING

09:00-09:45 Keynote: Heinrich C. Mayr, Rector of University of Klagenfurt, Austria, Vice-president of CEPIS

"Handicaps and Challenges of Informatics Research at European Universities"

Session chair: Gregor Engels, University of Paderborn, Germany

09:45-10:30 Keynote: Sailesh Chutani, Microsoft USA

"ICT for emerging economies - Computing in Pasteur's quadrant"

Session chair: Jan van Leeuwen, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

10:30-11:00 Coffee break

11:00-12:15 Parallel workshops

Workshop 1: Research

Joe Sventek, University of Glasgow, Scotland
"The UK Research Grand Challenge Effort'' [talk1] [talk2] [doc]

Kristian G. Olesen, Head of Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Denmark
"Can a department's research be assessed by one number?'' [doc]

Workshop 2: Bachelor/Master

Hans-Ulrich Heiss, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany

"Recommendations for Bachelor-/Master Programs in Computer Science'' [talk] [doc]

Ruediger Reischuk, University of Lübeck, Germany
"The shift to Bachelor/Master programs in Germany and their accreditation - a report on the current status in Informatics''[Slides] [doc]

Workshop 3: Education and Research Training

Simon Thompson, University of Kent, UK [talk] [doc]
"Industrial Engagement for 21st Century CS Education''

Thomas Gross, ETH Zurich, Switzerland [talk] [doc]

"Fostering Systems Research in Europe''

Workshop 4: European dimensions

Roumen Nikolov, University of Sofia, Bulgaria and Iliana Nikolova, University of Sofia, Bulgaria"Informatics Education as a Driver for Country Development'' [talk] [doc]

Károly Kodorosi:Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary

"Towards a common frame for European CS/Informatics Education'' [talk] [doc]

12:15-14:00 Lunch, ETH Faculty Club

UNIVERSITY CURRICULA

14:00-14:45 Keynote: Enrico Nardelli, University of Rome, Italy President of GRIN and Agostino Cortesi, University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Italy

"Towards a European Certification of Computer Science Curricula'' [Slides]

Session chair: Letizia Tanca, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

14:45-15:30 Keynote: Jeremy Roche, CODA Group, Chairman of the European Software Association

"Challenges for the European Software Industry" [Slides]

Session chair: Jan van Leeuwen, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

15:30-15:35 Closing Remarks: Christine Choppy, University Paris-XIII, France

Please register here