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Check out the highlights below and help us share them with the wider Informatics community!
In this issue:
Apply now: Europe’s only Summer School on Informatics Education Research (SCHIER 2025)
Europe’s only Summer School on Informatics Education Research (SCHIER) returns 8–12 September, this year at UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Co-organised by Informatics Europe (IE)’s Education Research Working Group and sponsored by IBM Research Europe and FNRS, SCHIER 2025 offers an intensive, residential learning experience for PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers who are interested in advancing research in Informatics Education.
The programme is structured around four thematic tracks, each delivered by distinguished instructors combining academic excellence and applied expertise:
Each theme is explored over two half-day sessions, beginning with a lecture-based overview followed by hands-on work and in-depth discussions. Lunches and social activities are included in the SCHIER 2025 basic registration fee.
Applications are open until 25 June, with only 40 places available on a first-come, first-served basis. Apply now: https://www.informatics-europe.org/education/informatics-education-research-school/2025.html
Europe-wide study reveals shared priorities for Informatics in schools
A new report, A European Survey on Requirements for the Informatics School Curriculum and Informatics School Teachers’ Education, presents the results of a Europe-wide study identifying common patterns for Informatics education at the school level.
Conducted under the umbrella of the Informatics for All (I4All) coalition, the survey reveals broad consensus on weekly instructional hours, curriculum content and the need for substantial teacher education in both content and pedagogy in Informatics education as recommended by the Informatics Reference Framework for School (IRFS).
The IRFS, released in February 2022 by the I4All coalition—co-founded and actively supported by IE—provides high-level guidance for the structured development of Informatics curricula throughout Europe’s school systems. The new survey confirms the relevance of IRFS, highlighting 11 fundamental core topic areas identified, such as data, algorithms and programming, as well as 10 contemporary Informatics themes, including AI, machine learning and robotics, to support the interpretation of the IRFS in light of recent innovations.
Participating countries strongly supported the inclusion of Informatics as an autonomous school subject and emphasised the importance of preparing qualified teachers with 15–120 ECTS credits, depending on the education level taught.
This report strengthens the foundation for ongoing policy work at both national and EU levels, aligning with recent Council recommendations. As part of this commitment, IE Board Director Enrico Nardelli and members of IE’s Education Research Working Group—Michael E. Caspersen, Violetta Lonati and Keith Quille—are actively contributing to the European Commission’s Expert Group for the development of guidelines on high-quality informatics. This group meets periodically to develop guidelines that support European countries in successfully advancing Informatics education in schools.
Together, these efforts reinforce IE’s dedication to promoting high-quality, forward-looking Informatics education, empowering students and teachers to navigate and shape the digital world.
Informatics Europe contributes to Canada–EU research dialogue
IE can now involve Canadian researchers and innovators as associated members of consortia in Horizon Europe Pillar 2 calls. Last year, the Government of Canada and the European Union signed an agreement allowing Canada’s association to the Horizon Europe programme (see the joint statement of the European Commission and Canada).
To mark this milestone, CS-CAN-INFO-CAN, association of the Canadian computing research community, organised a dissemination session during the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 2025) in Ottawa (27 Apr – 3 May), where IE was invited to share the experience of European researchers in the Horizon Europe programmes. Our Board Director, Elisabetta Di Nitto, represented IE and delivered a presentation, now available here.
IE actively contributes to the success of EU-funded projects such as Inclusion4EU, EUGAIN, and Ethics4EU. If you're seeking a strong, pan-European partner to support your research or education initiatives, reach us out at administration@informatics-europe.org.
Inclusion4EU: making inclusive design the norm for accessible futures
Designing software for everyone starts with understanding the barriers too many still face. Inclusion4EU, an Erasmus+ project led by Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) with Informatics Europe as a partner, is working to bridge that gap. The project empowers Informatics educators and students to embed inclusion and diversity into software design, ensuring accessibility is treated not as an afterthought, but as a core principle.
In late April and early May, TU Dublin hosted hybrid workshops with project partners Mälardalen University, SAP and St John of God Community Services. Participants co-designed accessible assistive technologies for independent living in collaboration with persons with disabilities, demonstrating the power of participatory, user-driven design. Supported by IE, colleagues from the IE Diversity & Inclusion Working Group, Cristina Manresa (Sociedad Científica Informática de España, Spain) and Adriana-Mihaela Guran (Babeş-Bolyai University, Romania), joined the training.
Cristina described the experience as very engaging and insightful, noting that even online, the collaborative work with real users, open dialogue, and use of interactive tools fostered a strong sense of inclusion. “Working with our passionate co-designer in real time allowed us to gain valuable perspectives that immediately influenced our design,” she added. Adriana echoed these sentiments, calling the training pleasing, relevant, and a strong reminder of the importance of including users in the design process.
Inclusion4EU offers free, open-access co-design tools that enable Informatics educators and technology professionals to integrate inclusive, human-centred design into their teaching and practice. Follow the project on LinkedIn or visit inclusion4eu.eu.
Open IE activities
Explore our Open Activities webpage to learn how you can engage and benefit from our ongoing work. Here are a few highlights:
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Nominate best practices and best dissertations for this year’s Informatics Europe awards:
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Best Dissertation Award includes a EUR 3,000 prize for the winner and an invitation to publish in a dedicated Springer series, offered to the winner or the best unpublished submission.
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Minerva Informatics Equality Award comes with a EUR 5,000 prize and enhanced visibility across Europe, with the initiative featured on the Award’s dedicated Best Practices in Supporting Women webpage.
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ECSS 2025: 27-29 Oct in Rennes, France. Save the date and have a first look at our annual Leaders Summit – the only forum in Europe dedicated to timely strategic issues in Informatics research, education and innovation. Registration is expected to open in June/July.
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Department Evaluation Service: a cutting-edge, unbiased approach to assessing research quality and more, led by top academics with extensive experience in both research and institutional management. This service is available to all institutions, helping you to map out a sustainable path to success for your department.
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IE Job Platform: advertise open scientific positions, spread the word, help your students and networks discover opportunities across the European Informatics community. IE members benefit from complimentary job postings.
New IE member
We are pleased to welcome the following new academic member:
They joined a growing IE membership of nearly 200 informatics institutions, national associations, companies and research centers from over 30 countries. Check out our current members list.
Events by IE members
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GandALF 2025, 16th International Symposium on Games, Automata, Logics and Formal Verification
hosted by University of Malta on 16-17 Sep 2025 in Valletta, Malta
Paper submission deadline: 30 May
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36th Central European Conference on Information and Intelligent Systems
organised by University of Zagreb on 17-19 Sep 2025 in Varaždin, Croatia
Paper submission deadline: 31 May
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SISCA June Education Seminar – Building student community in computing: how partnership with students can support engagement
featuring Dr Fiona McNeill, Reader of Computing Education at the University of Edinburgh
held on 3 Jun 2025, 14:00 – 15:00 BST in hybrid format
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womENcourage™ 2025
co-hosted by Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi and Babeş-Bolyai University on 17-19 Sep 2025 in Brașov, Romania
Scholarship applications due: 17 Jun
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SYNASC 2025, 27th International Symposium on Symbolic and Numeric Algorithms for Scientific Computing
co-organised by West University of Timisoara on 22-25 Sep 2025 in Timișoara, Romania
Paper submission for main tracks: 20 Jun
IE member news
Denmark to catch up in the AI race in software development – New project aims to turn the tide – University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Despite the potential of generative AI to boost software productivity by up to 43%, only 48% of Danish software companies are currently considering its adoption—putting Denmark at risk of falling behind in the global AI race.
A new nationwide initiative, “Human-Centred Adoption of Artificial Intelligence for Software Engineering in Denmark”, seeks to change that. Backed by nearly DKK 20 million from Innovation Fund Denmark and a total budget of DKK 30.4 million, the project aims to position Denmark as a leader in the development and application of responsible AI in software development by 2029.
Find out how in the full coverage of the initiative by the University of Southern Denmark and Aalborg University here.
DEIB’s Strong Track Record in Innovation and Startup Development Highlighted by Two Recent Success Stories - Politecnico Milano, Italy
The Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB) at Politecnico di Milano continues to demonstrate its strong expertise in innovation and startup development, as evidenced by two recent achievements:
EVOLI, developed by Prof. Nicoletta Di Blas and PhD student Giacomo Cassano, won the 16th edition of Switch2Product—an innovation and acceleration program promoted by the Technology Transfer Office of Politecnico di Milano, PoliHub, and Deloitte’s Officine Innovazione. This AI-powered multimedia annotation system advances toward making personalised education a reality—leveraging technology to empower both teachers and learners.
IONION, a startup by DEIB’s Luca Cassano and Elia Lazzeri, was selected for the ESA Business Incubation Centre, an initiative promoted by the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. Specialising in secure, high-performance processors based on RISC-V technology, IONION aims to transform the semiconductor industry by offering customizable and resilient solutions for sectors such as aerospace, automotive, IoT, and critical infrastructure.
Read more: EVOLI & IONION.
Green Software Guide: a practical resource for reducing carbon emissions in the ICT sector – University of Leicester, UK
School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, in collaboration with CGI UK through the CGI SEEDS programme, has co-created the Green Software Guide: a practical resource for reducing carbon emissions in the ICT sector.
With the IT sector’s carbon footprint projected to hit 14% of global total by 2040, sustainable software practices are more urgent than ever. The Green Software Guide equips technology professionals with practical strategies, such as energy-efficient coding, resource optimisation, and sustainable procurement, to reduce environmental impact. By adopting its seven core principles, tech companies can lower emissions, improve performance, reduce costs, and align with global sustainability goals, embedding environmental responsibility into digital transformation efforts.
Read the full guide here.
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Want to share your institute’s latest updates with fellow IE members and professionals in Informatics and related fields? Simply email the news to our Communication Specialist Kit Wan Chui to get featured in our Bulletin, LinkedIn and Bluesky.
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