ECSS Hosting Opportunities
ECSS (European Informatics Leaders Summit) is the main event organized by Informatics Europe yearly. Informatics Europe welcomes proposals from its members to co-organize editions of the conference. Interested members can submit bids following the guidelines described on this page and positively contribute to the development of the European informatics research community while boosting their international visibility. More information about the summit's history, target audience and purpose can be found here.
At present, we are looking for bids concerning the summit editions from 2026 onwards. The deadline for submitting a bid for 2026 is 15 May, 2025. Bids submitted after this date will be considered for the following editions of the summit.
Guidelines for submitting bids:
Members of Informatics Europe may submit bids considering the ECSS General Organizational Guidelines and containing at least the following information:
- Description of conference venue and facilities, ideally with a couple of pictures;
- Travel time/options from the closest well-served international airport;
- Estimate of accommodation costs;
- Rough planned budget for the event;
- A description of who will be the GC and other members of the organising committee, including information about the previous conference organising experience;
- Statements of support from the proposed hosting institutions and/or locals.
The Informatics Europe Board may ask the authors of the bid to provide additional or more detailed information before a decision is taken. Pre-selected bids shall be presented at one of the Informatics Europe Board meetings by a member of the proposed organizing committee, preferably the proposed GC.
Frequently asked questions:
Why should you host?
Hosting ECSS enables you to increase the visibility of your institution and showcase its facilities to the global network of IE members and peers, who come from leading universities, research labs, and companies from across Europe.
Who can host?
Any institution member of Informatics Europe with the capacity and facilities to host is eligible to put themselves forward.
Informatics Europe always tries to have a certain geographical spread with the host institutions and might therefore have to defer certain applications for future years.
What are the commitments?
The host institution, represented by the local General Chair is responsible for the planning and execution of the conference together with the Informatics Europe President. The GC will be the primary responsible for proposing the budget, finding sponsors, negotiating venue space and other needed facilities, and for monthly status updates to the Informatics Europe Board. The GC and the Board collaboratively decide on the chairs of the sub-events that compose the conference. The GC solicits the participation of attendees, especially the local colleagues, and collaborates with the Informatics Europe Office for the dissemination and promotion of the event.
Financial model: profit or loss shared 50/50 between Informatics Europe and the host institution.
When does ECSS take place?
ECSS typically takes place at the end of October and lasts from Monday to Wednesday, preceded by an IE Board of Directors meeting and followed by a meeting of the Executive Committee. Ideally, the host should be announced a year in advance and dates agreed together by the host institution and Informatics Europe Office.
Where can ECSS take place?
The summit will ideally be organized in your institution so that it also adds value to the conference itself and increases your visibility. However, should the institution have no capacity to accommodate the different sessions, the summit can be organized in a hotel. The official dinner is typically organized in a nice restaurant in the city.
The number of ECSS attendees is typically around 100 and varies depending on the year and the venue so the plenary room and catering facilities should accommodate up to 120 - 150 people. Typically two workshops run in parallel throughout the event, except for the opening and most of Tuesday.
Accessibility to the venue, i.e. closeness to a well-served international airport, is a key selection criterion.
Is the structure of ECSS fixed?
ECSS is a 3-day event held from Monday to Wednesday at the end of October. It offers workshops and sessions of interest for specific groups of attendees. Fixed sessions include the Leaders WS and the Early Career Researchers WS on Monday, a workshop co-organized with National Informatics Associations on Wednesday, and the Informatics Europe community sessions on Tuesday afternoon (incl. Awards ceremony and General Assembly). The scientific session, driven by a theme decided by the Informatics Europe Board in collaboration with the General Chair, where two to three renowned keynote speakers are invited, is also a classic of our program. All other sessions are open for proposals from Informatics Europe Working Groups and the GC. Please see a previous conference schedule as an example here.
How can you apply?
This year we are looking for bids concerning the summit editions from 2025 onwards. Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. briefly mentioning your intention to host by the end of January 2025 at the latest. Complete bids should be submitted to the same email by 15 May 2025. Bids submitted after this date will be considered for the following editions of the summit.