Call for Papers and Workshops

With digitalization accelerating across government, society, and the economy, and intelligent systems and large-scale data infrastructures increasingly shaping public sector environments, ICEGOV 2026 focuses on discussing “Strengthening Digital Governance through Innovation, Human-Centered and Trustworthy Services”, highlighting the need to advance governance approaches that are grounded in real institutional practice and attentive to societal expectations. Digital transformation places increasing demands on governments to enhance effectiveness, transparency, and responsiveness while operating in complex socio-technical environments. As data-driven systems, automation, and responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) become embedded in governance arrangements, public institutions are expected not only to innovate but to do so in ways that support public trust, ensure accountability, and deliver tangible value for citizens and businesses. Strengthening digital governance requires placing humans at the centre of policy design and service delivery, reinforcing trust through transparent and ethical decision-making, and translating innovation into measurable outcomes. This involves structured engagement with citizens and stakeholders, the use of co-creation mechanisms across policy and service lifecycles, and the responsible deployment of AI and data-driven tools supported by appropriate regulatory and organizational frameworks.

Call for Papers
Paper Submission

Submission Tracks

The conference places particular emphasis on impact and real-world experiences, encouraging contributions that demonstrate how digital governance principles are operationalized across different institutional, cultural, and regional contexts.

Through the exchange of ideas, the presentation of evidence-based research, and collaboration across academia, government, and practice, ICEGOV 2026 seeks to strengthen digital governance in fair, just, and ultimately trustworthy ways.



Paper Categories

The conference welcomes paper submissions in three categories: RESEARCH, ONGOING RESEARCH, and SHORT. Each paper category is described in more detail below, including recommended sections and structure. Additionally, each paper category is linked to a set of conference Tracks (see table below). Note that the Programme Committee Chairs can downgrade a paper after the review process if it is found that the paper does not fit the category chosen by the author(s) during submission.

All accepted papers will be presented at designated Paper Sessions during the conference. Papers submitted to the Doctoral Colloquium by PhD students will be presented during a special, all-day long session one day before the conference itself. The presentation time varies depending on the paper category, but always including an additional 5 minutes for questions by the audience (Q&A).

  • Research: 15 minutes + Q&A
  • Ongoing Research: 15 minutes + Q&A
  • Short: 10 minutes + Q&A
  • Doctoral Colloquium: 20 minutes + Q&A

Additionally, all authors of short papers will be invited to create an A1-size poster presenting their work. Each poster will be printed by the organisers for free and will be in a permanent exhibition during the conference. The Poster Exhibition’s inauguration will occur at the same time as the Welcome Reception. Authors of short papers will be requested to be next to their poster for Q&A and further networking during this period.

CategoryResearchOngoing ResearchShort
Pages1210 – 86
Thematic Tracks
Public and Private Sector
Early Research Track
Doctoral Colloquium



Research Papers

These are papers that document complete research in one or more aspects of Digital Government, with proven or potential capability to advance the state of research in the field. Research papers should be similar to journal submissions, albeit shorter, and feature completed analysis and documentation of achieved results. Research papers must address topics listed in Tracks 1-9 and 11 and should, indicatively, include the following sections (more as a reference than as exact titles):

  • Title
  • Abstract (up to 300 words)
  • Introduction
  • Background / Literature Review
  • Methodology / Research Framework / Design Approach
  • Results / Findings / Developments / Applications
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions / Further Work
  • References

Ongoing Research Papers

These are papers that describe ongoing research work that is yet to be completed, in one or more aspects of Digital Government, with proven or potential capability to advance the state of research in the field. Ongoing research papers could take various forms: for example, they can be theoretical (presenting promising frameworks), empirical (with some preliminary results), or present a design of novel and useful concepts and/or artefacts (no testing required). Ongoing research papers must address topics listed in Tracks 1-9 and 11 and also Doctoral Colloquium and should, indicatively, include the following sections (more as a reference than as exact titles):

  • Title
  • Abstract (up to 300 words)
  • Introduction
  • Background / Literature Review / Methodology / Research Framework
  • Results / Findings / Developments / Applications
  • Discussion / Conclusions / Further Work
  • References

Short Papers

These are papers mostly composed of work in progress, recent developments or presentations of new ideas and initiatives with the potential to contribute to Digital Government research and practice by addressing topics listed in the Track 10 and Track 12. Short papers should, indicatively, include the following sections (more as reference than as exact titles):

  • Title
  • Abstract (up to 150 words)
  • Introduction / Background / Aims and Objectives of the study
  • Approach / Results
  • Conclusions / Further Work
  • References

Publications and Awards

Conference Proceedings

All accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings on the condition that at least one author attends the conference and presents the paper. Currently, the ICEGOV acceptance rate is 42%.

Best Paper Awards

The goal of the ICEGOV Best Paper Awards is to acknowledge excellent research performed by the authors whose papers have been accepted and presented at the conference. The winners in the different categories are announced during the closing ceremony by the Awards Committee Chair. For more information regarding the eligibility criteria and selection process, download the ICEGOV Best Paper Awards Policy.

Publication Workflow

From the moment you start preparing your paper until it is published in the conference proceedings, several stages are in the way; this is the Publication Workflow (available in the chart below) This page details this process and how each step follows one another. Detailed communication will be provided by email to the first author of the paper whenever an action on their side is necessary, including any deadlines.

Stage A

How to prepare and submit your paper has specific instructions, which are available here in the form of a tutorial.

Stage B

Every submitted paper will undergo a rigorous, double-blind peer-review process, as follows:

  1. A final review by the Programme Committee Chairs takes place for a complete list of accepted and rejected papers for the entire conference.
  2. The screening will check for duplicates, papers outside the conference scope, plagiarised papers, papers not written in English, and papers not blind.
  3. Two reviews per paper are performed by independent Programme Committee Members (reviewers). The reviews will check how well the paper is written and structured, how are the topics addressed, its academic accuracy, etc.
  4. After the reviews are in, the Track Chairs will analyse each paper in their respective track for a tentative list of accepted / rejected papers. During this step, a paper can be moved to another track if deemed appropriate.


Stage C

By the paper decision notification deadline, all authors will receive, by email from EDAS, the decision regarding their paper: either ACCEPTED or REJECTED. If your paper has been rejected, it will not be presented at the conference nor published in the conference proceedings, therefore ending the process. If it has been accepted, it moves forward to stage D. Do not forget to check UNU-EGOV Scholarships!

Stage D

At least one author must register for the conference within the established deadline. Co-authors can also register if they wish to do so. At the same time, the paper presenter must be stated in EDAS.

The next steps will be shortly displayed here.

FAQs

In which language should I submit my paper?
You must submit your paper in English, which is the official language of the conference.
When do I know if my paper was accepted?
The paper decision notification and the reviews will be sent to all authors by email by 14 July 2026.
If my paper is accepted, do I have to present it at the conference?
Yes. Authors must be prepared to present their paper on any day of the conference. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in removal of the paper from the conference proceedings.
May I submit my paper to more than one Track?
No. Under no circumstances should the same paper, or different versions of the same paper, be submitted to more than one Track. You also may not submit essentially the same paper under two different titles. If this happens, the papers will be desk-rejected.
Can I submit multiple papers?
Yes. You can submit multiple different papers. However, you cannot submit the same or slightly different paper to different Tracks. If you do so, this will be considered unethical scientific behaviour and both papers will be desk-rejected. A maximum of 4 papers per author are allowed to be submitted; of these, only 2 can be as first author (the other 2 must be as co-author).
Can I submit papers which are under review somewhere else?
No. Submissions to the conference must be original work. Submissions cannot have been published or accepted in a journal or conference proceedings, nor presented at another conference. Further, submissions must not be concurrently under consideration for publication or presentation elsewhere.
Can I add or remove co-authors after my paper is accepted?
You must request the Programme Committee Chairs to add or delete authors and provide a reason for such. Please send an email to icegov@icegov.org if you wish to add or remove authors. You can freely update author’s information on the paper if necessary before submitting the final version, such as updating email address or affiliation in case it has changed.
What is included in the page limit?
The entire text, figures, tables, references, and appendices must be included within the page limit. If your paper exceeds the page limit, you will not be able to submit it, as the submission system automatically rejects papers above the page limit.
How will my paper be reviewed?
All papers submitted within the deadline will undergo an initial screening process. The screening process will focus on issues such as plagiarism, papers not written in English or that do not match the conference scope, and other issues. Any paper under one or more of these circumstances may be desk-rejected. Following the screening process, a double-blind peer review process by the Programme Committee Members (reviewers) will take place.
How are PC Members allocated papers to review?
PC Members are randomly assigned papers based on their topics of interest and the main topics of the paper. While performing this assignment, automatic checks are made to prevent Conflicts of Interest.
How do I apply for the Doctoral Colloquium?
Please submit your paper to the Doctoral Colloquium Track to be eligible to participate in this session. Only students currently enrolled in a PhD are allowed to submit doctoral papers. A supervisor may co-author the paper; however, the student must be the first author.
I am facing problems with the submission system – EDAS. Whom shall I contact?
In case of technical problems with the submission system (EDAS), please send an email to icegov@icegov.org detailing the issue.

If you have any further inquiry, you can contact us here.

ICEGOV 2026
Papers
FAQs