Digital Futures invites proposals from potential organizers for the Digital Futures Focus Period 2026, scheduled for May/June 2026. NEW DEADLINE to submit proposal is 9 June, 2025!
Purpose
The Digital Futures Focus Period is a 5-week guest researcher event held annually, featuring a new research topic each year. Its goal is to attract top-level researchers and their junior colleagues to Stockholm, providing accommodation support and fostering idea exchange, networking, collaboration, and engagement with relevant research challenges.
Each visiting scholar spends 3-5 weeks hosted by a Digital Futures faculty member. Midway through the period, a 3-day workshop is held, featuring invited speakers and participants from Digital Futures, Swedish industry, and society. Outside the workshop, visitors engage with their hosts and fellow scholars.
Past Focus Period topics include:
- 2023: Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Agricultural Management
- 2024: Scientific Machine Learning for Simulation and Inverse Modelling & Learning in Networks: Structure, Dynamics, and Control
- 2025: Fem Tech and Feminist Tech
For additional inspiration, explore focus periods organized by the ELLIIT center in Linköping/Lund.
Who can apply?
- KTH Digital Futures faculty members can apply as main organizers.
- Stockholm University and RISE Digital Futures faculty members can apply as co-organizers.
- Funds will be transferred to the main organizer.
Application
Digital Futures encourages cross-disciplinary proposals. Suggested topics should align with intersections in the Digital Futures Strategic Research Programme matrix, such as:
Trust / Cooperate / Learn / Smart Society / Digitalized Industry / Rich and Healthy Life / Educational Transformation.
A complete proposal should include:
(a) A description of the proposed research topic.
(b) Names of the main organizer (KTH Digital Futures faculty member) and co-organizers.
(c) Suggested names for the international scientific program committee (a wish list).
(d) Justification for the topic, including scientific relevance, timeliness, and its potential long-term impact on Digital Futures research.
The application should be concise (2-3 pages), saved as a single PDF, and submitted via email to Martina Scolamiero at event@digitalfutures.kth.sewith the subject: “Application: Digital Futures Focus Period 2026”.
Budget and Resources
- Each Focus Period receives up to 1,000 kSEK to cover travel, accommodation, catering, etc.
- Funds are transferred to the main organizer, who manages bookings with local administrative support.
- The Digital Futures hub is available for the three-day workshop and other activities.
- The organizers are responsible for arranging office space for visitors.
- The Site & Event Officer and Associate Director for Seminars & Workshops provide guidance on event planning.
Evaluation process
- The Associate Director for Seminars & Workshops pre-screens applications and forwards relevant ones to the Digital Futures working groups (WG).
- Each WG evaluates applications before the interview stage, which takes place on 16 June, 2025 (14:15-16:00).
- Selected applicants will be invited by 10 June, 2025.
- After interviews, WGs submit rankings, and the Executive Committeemakes the final funding decision.
Evaluation criteria
Proposals are assessed based on:
- Scientific relevance
- Timeliness
- Potential long-term impact on Digital Futures research
Organization process
Once a proposal is accepted, organizers follow these key steps:
- Invite the international scientific program committee.
- Finalize the budget and workshop dates.
- Invite workshop speakers.
- Make a public announcement.
- Invite visiting scholars.
- Open a call for workshop attendees.
- Execute the Focus Period.
In more details – How to organize a Digital Futures Focus Period
Once a Digital Futures Focus Period proposal has been selected, the organization process consists of the following main steps:
1) Invite the International Scientific Program Committee
The organizers should assemble a scientific program committee to ensure the highest level of international excellencefor the Digital Futures Focus Period. The goal is to attract world-leading researchers to spend an extended period in Stockholm.
An ideal scientific program committee:
- Represents a broad range of expertise and contacts across different scientific and geographical areas.
- Includes members with high international visibility, adding credibility to speaker invitations.
- Actively suggests invitees for the focus period.
Ideally, at least one committee member should agree to stay for an extended period during the focus period, and all members should be interested in attending the three-day workshop.
2) Select Preliminary Budget and Dates
As many events and conferences take place at Digital Futures and KTH/SU from May to June, the first step is to fix the workshop and visiting period dates early. This ensures that required facilities (e.g., the Digital Futures hub and other campus rooms) can be booked well in advance.
A preliminary budget must be created and approved by Digital Futures. At this stage, an official funding decision is made, and the budget provides guidance on:
- The number of workshop speakers that can be invited.
- The number of visiting scholars that can be supported.
- Office space availability within the host’s division.
3) Invite Workshop Speakers
The organizers, in collaboration with the scientific committee, prepare a list of invited workshop speakers, ensuring:
- Scientific excellence as the primary selection criterion.
- A balanced representation in terms of geography, age, and gender.
All speakers are expected to stay for at least the three workshop days. Speaker invitations include:
- Airfare (economy class)
- Accommodation
If a speaker cannot extend their stay beyond the workshop, they are encouraged to nominate a young researcher from their group to participate as a visiting scholar during the focus period.
4) Public Announcement
The organizers must create a public webpage (e.g., within the KTH system) that they can update themselves.
Additionally, Digital Futures will:
- Announce the focus period on its website, newsletter, and social media.
- Encourage the organizers to reach out to relevant scientific communities through additional channels.
5) Invite Visiting Scholars
The organizers select and invite visiting scholars either by recommendation or (optionally) through an open call.
- Visiting scholars typically receive accommodation and office space, arranged by the host’s division.
- Travel costs should not be reimbursed but directly booked by the host’s division.
- To maximize interaction, scholars are asked to stay for at least half the focus period plus the workshop (typically three weeks).
6) Open Call for Workshop Attendees
The workshop is free of charge but has limited spots. Ideally, it should take place in the Digital Futures hub to minimize venue costs.
Priority for attendance is given to:
- Invited speakers and visiting scholars (and their hosts).
- Digital Futures faculty and researchers at KTH, Stockholm University, and RISE.
- Industry and societal partners.
If spots remain available, an open call may be considered. Online participation is discouraged, as it typically reduces physical attendance.
7) Execute the Focus Period
The final step is to carry out the focus period, including:
- The three-day workshop
- The visiting scholar program
While the Site & Event Officer and KTH Computer Support provide assistance during the workshop, organizers should also arrange for students/postdocs to help with:
- Welcoming attendees
- Handing out name tags
- Managing practical logistics
Contact & Questions
For questions, contact Martina Scolamiero, Associate Director for Seminars & Workshops: scola@kth.se