CONNECT 2026 - Digital Transformation and AI: Science, Society and Creativity

2026-08-30

AIDASCO Reviews is pleased to announce an upcoming Special Issue dedicated to CONNECT 2026, an interdisciplinary conference bringing together students, early-career researchers, academics, and professionals from different fields and countries.

The Special Issue, entitled “Digital Transformation and AI: Science, Society and Creativity,” will explore how artificial intelligence and digital technologies are reshaping research, education, professional practice, society, law, and creative work.

By bringing together perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, law, humanities, and artistic disciplines, the Special Issue aims to encourage dialogue across traditional disciplinary boundaries and provide a broader view of the opportunities and challenges associated with the ongoing digital transformation.

About the Event

CONNECT 2026 will take place from August 31 to September 4, 2026, continuing the CONNECT initiative aimed at strengthening academic cooperation, knowledge exchange, and connections between students, early-career researchers, and established academics.

The conference provides an interdisciplinary environment in which participants can present their work, exchange ideas, establish new collaborations, and discuss developments that influence contemporary research and society.

Particular attention is given to the participation of students and young researchers, as well as to strengthening connections between institutions and research communities across the Western Balkans and the broader European Research Area.

Scope of the Special Issue

We invite contributions addressing different dimensions of artificial intelligence and digital transformation, including:

  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning in scientific research

  • Digital transformation of research and professional practice

  • AI-assisted scientific discovery and data analysis

  • Artificial intelligence in education and academic practice

  • AI, law, regulation, ethics, and governance

  • Intellectual property, authorship, privacy, and responsibility in the age of AI

  • Digital technologies and their impact on society

  • Artificial intelligence, communication, and the future of work

  • Generative AI, creativity, visual arts, design, literature, and other creative disciplines

  • Open science, digital research infrastructures, and accessibility of knowledge

  • Digital skills and the future of research careers

  • Interdisciplinary perspectives on the opportunities and challenges created by AI

Particular emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary contributions that connect technological developments with their scientific, educational, legal, societal, or creative implications.

A Platform for Emerging Researchers

One of the important objectives of this Special Issue is to provide students and early-career researchers with practical experience in scholarly publishing.

Participants are encouraged not only to present their work during CONNECT 2026 but also to develop it into a contribution suitable for publication in AIDASCO Reviews.

The publication process will therefore serve an additional educational purpose by introducing emerging researchers to the principal stages of academic publishing, including:

  • Preparing and structuring a manuscript

  • Submitting a manuscript to a scientific journal

  • Communicating with editors

  • Receiving and responding to reviewer comments

  • Revising and improving a manuscript

  • Understanding publication ethics and good academic practice

  • Preparing an accepted manuscript for final publication

In this way, publication is not viewed solely as the final outcome. The experience of participating in the editorial and peer-review process itself represents an important part of the learning process.

The Special Issue therefore complements the conference experience: CONNECT provides participants with an opportunity to present and discuss their ideas, while AIDASCO Reviews provides an opportunity to learn how those ideas are transformed into a formal scholarly publication.

Call for Contributions

We invite CONNECT 2026 participants from all represented disciplines to submit contributions that:

  • Present or summarize research discussed during the conference

  • Review emerging developments related to artificial intelligence and digital transformation

  • Discuss scientific, educational, societal, legal, or ethical implications of AI

  • Explore the relationship between artificial intelligence and creativity

  • Provide interdisciplinary perspectives on digital transformation

  • Present reflections, perspectives, or short reviews accessible to readers beyond a single specialized discipline

  • Encourage dialogue and collaboration between different academic and professional communities

Contributions from students and early-career researchers are particularly encouraged.

Short articles, perspectives, review-style contributions, and interdisciplinary discussions are especially suitable for the educational and collaborative objectives of this Special Issue.

Submission deadline for the Special Issue: To be announced

CONNECT, AIDASCO Reviews, and the Knowledge Society

The CONNECT initiative promotes cooperation across disciplines, institutions, generations, and national borders.

Following the CONNECT 2025 Special Issue, which focused on building the knowledge society across borders, the CONNECT 2026 Special Issue turns attention toward one of the most important forces currently transforming that knowledge society: artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

By bringing together perspectives from science, law, society, education, and creative disciplines, the Special Issue aims to encourage participants to consider not only what AI can do, but also how it is changing the ways knowledge is created, communicated, evaluated, regulated, and used.

Through this combination of interdisciplinary dialogue and practical publishing experience, CONNECT 2026 and AIDASCO Reviews aim to support the next generation of researchers and professionals in becoming active participants in the evolving European and global knowledge society.

Further details on submission guidelines, deadlines, and editorial coordination will be announced soon via AIDASCO communication channels.