1. Date and venue
The 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference will be held at the School of Public Management, Communication and Tourism of the Bragança Polytechnic University (EsACT-IPB), in the city of Mirandela, between 21 and 23 May 2026, in a hybrid format.
2. Organization
This event is jointly organized by the International Network of Research in Public Policy and Data Science and by the School of Public Management, Communication and Tourism of the Bragança Polytechnic University (EsACT-IPB).
3. Works and thematic areas
The programme of the 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference includes plenary sessions, round tables, workshops and parallel session, and focuses on the topic of Territories and Societies in Network. Its main goal is to gather experts, researchers, professionals and decision-makers to promote reflection and debate about the challenges of planning and managing territories in the context of contemporary social, economic and environmental changes.
In an era marked by digital transition, the intensification of urban and regional dynamics, urban mobility, territorial inequalities and the growing interdependence between people, institutions and technologies, it is essential to understand how territories and societies form networks and how Data Science, new analysis methods and digital innovations may support fairer, more efficient and sustainable decisions.
Here are the main goals of this Conference:
- To stimulate the debate around the social, economic, environmental and territorial dimensions that challenge local, regional and global contexts.
- To promote the exchange of experiences between various scientific fields, and focus on the use of data and technologies to support technically informed, participative, transparent and consequent decision-making processes.
The thematic areas to be explored are, among others, the following:
- Intelligent and sustainable cities
- Communication, information and digital ecosystems
- Communities of practice and networks of pedagogical innovation
- Open data and big data
- Data mining and deep learning
- Urban and regional development
- Circular economy, sustainability and digital transition
- Education, health and digital and social inclusion
- Governance and public policies
- Cultural and creative industries
- Infrastructures, transports and accessibility
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Models and methods in regional science
- Population, migration and labour market
- Territorial resilience and crisis management
- Decision support systems and data visualization
- Geographic information systems and localization
- Tourism, culture and network experiences
- Open session (other topics)
As usual, articles outside the main topic will be admitted provided they are related to the theme “Network Territories and Societies”.
Considering the national and international scope of the conference, works may be written and presented in Portuguese, English or Spanish.
4. Important dates
All authors must submit an extended abstract. The full paper may be sent after the notification of acceptance.
- Submission of extended abstracts: Until
27 february22 March 2026
- Notification of acceptance: Until 31 March 2026
- Deadline for sending the final version of the accepted abstracts: Until 15 April 2026
- Deadline for sending the final papers (with accepted abstracts): Until 30 April 2026
- Registration deadline for authors with accepted papers: Until 30 April 2026
5. Submission guidelines
All works (detailed abstracts or full papers) must be submitted through the EasyChair, platform according to the following rules:
Papers must be submitted as a PDF file without any possible identification of the author(s), including in the file properties.
Works not submitted in English must include an English version of the title, abstract and keywords.
The submitted works must follow the rules of the following templates:
The Organizing Committee assumes that the submission of papers is known and authorized by every author. Every paper must mention a corresponding author.
No more than three extended abstracts or papers, original and not previously published, must be submitted by participant, either as a single author or in co-authorship.
6. Evaluation and notification
Submitted abstracts will be evaluated by two members of the 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference Scientific Committee (double-blind refereeing process).
Papers will only be included in the 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference programme if the presenting author is duly registered by 30 April 2026. No more than two papers may be presented by the same participant.
Participants must complete their registration through the Conference website: https://ivcippcd.ipb.pt/.
8. Publication of papers
All the papers included in the Conference programme will be published in the 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference proceedings, in digital format with ISBN.
9. "Best paper award”
The Scientific Committee of the 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference will give a “Best Paper Award” to the best papers that stand out by their excellence among peers and whose authors apply for that award. During the submission process (EasyChair), authors will be prompted to indicate if they wish to be considered for the “Best Paper Award”.
The winners of the "Best Paper Award” Award will receive a certificate in recognition of the quality of their research.
The "Best Paper Award” will be announced at the closing session and will be handed out to authors registered at the 4th Public Policy and Data Science International Conference.