Around 150 people from across Europe, Asia and The Americas gathered in Leuven, Belgium earlier this month for EGOV2024, the annual conference of IFIP WG 8.5 (Information Systems in Public Administration).
Staged from 3-5 September at KU Leuven, a Catholic research university, the conference was preceded by two days of pre-conference activities for PhD students and junior faculty at Ghent University.
The PhD Colloquium involved 11 PhD students interested in digital government, as well as senior experts in the field. The core activity was student presentations and feedback, as well as receiving feedback from experienced senior scholars in the field. A dinner with pizza and Belgian beer concluded a day filled with new ideas, insights, and connections. As expressed by the PhD students themselves, “starting the conference with the PhD Colloquium was a fantastic way to meet fellow participants and establish friendships before the main event.”
The subsequent Junior Faculty School was open for PhD students, postdocs and junior faculty and attracted 28 participants, as well as additional senior scholars acting as mentors during the day. The Junior Faculty School was a new concept for the EGOV conference series and was an immediate success.
Professor Katleen De Stobbeleir (Vlerick Business School, Belgium) gave an inspiring speech on academic careers, questioning the ‘traditional’ perception of success. Professor Marijn Janssen (TU Delft, Netherlands) provided practical advice on navigating the publishing process in top journals. Professor Ramon J. Gil-Garcia (University at Albany, US) moderated a panel on trends and developments in the digital government domain.
Through a combination of these keynotes and the panel discussion, mixed with round table discussions in smaller groups, the day covered key topics for early-career academics interested in digital government. As expressed by one of the senior experts invited as a panelist during the day, the Junior Faculty School became “a conference within the conference”, while the junior participants expressed that, “the Junior Faculty School was an invaluable experience, equipping us with practical advice and a sense of community as we navigate our academic careers.”
Written by Ida Lindgren (Chair of IFIP WG 8.5), Ida Heggertveit and Hanne Höglund-Rydén (both PhD Candidates at University of Agder, Norway). Photo supplied.
