BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//CERN//INDICO//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:UbuntuNet-Connect 2026: Lilongwe\, Malawi
DTSTART:20261029T070000Z
DTEND:20261030T150000Z
DTSTAMP:20260407T110600Z
UID:indico-event-152@events.ubuntunet.net
CONTACT:info@ubuntunet.net
DESCRIPTION:\nConference Theme: Shaping Digital Horizons\nShaping Digital 
 Horizons reflects UbuntuNet Alliance’s vision of advancing resilient\, i
 nclusive\, and sustainable digital infrastructure that underpins research\
 , education\, and innovation across Eastern and Southern Africa. The theme
  recognises that connectivity is a foundation upon which future-ready rese
 arch ecosystems\, intelligent services\, and cross-border collaboration ar
 e built. UbuntuNet-Connect 2026 will explore how National Research and Edu
 cation Networks (NRENs)\, partners\, and policymakers can collectively sha
 pe digital futures that are secure\, open\, innovative\, and responsive to
  regional priorities. \nSub-Themes:\n1. Research & Education Network Infra
 structure: This sub-theme focuses on the design\, deployment\, and evoluti
 on of high-performance research and education network infrastructure that 
 enables advanced research collaboration\, learning\, and regional connecti
 vity. It explores how NRENs can build resilient\, scalable\, and future-re
 ady networks that support growing data demands and emerging digital servic
 es.\nPapers are invited on:\n\nDesign and deployment of backbone\, campus\
 , and last-mile network infrastructure\nNetwork resilience\, and continuit
 y strategies for RENs\nNetwork automation\, SDN/NFV\, and advanced network
  management approaches\nRegional and global interconnection\, peering\, an
 d Internet exchange ecosystems\nNetwork-enabled services supporting resear
 ch and education\n\n2. Cybersecurity: This sub-theme addresses the growing
  need to protect research and education infrastructure from cyber threats 
 while ensuring trusted digital environments for collaboration\, data excha
 nge\, and  learning.\nPapers are invited on:\n\nCybersecurity architectur
 es and protection strategies for research and education networks\nThreat d
 etection\, monitoring\, and incident response frameworks\nSecurity operati
 ons centres (SOCs) and collaborative threat intelligence for NRENs\nIdenti
 ty\, access management\, and trust frameworks for digital research and edu
 cation services\nGovernance\, policies\, and capacity building for cyberse
 curity in NREN member institutions.\n\n3. Artificial Intelligence:  This 
 sub-theme explores how artificial intelligence is transforming research\, 
 education\, and the management of digital infrastructure. It focuses on bo
 th the infrastructure required to support AI and the application of AI in 
 research\, education\, and network operations.\nPapers are invited on:\n\n
 AI infrastructure\nAI applications supporting research\, scientific discov
 ery\, and innovation\nAI-driven digital learning tools and intelligent edu
 cational platforms\nAI-enabled network management\, optimisation\, and aut
 omation\nInfrastructure requirements for AI workloads\, including data pla
 tforms and high-performance computing\nNational and regional strategies fo
 r AI development in research and education\n\n4. Open Science: This sub-th
 eme focuses on enabling open\, collaborative\, and reproducible research t
 hrough digital infrastructure\, shared platforms\, and open knowledge syst
 ems that expand access to research outputs across the region.\nPapers are 
 invited on:\n\nOpen Science platforms\, repositories\, and  data manageme
 nt systems supporting research and education.\nImplementation of FAIR data
  principles and open research practices\nPersistent identifiers\, scholarl
 y communication\, and digital publishing infrastructures\nIntegration of l
 ibraries\, data services\, and research infrastructures\nNational and regi
 onal initiatives supporting Open Science ecosystems\n\n5. Innovation\, Par
 tnerships & Service Evolution: This sub-theme explores how NRENs are evolv
 ing beyond connectivity providers to become platforms for innovation\, col
 laboration\, and advanced digital services for research and education comm
 unities.\nPapers are invited on:\n\nEmerging services including cloud\, id
 entity federation\, and collaboration platforms\nStrategic partnerships be
 tween NRENs\, universities\, industry\, and governments\nInnovation ecosys
 tems\, testbeds\, and digital experimentation platforms\nCase studies of n
 ew service models supporting research and education institutions\nCollabor
 ative initiatives driving regional digital transformation\n\n6. Diversity\
 , Equity & Gender Inclusion: This sub-theme highlights efforts to promote 
 diversity\, equity\, and inclusion within the research and education ecosy
 stem\, with particular emphasis on increasing the participation and leader
 ship of women in technology fields.\nPapers are invited on:\n\nStrategies 
 to increase women’s participation and leadership in NRENs and digital in
 frastructure\nGender-responsive digital skills and capacity development pr
 ogrammes\nPolicies and institutional approaches promoting equity and inclu
 sion in technology sectors\nInitiatives supporting women and underrepresen
 ted groups in STEM and digital research\nCase studies demonstrating the im
 pact of diversity and inclusion initiatives\n\n \n\nhttps://events.ubuntu
 net.net/event/152/
LOCATION:Lilongwe\, Malawi
URL:https://events.ubuntunet.net/event/152/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR