I would like to draw attention to the Call for Contributions of the International Conference on Innovation in Rural Regions (ICIRR), which will take place in Siegen (Germany) from 13–15 September 2026. I am pleased to be part of the Program Committee for this conference and to invite colleagues in my network to consider submitting their work.

ICIRR 2026 addresses rural regions not as peripheral or deficient spaces, but as complex socio-technical systems shaped by de-industrialisation, demographic change, infrastructural fragility, ecological crises, and digitalization agendas. The conference creates a space to critically rethink what counts as innovation in rural contexts and how design, technology, and knowledge practices shape rural futures.

The call explicitly welcomes interdisciplinary and critical work, including STS, sociology, anthropology, design research, geography, HCI, CSCW, and ICTD. Contributions that challenge dominant innovation narratives, engage with participatory or decolonial approaches, or foreground care, maintenance, repair, and situated knowledge in rural regions are especially encouraged.

Key dates

Abstract deadline: 23 April 2026
Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

Accepted contributions will be published in the EUSSET Digital Library, with selected papers invited to a Special Issue of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (JCSCW).

I would particularly encourage researchers and practitioners working on rural innovation, infrastructures, health, education, ecological transformation and socio-technical change to take a close look at this call → https://icirr.wineme.wiwi.uni-siegen.de/ and to share it within their networks.