Announcements

Observed annually on 17 May, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day highlights the transformative role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in driving inclusive development, bridging digital divides, and strengthening global connectivity. The 2026 theme, “Digital Lifelines: Strengthening Resilience in a Connected World”, underscores the importance of robust, secure, and accessible digital infrastructure in supporting societies through crises, enabling continuity, and fostering long-term resilience.

Reflecting this mission, MDPI journals in Computer Science & Mathematics serve as platforms for scholarly exchange and collaboration, advancing research on digital connectivity, cybersecurity, emerging communication technologies, smart infrastructure, and the societal impacts of digital transformation. Through these efforts, MDPI supports meaningful dialogue and innovation to address both current and future challenges in building a resilient and connected world.

Invited speakers:

Prof. Dr. Leandros Maglaras, Edinburgh University, United Kingdom	Prof. Dr. Ivan Serina, University of Brescia, Italy	Dr. Lorenzo Mucchi, University of Florence, Italy

Register for this webinar for free here!

“AI Agent Communications in the Future Internet—Paving a Path Toward the Agentic Web”
by Qiang Duan and Zhihui Lu
Future Internet 2026, 18(3), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi18030171

“Federated Learning-Based Intrusion Detection in Industrial IoT Networks”
by George Dominic Pecherle, Robert Ștefan Győrödi and Cornelia Aurora Győrödi
Future Internet 2025, 18(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi18010002

“From Resilience to Cognitive Adaptivity: Redefining Human–AI Cybersecurity for Hard-to-Abate Industries in the Industry 5.0–6.0 Transition”
by Andrés Fernández-Miguel, Susana Ortíz-Marcos, Mariano Jiménez-Calzado, Alfonso P. Fernández del Hoyo, Fernando Enrique García-Muiña and Davide Settembre-Blundo
Information 2025, 16(10), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/info16100881

“A Review of Multi-Microgrids Operation and Control from a Cyber-Physical Systems Perspective”
by Ola Ali and Osama A. Mohammed
Computers 2025, 14(10), 409; https://doi.org/10.3390/computers14100409

“Fuzzy Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Resilient Supply Chain Financing Based on Blockchain and IoT”
by Hamed Nozari, Shereen Nassar and Agnieszka Szmelter-Jarosz
Digital 2025, 5(3), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/digital5030032

“Power–Packet Conversion Methods and Analysis of Scheduling Schemes for Wireless Power Transfer”
by Yuma Takahashi, Takefumi Hiraguri, Kazuki Maruta, Shuma Okita, Takahiro Matsuda, Tomotaka Kimura and Noboru Sekino
IoT 2025, 6(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/iot6020028

“Identification of Elephant Rumbles in Seismic Infrasonic Signals Using Spectrogram-Based Machine Learning”
by Janitha Vidunath, Chamath Shamal, Ravindu Hiroshan, Udani Gamlath, Chamira U. S. Edussooriya and Sudath R. Munasinghe
Appl. Syst. Innov. 2024, 7(6), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/asi7060117

“Digital Twins in Critical Infrastructure”
by Georgios Lampropoulos, Xabier Larrucea and Ricardo Colomo-Palacios
Information 2024, 15(8), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/info15080454

“Privacy-Preserving Data Analytics and Secure Computation” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Xiaofeng Chen, Prof. Dr. Elisa Bertino, Dr. Fuchun Guo and Prof. Dr. Willy Susilo Submission deadline: 30 June 2026	“Privacy-Preserving Models and Systems in Blockchain” Guest Editor: Dr. Christine Hennebert Submission deadline: 20 August 2026
“Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems, 3rd Edition” Guest Editor: Dr. Iwona Grobelna Submission deadline: 30 August 2026	“Towards IoT in Space–Air–Ground–Sea Integrated Networks: Recent Advances and Challenges” Guest Editors: Dr. Lei Yan, Dr. Jie Li, Dr. Jiajie Xu and Dr. Mohammad Shehab Submission deadline: 31 August 2026
“Challenges and Future Trends of Wireless Networks” Topic Editors: Dr. Stefano Scanzio, Dr. Ramez Daoud, Dr. Jetmir Haxhibeqiri and Dr. Pedro Santos Submission deadline: 30 September 2026	“Next-Generation IoT and Smart Systems for Communication and Sensing” Topic Editors: Dr. Dinh-Thuan Do, Dr. Vitor Fialho, Dr. Luis Pires, Dr. Francisco Rego, Dr. Ricardo Santos and Dr. Vasco Velez Submission deadline: 31 December 2026

	2025 IEEE 5th International Conference on Electronic Communications, Internet of Things and Big Data Location: New Taipei, Taiwan Volume Editors: Teen-Hang Meen, Shu-Han Liao and Cheng-Fu Yang
	Highlights
	Event-Triggered Robust Fuzzy Controller Design for a Quadcopter Under Network Bandwidth Constraints by Ti-Hung Chen
	Identification and Optimization of Components of University Campus Space by Yue Sun and Yifei Ouyang
	Click here to read the full list of papers

The 16th Global TechMining Conference (GTM) will be held in Wuhan, China, from 20 to 22 May 2026. Search Technology via the VP Institute is pleased to co-host the 16th Global TechMining Conference (GTM 2026) in collaboration with the School of Information Management (SIM), Wuhan University, China.

Key areas of interest for GTM 2026 include data-driven methodologies and innovative applications in tech mining. The conference will explore advanced approaches in text mining, artificial intelligence, and machine learning for analyzing scientific and technological information. It will also highlight the role of tech mining in supporting technology forecasting, strategic decision-making, and R&D management, alongside its applications in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and quantum technologies.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Publications;
• Information;
• Computers;
• AI;
• MAKE;
• Metrics;
• BDCC;
• AI for Engineering;
• Digital;
• JCP.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at our booth and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://www.gtmconference.org/.

To commemorate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2026, MDPI is honored to host a special webinar highlighting the role of digital technologies and connectivity in strengthening resilience in an increasingly connected world. 

With the theme “Digital Lifelines: Strengthening Resilience in a Connected World”, this event underscores the importance of inclusive, secure, and reliable ICT systems in enabling societies to respond effectively to challenges and disruptions. 

Through this webinar, we will bring together researchers and experts to share insights on emerging technologies and innovations shaping the future of digital communication and resilience. 

Join us as we celebrate World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2026, reflecting on current progress and exploring how digital connectivity can support a more inclusive and resilient future. 

Keywords: digital transformation; connectivity; innovation; information society; internet of things (IoT); smart cities; technology; infrastructure; transformation; cybersecurity 

Date: 15 May 2026
Time: 8:00 a.m. CET | 4:00 p.m. AEST | 2:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 834 1111 4043
Website: https://sciforum.net/event/WTaISDW2 

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized. 

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available for viewing. 

Webinar Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Leandros Maglaras, School of Computing, Edinburgh University, United Kingdom;
• Prof. Dr. Ivan Serina, Dept. of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Italy;
• Dr. Lorenzo Mucchi, Department of Information Engineering, University of Florence, Italy.

MDPI will be attending the 5th International Conference on Optoelectronic Information and Computer Engineering (OICE2026), which will be held in Harbin, China, from 15 to 17 May 2026.

In recent years, optoelectronic information and computer engineering technologies have been widely used in all walks of life in national economy and national defense construction, driving the development of modern information technology with its extremely fast response speed, exceedingly wide bandwidth, great information capacity, and incredibly high information efficiency and resolution. Based on electronic science and technology, computer science and technology, information and communication engineering, OICE aims to provide an international communication platform for scholars, scientists, engineers, and students in related fields to share the latest research results, discuss the existing problems and challenges, and explore the future trends.

As an annual academic conference, OICE has been successfully held over the last 4 years, attracting delegates from more than 10 countries and regions, including China, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Canada. The published proceedings have been included in SPIE Digital Library, EI Compendex, and Scopus.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Sensors;
• Lights;
• Computers;
• Photonics;
• Information;
• Optics;
• Signals;
• Fibers.

We invite you to visit MDPI’s booth to meet our representatives, explore our latest initiatives, and discuss potential collaborations. For more details about the conference, please visit the official website: https://www.icoice.org/Default.aspx.

We look forward to connecting with you in Harbin!

MDPI will attend the 31st Australasian Conference on Information Security and Privacy as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Perth, Australia, from 6 to 9 July 2026.

ACISP 2026 will take place in the beautiful and historic city of Perth, and will offer a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and shape the future of our field. It will be organized by the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Edith Cowan University (ECU). The conference’s topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Information;
• Blockchains;
• Future Internet;
• Algorithms;
• Computers;
• Cryptography;
• Entropy;
• JCP;
• MAKE;
• Network;
• Software.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person at our booth and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://acisp.org/.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Information 2025 Outstanding Reviewer Award. Information’s Editorial Board and editorial team would also like to acknowledge the time and effort that reviewers have devoted to evaluating manuscripts submitted to the journal Information (ISSN: 2078-2489). It is due to their contributions that the journal maintains its reputation for high quality and a quick turnaround.

Winners:

• Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Pankowska, University of Economics in Katowice, Poland;
• Prof. Dr. Cheng-Wen Lee, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan.

Prize:

• CHF 500;
• A free voucher for article processing fees (valid for one year);
• A certificate.

More information can be found via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/information/awards/3373.

Information Editorial Office

We are honored to announce that Prof. Dr. William Gerwick will serve as the Chair of the 2026 Tu Youyou Award Committee.

A world-renowned authority in marine natural products chemistry and pharmacology, Professor Gerwick is a Distinguished Professor at both the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). His pioneering work at the intersection of ocean sciences and drug discovery makes him a fitting leader for an award centered on transformative medicinal breakthroughs.

Under Professor Gerwick’s stewardship, the 2026 Tu Youyou Award Committee will focus on recognizing innovative and impactful research in natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry, particularly work with the potential to drive meaningful advances in both scientific understanding and human health.

To provide further insight into his perspectives, we include below an interview with Professor Gerwick, in which he reflects on his scientific journey, his views on the field, and his vision for the Tu Youyou Award.

A Conversation with the Chair

1. Could you please introduce yourself and your research journey?

My research focuses on the natural products of marine algae and cyanobacteria, their application in medicine, their biosynthesis using genomic approaches, and innovative methods in the structure elucidation of natural products.

I received my BS degree from the University of California at Davis, my PhD from the University of California at San Diego, and conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Connecticut. After a couple of years in a junior faculty position at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico, I spent 21 years as Professor of Pharmacy at Oregon State University. In 2005, I returned to my PhD institution at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego, where I am currently a Distinguished Professor of Oceanography and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to advancing the field through both leadership and mentorship. I have served as president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy, chaired and co-chaired several major research conferences, and served as an associate editor for the Journal of Natural Products. I am a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. I have trained over 100 doctoral and postdoctoral students, and my research group has published nearly 500 papers and more than 25 patents on topics in the natural product sciences and medicinal chemistry.

2. What motivated you to accept the role of Chair of the 2026 Tu Youyou Award Committee?

Of course, I am a huge supporter of all awards that are given in recognition of excellent scientific research, and especially so in the natural products sciences and medicinal chemistry. However, this award is truly special in that it recognizes scientific excellence as well as impact, and is given in the name of an individual, Tu Youyou, who clearly had many challenges along the path to reach the pinnacle of her success. Not only was she the first Chinese person to win a Nobel prize in this area, but she was also the first Chinese woman to receive a Nobel prize, and this was achieved without graduate education in China or elsewhere. It’s a true testament to what can be achieved by hard work, determination, and vision. To read the history of her extraordinary approach to discovering novel antimalarial compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicine is truly inspirational. It is, therefore, the inspiration provided by the extraordinary life and career of Tu Youyou that motivated me to accept the Chair of the Award Committee for 2026.

3. How do you view the role of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry in today’s scientific landscape, and what major advances over the past decade have shaped this field?

A quite remarkable integration of fields is currently transforming natural products science and medicinal chemistry. In natural products, we are seeing integration of different omics methods, from metabolites to proteins to nucleic acids. Sophisticated biological and pharmacological approaches are driving the discovery of exquisitely potent and selective natural products. Advances are being made to integrate molecular-level recognition of natural products with chemical ecological studies, and sophisticated methods of structure determination using Artificial Intelligence or pioneering new tools such as microED are being applied with increasing frequency. High-level synthetic methodologies, such as protecting group-free synthetic routes, are enhancing medicinal chemistry, accelerating the identification of lead molecules with attractive pharmaceutical properties at an increasing pace.

4. How do you consider the balance between fundamental discovery (e.g., new molecules or mechanisms) and practical impact (e.g., therapeutic applications)?

Many individuals are excellent scientists and mentors, and have essential roles in developing our culture that values science and the scientific method. It should also be pointed out that not all scientific discoveries are going to have a broad societal impact, but they are nevertheless critical to the overall body and structure of science. But it is a truly remarkable individual who makes a key scientific discovery, recognizes its potential value to society in general, and then has the skills and determination to bring it forward as a useful product. That was the type of person the Tu Youyou is, and that is the type of person who is honored by the prize in her name.

5. What do you see as the key challenges or opportunities currently facing the field?

We are on the crux of an amazing revolution in many of the sciences, including natural products and medicinal chemistry; the purposeful application of Artificial Intelligence to solving many of the difficulties involved in the search for new pharmaceuticals from Nature. AI is transforming how we select organisms for study, what pharmaceutical targets to go after, rapidly resolving the chemical structures of new compounds, identifying efficient routes to their chemical synthesis, understanding their molecular mechanisms of action, and finally, designing their clinical application. The role of people in these pursuits is changing. Increasingly, the human role will be providing overall vision: what can we do? What should we do? And it is important to remember that AI is providing hypotheses, not truth. Scientists with expert domain knowledge will be critical for discerning the correctness of hypotheses put forth by AI. Altogether, advances in technology, expanding knowledge, and the appropriate use of AI methods are preparing society to be able to address emerging diseases, such as pandemics, as well as conditions that are not effectively treated by currently existing therapeutics.

6. How do you expect the Tu Youyou Award to contribute to the advancement of natural product chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and human health over the coming years?

The Tu Youyou Award is potentially transformative for the broad fields of natural products science and medicinal chemistry as it brings a significantly increased level of visibility to these topics and their contributions to human health. It will be crucial to have excellent communication to news agencies, social media and other communication outlets so that the general public is informed and educated on the high impact of these natural product/medicinal chemistry contributions. This will bring increased funding, attract promising students, and generally enrich the interface of these fields with the health sector.

7. What message would you like to convey to the research community and the public during this open nomination phase?

This prize gives broad societal visibility to the role that natural products have had in shaping a majority of our current medicines, as well as understanding the life forms with whom we share the planet. Further, it recognizes a woman scientist working under sub-optimal conditions who could persevere and make discoveries of global impact. The prize and what it represents, therefore, inspires current and future generations to engage in the study of Nature and its relationship to Human Health, to overcome adversity, and to aspire to making one’s life impactful.

About the Tu Youyou Award

Established in 2016, the Tu Youyou Award seeks to honor those who excel in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry. This award offers a total prize of CHF 100,000, which will be equally divided among the winners if there is more than one, with each recipient receiving an award medal and a certificate.

The 2026 Tu Youyou Award is open for nominations until 31 October 2026. We encourage all eligible candidates to participate in this prestigious recognition, as this award not only honors individual achievement but also encourages further scientific exchange, exploration and discovery in critical areas of medicine.

If you are interested in participating, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website for more information on the nomination requirements.

Conference: Language Resources and Evaluation Conference 2026
Organization: ELRA Language Resources Association
Date: 11−16 May 2026
Place: Palma, Spain
Booth Number: 7

A number of MDPI journals will be exhibiting at the Language Resources and Evaluation Conference 2026, an exciting event that will be held in Palma, Spain, from 11 to 16 May 2026. The exhibition time is from 12–15 May 2026.

The Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (LREC) has been biennially organised by the ELRA Language Resources Association since 1998 with the support of institutions and organisations involved in Human Language Technologies (HLT). The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners in computational linguistics, speech, multimodality, and natural language processing, with special attention to evaluation and the development of resources that support work in these areas. Over the years, LREC has become the major international conference in the field of Language Resources and Evaluation. For the past editions, the event has gathered 1800+ participants from both academic institutions and industrial companies all over the world.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Information;
• Languages;
• AI;
• Analytics;
• BDCC;
• Computation;
• Computers;
• Future Internet;
• Informatics;
• Knowledge;
• MAKE;
• Data.

If you are attending the above conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth, booth #7. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

Of the participating journals, these are celebrating their 10th anniversary:

The year 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Languages, a peer-reviewed open access journal on discussions and developments of multidisciplinary research with broad practical applications for the study of languages in the modern world. With an Impact Factor of 1.2 and a CiteScore of 1.8, the journal is covered in the ESCI, Scopus, and other databases, and has published more than 1000 papers from more than 3000 authors. In addition, more than 2000 reviewers have conducted at least one review for Languages. We are grateful for the contributions made by our editors, authors, and reviewers.

The year 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of Data, a peer-reviewed open access journal on data science. With an Impact Factor of 2.0 and a CiteScore of 5.0, the journal is covered in Scopus, ESCI, Ei Compendex, Inspec, DOAJ, and other databases. The journal has published more than 1200 papers from more than 5300 authors. More than 3000 reviewers have reviewed the journal at least once. We equally value the contributions made by our editors, authors, and reviewers.

MDPI will be attending the 9th International Conference on Electronics Technology (ICET 2026), which will be held in Chengdu, China, from 29 to 31 May 2026.

ICET 2026 is co-sponsored by the IEEE Chengdu Section and the Sichuan Institute of Electronics, and is hosted by the Youth Talent Work Committee of Sichuan Institute of Electronics, with the support of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan University, Southwest Jiaotong University, Xi’an University of Technology, Singapore Institute of Electronics, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu University of Information Technology, etc.

ICET conference's core objective is to establish an academic forum for scientists worldwide, both senior and emerging, to share research insights, knowledge, and advancements in electronics, micro/nanoelectronics, and electronic packaging. The conference also connects university academics, industry professionals, and the technical community, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange on the latest technological advancements.

The following open access journals will be represented at the conference:

• Technologies;
• Electronics;
• Information;
• IoT;
• JLPEA;
• Microwave;
• Telecom;
• Electricity;
• Hardware;
• JETA;
• JSAN;
• Chips;
• WEVJ.

If you are planning to attend the above conference, please feel free to stop by our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about this conference, please visit the following website: https://icet.net/index.html.