SICT 2023

A doctoral school on sustainable ICT

Illustration of sustainable, ethic and human-centered ICT
From JULY 3rd to 7th 2023 in Grenoble, France
"Radical changes for sustainable and equitable ICT in times of compounding crises"

SICT2023 aims to bridge the gap between research in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the overarching and inter-related social, environmental, and economic questions of our time. The 4th edition of this doctoral summer school will break away from the dominant social, economic, and political paradigm that is currently fostering the infinite infinities of ICT... [more]

Far from limited to researchers with an engineering background, the event wishes to promote trans-disciplinary interactions on ICT topics by bringing together individuals with a broad range of expertise.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

[04th of May 2023] The registration for SICT 2023 is now OPEN ! More information on the registration page.

[12th of October 2022] Talks and debates from SICT2022 are now all available on our YouTube channel !

[8th of June 2021] Our opinion paper "Could Unsustainable Electronics Support Sustainability?", written after SICT2020, has just been published in MDPI Sustainability.

Program 2023

Radical Changes and Rethinking ICT

At the start of the week, we want to reaffirm our commitment to the need for radical change in the way we think about ICT.

Decolonising ICT: Understanding digital extractivism

This day aims to link ICT issues to the political issues structuring international relations.

How radical changes in ICT transform research on computing

The topics addressed that day revolve around the role of research in the radical changes of society. The aim is to discuss the place of the researcher, the relationship between researchers, artists and activists.

Taking the place of IT designers

This day will allow participants to hear from sustainable ICT actors and to work on practical design cases around sustainable ICT (through a workshop).

Transforming imaginaries around ICT

Finally, this last day allows us to question the place of the imaginary in the sustainable transition of our society, and in particular of computer systems.

About

Radical changes for sustainable and equitable ICT in times of compounding crises

   ABSTRACT 2023

Time is running out on limiting the extent of human-made destruction on our planetary foundations, as we are overshooting at least five out of the nine planetary limits. Our way of life in the Global North is one of the primary drivers for this worsening situation and requires fundamental change for a transition to sustainable societies. Despite having powerful and efficient technologies at our disposal, we have thus far failed to bring the anthropogenic pressure on our planet into balance with its boundaries. Among all tools, information and communication technologies (ICT) have grown enormously in production, deployment, and reach over the past decades, spreading to almost all aspects of our daily lives at the individual and industrial level. They have undoubtedly brought benefits to society (e.g., near-instant communication, access to knowledge, medical technology), but continue to cause severe socio-environmental damages and fall short from being equitable throughout their life cycle. Instead of just trying to improve our ICT in the traditional sense, our hypothesis relies on questioning our relationship with ICT and re-evaluating how we can act towards a sustainable and equitable future.

The goal of the Doctoral Summer School on Sustainable ICT (SICT) 2023 is to break away from the dominant   social , economic, and political paradigm that is currently fostering the infinite infinities of ICT (e.g, infinite growth, scalability, resources, data). We aim to explore radical changes that challenge the assumptions or completely rethink the current dominant capitalist economic model, traditionally focusing on growth – perhaps a more holistic and systemic approach is required? Beyond extractivism and profit-oriented business models, we question the coherence and trends of current industrial road-maps in ICT and their effects on planetary boundaries. Alternative paradigms have emerged in this mindset, such as the low-tech movement, the post-colonial and post-growth movements, and the initiatives around design justice. We don’t have to start from scratch, but we can rebuild whilst making the most of what we have.

During the week, we will hear from and connect with scientists, professionals, and change-makers working towards sustainable and equitable ICTs. Through their inputs, we aim to co-develop new imaginaries for radical changes in ICT. SICT 2023 builds on top of three previous editions in which we saw (i) the difficulty to determine whether the impacts of ICT are net-positive or net-negative, (ii) the complex interactions between our growth-based socio-economic systems and digital technologies, and (iii) the important lack of inter- and transdisciplinarity in the current research and innovation processes which biases digital technologies. In this context, the interdisciplinary docto ral summer school SICT aims at gathering researchers with   div erse   background s from ICT and beyond . Inviting those working or interested in sustainability to collaborate, experiment with interdisciplinary research , and rethink the road ahead for ICT as well as the way we develop digital technologies for a tomorrow within planetary boundaries . SICT is a bottom-up project driven by an international team of PhD students, post-docs, and professors aiming to create a space for alternative imaginaries to be presented, discussed, and experienced through workshops, talks, and debates.

We invite PhD students   from diverse academic fields to come together for a  five-day workshop from July 03 to July 07 , 2023 , in the area of Grenoble, Franc e. The event will be held in English. A few places are available to master students. We have a limited number of scholarships available, apply via info@sictdoctoralschool.com.

Other initiatives of interest

ICT4S 2023

ICT for Sustainability
Rennes, France, June 5-9, 2023

The international ICT4S conferences bring together leading researchers in ICT for Sustainability with government and industry representatives, including decision-makers with an interest in using ICT for sustainability, researchers focusing on ICT effects on sustainability and developers of sustainable ICT systems or applications.

More information: https://conf.researchr.org/series/ict4s