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Scope

The ACM 6th International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good (GoodIT 2026) is a premier international forum for researchers, practitioners, and educators to present and discuss the latest innovations, trends, and challenges in leveraging technology, data, and interdisciplinary approaches for Social Good and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The conference welcomes contributions that explore the intersection of technology with fields such as social sciences, healthcare, environmental studies, and public policy—highlighting the broader impact of digital transformation on society.

Alongside the main track, the conference features the Work-in-Progress Track and the PhD Track. The Work-in-Progress Track provides an excellent opportunity for practitioners and researchers from diverse domains to present early-stage work, share ideas, and receive valuable feedback, fostering cross-disciplinary discussions and collaborations. The PhD Track is designed for doctoral students at different stages of their research, offering a unique space to present and refine their work with guidance from experienced researchers across various disciplines.

Additionally, the program will be enriched with several Special Tracks, complementing the existing five conference tracks. These tracks will further emphasise the interdisciplinary nature of GoodIT 2026, addressing topics at the convergence of technology, ethics, sustainability, and societal impact. The forthcoming Call for Papers will outline these tracks in detail. The list of special tracks will be available at a later date.

Conference Main Topics

We welcome submissions on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  • Data Science and AI for Social Good:
    • Social Impact of Machine Learning Applications
    • Data and Algorithmic Biases and Potential Societal Risks
    • Large Language Models (LLMs) and GenAI Models' Impact on Society
    • Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in Machine Learning
    • Citizen Science and Civic Intelligence
    • Data Sensing, Processing and Persistence
  • Technology and Applications for Social Good:
    • AI and Machine Learning for Social and Humanitarian Response
    • IoT Solutions for Sustainable Development
    • Decentralised Approaches to IT
    • Digital Solutions for Cultural Heritage
    • Game, Entertainment, and Multimedia Applications
    • IT for Education, Smart Living, Health and Social Care
    • Social Informatics
  • Environmental Sustainability and Technology:
    • Green Computing and Energy-Efficient Technologies
    • Climate Change Modelling and Environmental Science
    • Smart Cities and Sustainable Urban Development
    • Sustainable Networking and Communication Systems
    • Technology Addressing the Digital Divide
    • Sustainable Cities and Transportation
    • Frugal Solutions for IT
  • Ethics, Policy, and Governance in Tech for Social Good:
    • Regulatory and Policy Frameworks for Ethical Tech
    • Governance of AI and Autonomous Systems in Social Contexts
    • Digital Rights and Freedom in the Age of Technology
    • Data Privacy and Security in Social Applications
    • Privacy and Trust Issues and Solutions
    • Smart Governance and E-administration
    • Socially Responsible IT Solutions

Special Tracks

The ACM 5th International Conference on Information Technology for Social Good (ACM GoodIT 2025) features special tracks whose aim is to focus on a specific topic of interest related to the overall scope of the conference.

In total, there are seven special tracks:

Advancing Inclusive and Accessible Technologies

While modern devices and technologies can present digital barriers for users with disabilities, they also have the potential to serve as powerful enabling tools. Ensuring the accessibility of these technologies is critical for fostering user inclusion, particularly in light of European laws mandating accessibility for new products and the updated Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This track invites scientists, engineers, and decision-makers from government, industry, and academia to present technical papers on their research and development in the field of accessibility. Topics of interest include accessible and assistive technologies, inclusive solutions for e-commerce and e-learning, game accessibility, and AI-driven solutions. Ultimately, this forum aims to demonstrate how designing for accessibility in web and mobile contexts enhances the digital experience for the entire population.

Organizing chairs

  • Ombretta Gaggi

    Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics "Tullio Levi-Civita", University of Padua, Italy

  • Silvia Mirri

    Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Bologna, Italy

  • Michael Paciello

    Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye, Inc.

  • Catia Prandi

    University of Bologna and a Faculty fellow at the Interactive Technologies Institute

See Special Track

Special Track #2: Human Aspects of Robotics: collaboration and Human-Centric Augmentation (HAROB)

This special track explores the evolution of robotics from isolated automation tools to intelligent, human-centered systems embedded in digital ecosystems. It focuses on how collaborative, augmentative, and AI-driven robotic technologies can be designed and governed to enhance human agency, safety, inclusion, and well-being across domains such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and smart environments. Emphasizing human–robot interaction, explainable AI, advanced perception, and socio-technical integration, the track addresses both technical innovation and societal impact. Particular attention is given to responsible deployment, including data governance, privacy, risk assessment, sustainability, and long-term societal implications, aligning robotics development with the principles of social good and inclusive digital transformation.

Organizing chairs

  • Mariagrazia Fugini

    Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

  • Micol Spitale

    Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

  • Sara Comai

    Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

  • Fabrizio Amarilli

    Dublin City University Business School, Dublin, Ireland

See Special Track

Agentic AI for Social Good

The Special Track on Agentic AI for Social Good focuses on how autonomous and generative AI systems can be designed and used to create measurable societal benefit while remaining transparent, accountable, and aligned with human values. It highlights work that connects technical innovation with real-world impact across education, healthcare, environmental sustainability, public services, and civic engagement. Main topics include human–AI collaboration and inclusion, multi-agent coordination and social dynamics, trustworthy and ethical AI design, and governance and evaluation methods for assessing impact, risks, and alignment with societal goals.

Organizing chairs

  • Vincenzo Moscato

    Full Professor, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

  • Valerio La Gatta

    Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University

  • Gian Marco Orlando

    PhD Student, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

  • Diego Russo

    PhD Student, University of Bergamo, Italy

See Special Track

Networking and Applications for eSustainable Mobility (NASMo)

The NASMo special track explores how emerging networking and digital technologies can enable sustainable, accessible, and intelligent mobility, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It highlights the societal impact of digital mobility solutions, including safer transportation through V2X communication, equitable access via Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), and data-driven urban planning to improve environmental quality and public health. NASMo provides a high-impact interdisciplinary forum bringing together researchers, practitioners, urban planners, and industry stakeholders to discuss innovative approaches to next-generation sustainable mobility.

Organizing chairs

  • Johann Marquez-Barja

    University of Antwerp & imec

  • Claudio E. Palazzi

    Full Professor, Department of Mathematics "Tullio Levi-Civita", University of Padua, Italy

  • Lorenzo Perinello

    PhD Student, Department of Mathematics "Tullio Levi-Civita", University of Padua, Italy

See Special Track

Digital Twins and Data Spaces for Social Good: From Local Digital Twins to the CitiVerse

Yet to be announced.

Special Track #6: Community-in-the-Loop Governance in AI-enabled Socio-Technical Systems (CO-GOV-AI)

Citizens, communities, industry, public institutions, and regulators increasingly operate within AI-enabled socio-technical systems (AI-STS), spanning environments such as neighbourhoods, campuses, homes, and sectors including healthcare, energy, and mobility. Despite the growing adoption of AI and data-driven technologies, significant gaps remain between governance processes and the communities affected by these systems. Key challenges include limited inclusion, transparency, contestability, accountability, and meaningful participation. This track invites interdisciplinary contributions that bridge technological and social perspectives to support more transparent, participatory, and sustainable governance of AI-enabled socio-technical systems.

Organizing chairs

  • Romina Spalazzese

    Malmö University, Sweden

  • Diego Casado-Mansilla

    University of Deusto, Spain

  • Paul Davidsson

    Malmö University, Sweden

  • Diego López-de-Ipiña

    University of Deusto, Spain

See Special Track

Special Track #7: Blockchain and Decentralized Technologies for Social Good (BANDIT)

This special track aims to explore and debate the main concepts and implications of blockchain technology, how it can be a driver of innovation, and its positive effects on our societies, industry, legal systems, and economic/financial systems. Also, the risks and uncertainties that blockchain arrows are welcome to be debated in this section, as regards: conflicts arising from the introduction, in mutable social interactions, of logics based on tokenization, automation, and trustlessness; energy consumption and environmental impacts; technical accessibility and digital skill divides.

Organizing chairs

  • Andrea Michienzi

    University of Pisa, Italy

  • Claudio Schifanella

    University of Turin, Italy

  • Alexander Norta

    University of Tallinn, Estonia

See Special Track

Submission Guidelines

Submitted papers must be original works and must not have been previously published. All papers must clearly outline the research question, methodology, results, and implications for social good. The papers should follow the new ACM format, called TAPS Workflow.

Paper length:

  • Main Track and Special Tracks Full Paper Submission should be a maximum of 9 pages. (ACM double column format).
  • Work-in-Progress papers should be a maximum of 4 pages. (ACM double column format).
  • Ph.D. track papers should be a maximum of 4 pages. (ACM double column format).

The indicated paper length includes references, tables, and figures. Documents with a length disproportionate to their contribution will be rejected. These submissions will undergo a single-blind peer review process involving three evaluations each. Accepted papers will be included in the ACM Digital Library. Each accepted paper must have at least one of its authors register for and physically present the work at the conference. Please consider that this is a condition to ensure the paper is included in the conference proceedings. There will not be possibilities to present online/remote. For additional details, please check the “Submission of Papers” web page.

By submitting your article to an ACM Publication, you are hereby acknowledging that you and your co-authors are subject to all ACM Publications Policies, including ACM's new Publications Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects. Alleged violations of this policy or any ACM Publications Policy will be investigated by ACM and may result in a full retraction of your paper, in addition to other potential penalties, as per ACM Publications Policy.

Please ensure that you and your co-authors obtain an ORCID ID, so you can complete the publishing process for your accepted paper. ACM has been involved in ORCID from the start and we have recently made a commitment to collect ORCID IDs from all of our published authors. We are committed to improve author discoverability, ensure proper attribution and contribute to ongoing community efforts around name normalisation; your ORCID ID will help in these efforts.

Important update on ACMs new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences

Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over 2,600 institutions already part of ACM Open, the majority of ACM-sponsored conference papers will not require APCs from authors or conferences (currently, around 76%).

Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a financial waiver. To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of participating institutions in ACM Open and review the Policy on APC Waivers for Financial Hardship. Keep in mind that waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM.

Understanding that this change could present financial challenges, ACM has approved a temporary subsidy for 2026 to ease the transition and allow more time for institutions to join ACM Open. The subsidy will offer:

  • $250 APC for ACM/SIG members
  • $350 for non-members

This represents a 65% discount, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period. This temporary subsidised pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.

Important Deadlines

Event Date
Special Track Proposal Submission Deadline February 14th, 2026
Special Track Proposal Notification February 21st, 2026
Paper Submission Deadline (all) May 17th, 2026
Paper Acceptance Notification (all) June 7th, 2026

Please submit your papers through our Submission Portal

For inquiries about the call for papers please contact Andrea Michienzi andrea.michienzi@unipi.it