4th International Symposium on Digital Transformation (ISDT)
The Fourth Annual International Symposium on Digital Transformation will again be hosted by Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden after three successful events in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Organized by LNU’s Digital Transformations Knowledge Environment, the event welcomes participants from around the world to present and engage with different possibilities, current efforts and rising trends in the emerging field of Digital Transformation.
Together with our international colleagues, our goal is to encourage versatile approaches to societal challenges in various areas influenced by digitalization. In 2025, the symposium will concentrate on the following themes:
- Examples of digital transformation
- Ethical implications of digital transformation
- Collaborative approaches to digital transformation with a demonstrated liaison between academia, the public and private sectors.
- Engaging with digital transformation by combining methodologies and approaches from different disciplines.
We see the following research areas as highly relevant to these four themes:
- Digital business
- Digital learning & the digitalization of education
- Digital health
- Artificial Intelligence
- Digital working life
- Digital Humanities
We welcome abstracts clearly related to any of the above research areas, in addition to abstracts that might not specifically fall within these areas (a general track).
Please submit an abstract of 500-1000 words online by June 9, 2025. All abstracts will undergo a single-anonymous peer review and we encourage submissions from postgraduate students, early career researchers, and senior researchers.
The symposium will take place on 17–18 September in Kalmar, Sweden. It is free to participate either online or in person.
IMPORTANT DATES
Deadline for abstract submissions: June 9, 2025
Notification of decision: July 15, 2025
For more information please contact:
Dr. Emily Hanscam, emily.hanscam@lnu.se
Dr. Soumitra Chowdhury, soumitra.chowdhury@lnu.se
Dr. Johan Vaide, johan.vaide@lnu.se
More information about the 1st International Symposium on Digital Transformation
More information about the 2st International Symposium on Digital Transformation
More information about the 3rd International Symposium on Digital Transformation.
Keynote speakers
Professor Mato Brautović, University of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Title: Research as a political act: data access, power and the future of digital platform accountability.
Abstract: At a time when digital platforms are shaping public discourse and influencing democratic life, the issue of researchers' access to platform data is no longer a technical footnote, but a key political battleground. This keynote addresses the growing asymmetry between platforms and the research community and how the architecture of access, or the denial of it, allows platforms to control not only what we know about them, but also what we are allowed to know. Referring to the evolving regulatory landscape, particularly the ambitions of the Digital Services Act (DSA), the talk argues that restricted access undermines transparency, stifles critical scrutiny and weakens the public’s right to accountability. By affirming research as a political act, this keynote calls on regulators, academics, and civil society to resist the normalization of opacity and reclaim empirical inquiry as a pillar of democratic resilience.
Short bio: Mato Brautović is Full Professor of Journalism at the University of Dubrovnik and Vice-Rector for Internationalization. He leads two EU-funded projects: Adria Digital Media Observatory (ADMO) and DU-Check - which deal with disinformation, platform accountability and media literacy. As a member of the Executive Board of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), he actively advocates for better access to platform data for researchers. In his recent work, he emphasizes the political importance of digital research and argues that data is vital for democratic control. Brautović regularly lectures on digital regulation, transparency and disinformation in the platform age.
Related links: https://www.unidu.hr/vicerectors/
Professor Kathrin Creswell, University of Edinburgh, UK
Title: Putting the UK at the forefront of using artificial intelligence for the benefit of health and care: A mixed methods formative evaluation of the NHS Artificial Intelligence Lab
Abstract: Internationally, health systems are investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve safety, quality, and efficiency, yet many efforts remain localised and do not progress beyond early development stages. In 2019, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care launched the NHS AI Lab to accelerate safe AI adoption. We conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of the AI Lab, analysing 1021 documents and 85 stakeholder interviews. The AI Lab made important contributions to national AI policy, regulation, and capability building, and positioned the UK as a global leader in AI deployment for health. Despite progress, implementation and scaling were hindered by shifting objectives, limited capacity, and systemic misalignment with service needs. Some AI technologies demonstrated high return on investment and improved clinical processes. Lessons from the AI Lab highlight critical socio-organisational factors, gaps in scaling support, and the need for sustained coordination to realise the long-term benefits of AI in health and social care systems.
Short bio: Kathrin Cresswell (KC) is a social scientist with extensive experience of conducting process evaluations of digitally enabled change and improvement programmes in health and care. She has conducted formative evaluations of the NHS Care Record Service as part of the National Programme for IT, the Global Digital Exemplar Programme, and the NHS Artificial Intelligence Lab. She has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in international academic journals and almost £56 million research grant funding. She is currently Professor of Digital Innovations in Health and Care at the Usher Institute at The University of Edinburgh, and co-chair of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and European Federation of Medical Informatics Evaluation Working Groups. She is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics and a Member of the International Academy of Quality and Safety.
Professor Sarah Prestridge, Griffith University, Australia
Title: It’s an evolution not a revolution: Examining digital learning that requires pedagogical change.
Abstract: Since the 1970s with the introduction of computers in k-12 schools there has been the perception that technology will revolutionise teaching and learning. This has not been the case with evidence suggesting that teachers use technology to replicate established ways of working in the classroom. However, the advent of two distinct digital learning systems may hold the key to unlocking the transformative potential of digital technologies. The first, is the shift to online and the design of more flexible, choice drive learning pathways. These include hybrid multi-space, multi-site student engagement using virtual and asynchronous tools. The second, is the influence of GenAI which repositions the power of both teaching and learning within the student’s hands. These digital learning systems are redefining the teacher-student relationship and reshaping teaching roles and pedagogical practices. Most of all, at the centre of this on-going transformation are core epistemological beliefs which ‘come to’ inform new ways of working. This presentation will explore pedagogical beliefs and reasoning processes teachers’ experience as they shift to ‘transform’ their pedagogical practice to fully harness these new digital systems.
Short Bio: Professor Sarah Prestridge has been a primary school teacher, school leader, education adviser and academic researcher in the field of education for over 30 years. Her principal research contributions are in the field of digital technologies around pedagogical beliefs, professional development and learning. These areas synergise to focus on how teachers adopt, adapt and transform with technologies. Over the years, her research has mainly focused on teachers in K-12 schooling investigating transformative professional development; longitudinal use of computer games as pedagogical tools; pedagogical belief formation and reformation; pedagogies for wholly online and at a distance; defining pedagogies for three-dimensional virtual worlds and the adoption of distributed teaching models. More recently, her research has turned to investigating teachers’ pedagogical beliefs in relation to the integration of Generative AI in educational contexts
In recognition of her ground-breaking research efforts, she has been acknowledged as the top scholarly researcher in the field of Teaching and Teacher Education in Australia for 2025, 2021 and 2020. More detailed information about Professor Prestidge can be found at:
About Linnaeus University
Linnaeus University is a creative and international knowledge environment that promotes curiosity, creativity, companionship and utility. More than 44,000 students are registered at Linnaeus University.
Linnaeus University is located in Växjö and Kalmar, offering 150 degree programmes and 1,300 single-subject courses. Linnaeus University was established in 2010 through a merger between Växjö University and Kalmar University College.
With some 2,100 employees, Linnaeus University is a modern university with Småland as its base and the world as its arena. Studying and working at Linnaeus University involves being part of an environment that is characterised by knowledge and development. Students acquire new knowledge and are encouraged to think critically. Researchers make new discoveries that can bring change to our society. Employees share stories of a challenging and rewarding workplace. Linnaeus University is a university where people can reach their full potential.
A sustainable event
The conference “4th International Symposium on Digital Transformation” is a sustainability-assured meeting in accordance with Linnaeus University’s guidelines for sustainable events. These guidelines are linked to the 17 global goals in Agenda 2030 and comprise the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, the social, and the environmental.