What it is
The Smart Cities International Conference (SCIC) is an academic conference run by the Faculty of Public Administration of SNSPA, the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest, through its Smart-EDU Hub. It began on 28 November 2013 as a Romanian-language event called “Orașul Inteligent” and has been international since 2016. SNSPA describes it as the oldest event in this research field in Romania. The 2022 edition, the tenth, drew about 200 participants from 27 countries, according to the university. Since 2025 it has been held jointly with CEEeGov Days, organised with the Austrian Computer Society.
How the programme works
The 14th edition, “Smart Cities, Human Futures”, runs from 9 to 11 December 2026. The first day is a doctoral workshop for PhD candidates. Conference sessions follow on 10 and 11 December. The call for papers lists ten tracks: governance, environment, technology, economy, people, mobility, living, education, a “Young Leaders” track for students and early-stage researchers, and “Future trends - Smart(er) State”. This year the call puts special weight on long-term studies of digital reforms. Keynotes and plenaries are at the Palace of Parliament, and the other sessions at the SNSPA campus on Bulevardul Expoziției.
All papers are peer reviewed and go into the conference proceedings, due in mid-2027. Selected papers may also appear in the Smart Cities and Regional Development journal.
Who goes and how to take part
The conference is open to academics, policy makers, early-stage researchers and students. It explicitly asks elected local officials and public-administration practitioners to submit work. There is no participation or publication fee. You register by email, whether or not you present, and lunches are provided. The timeline sets the abstract deadline at 1 November 2026. Authors hear by 15 November, and final papers are due on 29 November. Erasmus+ staff-mobility funding may be available to university staff.
Why it matters for cities
SCIC gives local administrations a place to put their digital-government work in front of researchers and have it peer reviewed, and SNSPA presents it as the oldest Romanian academic event in the field. For a Romanian city that wants an outside academic look at its digital reforms, the barriers are low: there is no fee, and the conference is held in Bucharest.
Going, or following from home
If you plan to present, the next date that matters is the 1 November abstract deadline. If you only want to follow the research, the proceedings of past editions and the SCRD journal are published online, and the 2026 proceedings are expected in mid-2027.