Our Network
ERCIS is a distinguished international research network dedicated to advancing the field of Information Systems. Comprised of leading universities and industry partners across the globe, ERCIS focuses on collaborative research, innovation, and knowledge exchange.
Through joint EU-funded projects, researcher visits, and interdisciplinary initiatives, ERCIS addresses key challenges in digital transformation. The network not only enhances the quality and impact of Information Systems research but also fosters strong connections between academia and industry, driving forward practical solutions and technological advancements on an international scale.
Our Partners
Our partners are drawn from 26 countries, with a focus on Europe but extending far beyond. Through our extensive partner network, we connect with approximately 100 researchers and 300 PhD students in the field of Information Systems and related disciplines. In total, we provide education to over 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students who represent the digital leaders of tomorrow.
Furthermore, our Advisory Board comprises several influential companies that are at the forefront of Digital Transformation. These organizations present our research team with real-world challenges associated with digitization, while our network offers them unparalleled access to highly skilled young talent and senior expertise.
How we are organized
The governance of the ERCIS network is intended to support the overall goals: Active international collaboration, inclusive decision-making, as decentralized as possible. The basis of our network are our partners, researchers and practitioners from Europe and beyond. They work together in Research Clusters, forming groups of people united under topical umbrellas. Competence Centers are dedicated to more specific topics and have a clear vision.
The coordination of the network takes place at the University of Münster, by the ERCIS Office and the ERCIS Academic Directors. Together with a selection of network partners, they form the Steering Committee, responsible for strategic decision making. Get ore information below.
Shared trust, enduring friendships, and collective pursuit of common objectives form the foundation that binds our vibrant community together. Since its inception, numerous members have remained steadfastly engaged, contributing significantly to the growth and success of our network.
Together, our ERCIS partners collaborate diligently to promote the development of Digital Europe, further reinforcing our commitment to fostering worldwide progression in the digital sphere.
Despite maintaining strong ties to their home institutions, many of our members proudly acknowledge their affiliations with the ERCIS network and actively participate in enhancing its reputation.
In return, the network wholeheartedly supports efforts to showcase the accomplishments of its individual contributors, thereby elevating the overall standing of our group.
the ERCIS network defined five network clusters that serve as umbrella for its members to join forces. They span from method-orientation to domain-orientation, providing homes to the members’ various research interests. They serve as incubators for project proposals, joint research and teaching activities, and joint policy-making in the respective areas.
The Research Cluster are fluid and are being discussed by the Steering Committee on a regular basis. Currently the following Research Clusters are active:
- Data Science and AI
- Process Science
- Knowledge and Learning
- Smart Manufacturing
- Digital Public Services
Competence Centers are research groups that specialize in specific areas to conduct research, develop methods and tools, and provide guidance to address the unique challenges faced by organizations and society. ERCIS has several active Competence Centers:
- Competence Center for Conceptual Modeling: Focuses on creating methodologies and automated tools to help designers and analysts create and analyze conceptual models used in various business domains. They cover model query languages, patterns, process mining, semantic technologies, standardization, visualization, analysis, IT support, assessment, and optimization of coordination in crisis management.
- Competence Center for Crisis Management (C3M): Addresses issues in humanitarian logistics and crisis management by conducting research in visualization, analysis, IT support, assessment, optimization, and coordination. Its primary goal is to identify challenges and gaps in existing practices and propose suitable solutions in information systems and supply chain management.
- Digital Transformation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Competence Center: Encourages research and provides expertise on the digital transformation of small and medium enterprises. It covers topics like digital business strategies, assessing the transformative potential of emerging technology, automation, resilience and innovation, personalization, ecosystems and networks, managing collective attention, knowledge creation using AI, and ethics of digital transformation.
- E-Government Competence Center: Specializes in electronic governance, combining aspects of process management, operational efficiency, citizen relationships, and technology perspectives. Key topics include acceptance and adoption of eGovernment ICT, business process management, social media research in eGovernment, and open government.
- IT Security of User-Centric Systems: Deals with ensuring secure integration of digital technologies into everyday life. Main topics covered include security of user systems, data privacy, authentication and authorization, threat detection, incident response, and security awareness.
- Competence Center Service Science: Focuses on understanding and facilitating the creation of value in service systems across various industries and societies. Although there isn’t much detailed information available in the description, they contribute to theories and artifacts related to service science, management, and engineering.
- Competence Center Smarter Work (CCSW): Analyzes the impact of current technologies on the working environment. Central themes include mobile enterprise, social media governance, social media analytics, unified communication, and collaboration.
- Social Media Analytics: Investigates the spread of disinformation, propaganda, and manipulation through social media. The team combines experts from fields including computer science, statistics, social sciences, journalism, economics, and industry professionals to study manipulation characteristics, develop detection techniques, and suggest countermeasures.
The ERCIS Steering Committee is composed of the following members:
- The ERCIS Academic Director(s)
- Two representatives from the ERCIS Office
- Regional Representatives from each of the ERCIS regions
- Three designated ERCIS Partners
- An appointed Industry Director
- Representatives from each ERCIS Cluster
The committee is responsible for mapping out the strategic direction of the network and making decisions regarding new membership applications. They convene three times per year, with at least one meeting taking place on-site during the Annual Workshops. Additional virtual meetings are held throughout the year.
As primary spokespersons and chief ambassadors of the network, the ERCIS Academic Directors play a pivotal role in representing the organization. Currently, this position is jointly held by Professor Dr. Jörg Becker, the network’s founder, and Professor Dr. Jan vom Brocke, two distinguished academics dedicated to advancing the mission of ERCIS.
Established in Münster, Germany, in 2004, ERCIS has its headquarters based at the University of Münster. Overseeing daily operations within the network is an experienced administrative staff led by Dr. Katrin Bergner and Dr. Armin Stein. Together they manage all aspects of the network’s administration and serve as members of the ERCIS Steering Committee.
Our signature activities
The network lives from our partner’s activities. This can be summer schools, research projects, conferences, joint lectures, joint industry projects, or anything that get better becaus we work on it internationally, together.
There are several signature activities that the ERCIS Office organizes, together with the partners. For a network, ties and nodes are most important – caring for them is vital. The ERCIS Annual Workshop, that takes place once a year at a partner institution, is one opportunity to meet in person and strengthen the ties, same as our ERCIS@ECIS meetings at the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Taking our younger generation into the network is one of the goals of our Doctoral Consortia and our Winter School, where our partners serve as faculty and welcome our future colleagues. Keeping connected with reality is being ensured by Industry Round Tables, where we meet whenever a relevant topic arises.
Once annually, ERCIS network members gather for multiple consecutive days at one of the consortium’s participating institutions. During these events, attendees engage in discussions centered around topical issues, welcome newly inducted participants, strategically plan forthcoming research and educational ventures, among other relevant agenda items.
A defining characteristic of these meetings involves selecting a singular subject matter serving as a central theme guiding discourse and deliberations throughout the workshop.
Results were, among others, publications about future trends (e.g., vom Brocke et al, 2010: Current and Future Issues in BPM Research: A European Perspective from the ERCIS Meeting 2010), publications about current topics (e.g., Beverungen et al., 2021: Seven Paradoxes of Business Process Management in a Hyper-Connected World; Coombs et al., 2021: What is it about humanity that we can’t give away to intelligent machines? A European perspective), or the preparation of research projects (RISE_BPM).
The 2024 version of the Annual Workshop will take place in Viterbo, Italy, at the University of Tuscia, hosted by our partner Prof. Dr. Alessio Maria Braccini.
Boasting prominence as one of the premier conferences catering specifically to the Information Systems (IS) community across Europe – and indeed, globally – the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) consistently attracts a substantial presence of ERCIS partners. Attending such prestigious events presents an excellent chance to foster professional relationships and expand personal networks. Recognizing this potential, the organizational team arranges casual gatherings open to all ERCIS affiliates, providing ideal settings for establishing rapport with colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere.
Should you find yourself attending ECIS as an ERCIS associate, do seize the opportunity to stop by and acquaint yourself with fellow members!
This year, around 60 people attended our meeting at Paphos, Cyprus, in an amazing sunset setting.
As we have a lot of PhD candidates within the ERCIS network in different locations around the world, we established regular ERCIS doctoral consortia to foster the exchange of ideas and suggestions for improvement from senior faculty. Researchers with different IS backgrounds as well as other PhD candidates that can give valuable input lead to fresh ideas and new approaches concerning the PhD thesis. Together with a professional and friendly atmosphere, the ERCIS doctoral consortia are a perfect event for improving and sharpening research ideas but also to network and make friends.
Since 2011, ERCIS has been organizing the ERCIS Winter School on Advanced BPM Topics (BPMWS). During this one week seminar, open to students from ERCIS members institutions, ~20 undergraduate students from all over the world come together to learn about and discuss current and future Business Process Management (BPM) topics with some of the most renowned BPM researchers.
Collaborative dialogue with industry stakeholders constitutes a cornerstone principle underlying high-impact research endeavors.
Leveraging the robust connections maintained by our esteemed ERCIS network, we routinely host roundtable discussions addressing salient themes ranging from cutting-edge artificial intelligence integration within business environments to devising effective strategies for implementing bring-your-own-device policies in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Additionally, our platform enables thoughtful exploration of emergent phenomena, exemplified by fruitful dialogues surrounding the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on corporate resilience and adaptability. Such exchanges continue to yield meaningful insights and actionable recommendations, bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and practical implementation.
Our Fellowship
On occasion of its 20th anniversary in 2024, ERCIS initiated the Fellowship Award, to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the European Information Systems community. ERCIS Fellows have inspired generations of scholars across Europe both through their work and through serving as a role model for courageous, responsible, and impactful work of significant value to society. ERCIS fellows are recognized for their fundamental contributions to the Information Systems field across Europe, having inspired early career academics, promoted innovative thinking, and supported diversity and inclusion through their actions.
Becoming a part of the network
We believe that great collaboration requires trust, mutual interests and understanding. We wish to emphasize that participation in our network requires active engagement and collaboration with fellow members. There are two main paths towards becoming part of the ERCIS family:
ERCIS Partner: To become an official ERCIS Partner, you must receive a nomination from another existing Partner and subsequently have your application approved by the Steering Committee. This selection process adheres to strict standards of transparency and fairness, ensuring equal opportunities for all applicants.
Research Affiliate: If you seek a less formal arrangement, consider joining us as a Research Affiliate. This status is granted through direct appointment by an established ERCIS Partner. Please get in touch with them, if you are interested.
ERCIS (Distinguished) Fellowship: Prestigious appointments reserved for select scholars who demonstrate exceptional contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the realm of information systems, bestowed by the Steering Committee.
