The Second Swiss Colloquium on Applied Ontology (SCAO 2027)
Thursday and Friday, February 4-5, 2027 (CET)
Event webpage: SCAO 2027: The Second Swiss Colloquium on Applied Ontology – SCOR
The SCAO 2027 colloquium, SCOR’s flagship event, provides a forum to present and discuss contributions of applied ontology to the Swiss scientific community and to Swiss innovation.
We invite proposals for 30-minute presentations (20-minute talk + 10-minute Q&A) aligned with one of the following themes:
- Ontology of Food: Modeling the Edible Alps (up to five contributed presentations)
- AI, Concepts, and Conceptualization: From Ontology to Ethics (up to three contributed presentations; the accepted presenters are also expected to participate in a panel discussion with keynote speakers)
The number of accepted presentations in each track may be adjusted depending on the quality and volume of submissions.
Funding opportunities will be available for accepted presenters. (click for details)
Funding includes:
- Travel support
- Travel expense reimbursement of up to CHF 500.
- Reimbursement follows university regulations. For example, air travel is not reimbursed for journeys that can be completed within 10 hours by train. Please carefully review the reimbursement guidelines (see the PDF below).
- Reimbursement requires submission of receipts, tickets, and payment details (e.g., IBAN).
- Accommodation: Up to 3 nights (February 3–6) in a hotel near the venue (likely Hôtel des Arts). Accommodation is organized and booked by the organizers; no action is required from participants. Please note that alternative accommodations cannot be selected.
- Meals: Lunches during the colloquium and the conference dinner on the first day. Participants will be asked to select their meals from a set of predefined options; arrangements are handled by the organizers.
- Please note that we will not reimburse accommodation, transportation, or meal expenses incurred by accompanying persons (e.g., a speaker’s spouse or partner).
Timeline
(The deadline is 23:59 AoE — Anywhere on Earth.)
Submission deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Notification of acceptance: Monday, November 2, 2026
Eligibility
Applicants with accepted proposals are expected to attend and present in person at SCAO 2027. Remote presentations are not available.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions must include:
- Presentation Abstract (max. 500 words) aligned with one of the two themes.
- One relevant publication (2024–2026) demonstrating the applicant’s expertise and in which the applicant has a leading role (e.g., as first or corresponding author), identified in APA citation style and including the DOI if available. In-press papers are eligible provided that a final accepted manuscript is available.
- PDF of the publication, including proof of acceptance for in-press work where applicable.
- Relevance statement (max. 100 words) explaining the connection between the publication and the presentation proposal.
- Contribution statement (max. 150 words) describing the relevance of the presentation proposal to the Swiss scientific community and/or Swiss innovation.
Submission constraints include:
- Each applicant may submit only one application to the colloquium; in particular, submission of multiple applications to different themes is not allowed.
- A given publication may be referenced in only one application.
- Each application must identify a single presenting applicant at the time of submission. Following acceptance, one or more co-presenters may be added, provided that they have made a substantial scholarly contribution to the proposal (e.g., drafting the abstract).
- This provision is intended to recognize meaningful scientific contributions and, where applicable, to support the co-presenters’ academic records or eligibility for funding from their own institutions.
- Please note that financial support provided by the colloquium is available only to the accepted presenter (i.e., the original applicant); co-presenters are not eligible for funding.
All submissions must be made via the following Google Form: https://forms.gle/ELnbAvDDPttNaGH6A.
Please note that signing in with a Google account is required in order to upload files and to ensure that each person submits only one application.
Selection
Submissions will be evaluated by the organizers, SCOR members, external collaborators, keynote speakers, and when necessary, external reviewers recommended by any of the above.
In addition to the scientific quality of the proposals, the selection process will take into account the diversity of topics, speakers, and institutional representation in order to ensure a balanced and inclusive program. Where several proposals from the same research group or institution address closely related topics, the selection committee may prioritize submissions that broaden the thematic and institutional representation of the colloquium. This approach also helps to ensure the fair and effective allocation of the limited funding available to accepted presenters.
Notification of decisions will be sent by email (contact@swissonto.ch). No individual reviews will be provided. Please note that we cannot respond to individual inquiries regarding submission decisions.
Helvetia Ontology Presentation Award 2027
The Helvetia Ontology Presentation Award will be given to the presentation judged to make the most significant contribution to SCAO 2027. The recipient will be selected by the organizers in consultation with SCOR members and keynote speakers.
The award includes SCOR membership:
- as a regular member for recipients based in Switzerland; or
- as an external collaborator for recipients based outside Switzerland.
The announcement will be made at the SCOR General Meeting and subsequently communicated through a SCOR post and the SCOR member webpage.
FAQ
Does lack of personal funding affect selection?
No. Selection is based on scientific quality and relevance. Funding availability does not influence the decision, and applicants are not asked about it.
Will the relevant publication be evaluated according to conference or journal rankings?
No. In line with SNSF general guidelines, we assess the scientific quality and relevance of the publication. Greater weight is given to peer-reviewed publications and to work that has not previously been presented at other venues.
Can the deadline be extended?
In principle, no. Extensions may be considered if the number of high-quality submissions is insufficient.
How can I write a contribution statement?
We recommend, for example, consulting the online resources listed on the event webpage regarding challenges facing the Swiss scientific community and Swiss innovation related to the conference themes.
Does SCAO 2027 offer any opportunities for article publication?
No. SCAO 2027 currently accepts presentation proposals only. However, a special journal issue associated with the Ontology of Food track is under consideration. Should this plan be finalized, details will be announced in due course.
Contact
For any inquiries, kindly reference “SCAO 2027: CfP” in your message when submitting the SCOR contact form.