Call for sessions
BNAIC 2026: Call for Sessions on 21 October 2026
The 38th Benelux Conference on Artificial Intelligence and the 35th edition of the Belgian/Dutch Conference on Machine Learning (BNAIC/BeNeLearn 2026) will take place in October 2026 in Maastricht, the Netherlands. BNAIC/BeNeLearn is the annual flagship AI conference for the Benelux region, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and industry partners.
BNAIC/BeNeLearn is organised under the auspices of the Belgian-Dutch Association for Artificial Intelligence (BNVKI) and the Dutch Research School for Information and Knowledge Systems (SIKS).
BNAIC 2026 will feature a mix of keynotes, paper presentations, and poster sessions. In addition, this year we welcome thematic sessions organised by the community. These sessions provide space for focused discussion, interaction, and exploration of emerging or interdisciplinary topics in AI.
This call invites Session Proposals for BNAIC 2026
The sessions are proposed and organised independently by the session organisers. This includes defining the session theme, inviting and confirming speakers, and organising any session-specific activities (e.g. talks, panels, demos, or discussions). The BNAIC organisation provides the overall conference setting, including rooms, presentation facilities, coffee breaks, and social events, as part of the broader conference programme. There may be opportunities for coordination between sessions, such as joint poster slots, shared panels, or cross-session discussions.
BNAIC 2026 aims to reflect the state of the art in AI, showcase emerging research directions, foster exchange between academia and industry, and stimulate discussion on the societal impact of AI. Sessions may focus on foundational methods, applied AI, interdisciplinary perspectives, or emerging challenges and opportunities.
Submission Guidelines
We invite proposals for Sessions of 1.5 hours, 3 hours, or 4.5 hours, organised around a coherent theme related to Artificial Intelligence. The conference will host a limited number of sessions, each scheduled within the main conference programme.
Sessions can take many forms, including (but not limited to):
- Meet-ups
- Hackathons
- Workshops
- Invited or contributed talks
- Panel discussions
- Networking or community-building sessions
Interdisciplinary or cross-sector discussions
Session Proposal Requirements
A session proposal should include the following information:
- Title and short abstract of the session (to be published on the conference website).
- Session organiser(s), including affiliations (to be published online) and contact details (shared only with the organisers for practical coordination).
- Description of the proposed session, including its goals, a preliminary agenda, and—where applicable—potential or confirmed speakers.
- Relevance to BNAIC and AI, explaining how the session fits within the scope of the conference and what participants are expected to gain.
- Intended audience includes researchers, industry practitioners, students, policymakers, and interdisciplinary communities.
- Additional considerations include non-standard duration, interactive formats, special technical requirements, hybrid participation, or other creative elements.
- Session organisers are fully responsible for the content and organisation of their session. BNAIC provides the venue, scheduling, and general conference infrastructure.
Session proposals should be no longer than 1 page and submitted to:
Timeline
Submission deadline: 1 June 2026
Notification of acceptance: 1 July 2026
Q&A session for session organisers: 15 September 2026
Session: 21 October 2026
Accepted sessions may start detailed planning immediately after acceptance, in coordination with the programme committee. Session organisers are expected to provide a session webpage (linked from the BNAIC 2026 website) with confirmed details by 15 August 2026. Final session programmes should be confirmed by the end of August 2026. Regular coordination meetings between session organisers and the programme committee will be organised in the months leading up to the conference.
We welcome session proposals from:
- Researchers and academics from all AI-related disciplines
- Industry practitioners and applied AI teams
- Start-ups and innovation hubs
- Public-sector and policy stakeholders
- Interdisciplinary researchers working at the interface of AI and other domains
- Community builders and open-source contributors
The programme committee will evaluate session proposals based on:
- Quality and clarity of the proposal
- Relevance to AI and the BNAIC audience
- Expected impact and engagement
Balance and diversity within the overall programme
Registration and Fees
All participants and session organisers are expected to register for the conference. Registration fees will cover operational costs and access to the full BNAIC 2026 programme.