Theme: Growing Together

The Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN) invites researchers, ICT professionals, academics, librarians, policymakers, industry partners, and postgraduate students to submit papers for ZAMREN Week 2026 to be held in Livingstone.

Under the theme “Growing Together”, ZAMREN Week 2026 aims to provide a collaborative platform for sharing knowledge, experiences, innovations, and best practices that strengthen digital infrastructure, research, education, and partnerships across Zambia and the region.

Objectives of the Conference

ZAMREN Week 2026 seeks to:

  • Promote collaboration among research and education stakeholders.

  • Showcase innovations and best practices in research and education networking.

  • Strengthen capacity in digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and open science.

  • Foster partnerships for sustainable growth of the NREN ecosystem.

  • Share success stories and lessons learned from member institutions.

Conference Tracks and Topics

Authors are invited to submit original papers aligned to the following thematic tracks and indicative topics:

Track 1: Digital Infrastructure and Connectivity

  • Building a Resilient National Research and Education Network: Infrastructure Strategies for Growth.

  • Scaling Campus Connectivity: Lessons from Last-Mile Network Expansion.

  • Designing High-Capacity, Redundant Networks for Research and Education Institutions.

  • Data Centres, Cloud Services, and the Future of Research Networking in Zambia.

Track 2: Inclusive Access and Institutional Growth

  • Connecting the Unconnected: Bridging the Digital Divide for Rural and Emerging Institutions.

  • Affordable Connectivity Models for Sustainable NREN Expansion.

  • From Membership to Impact: Growing NRENs Through Inclusive Participation.

Track 3: Identity, Mobility, and Secure Access

  • Eduroam as an Enabler of Academic Mobility and Collaboration.

  • Federated Identity Management: Building Trust Across Institutions.

  • Secure Digital Identity for Students and Staff in a Connected Academic Ecosystem.

Track 4: Capacity Building and Human Capital Development

  • Developing Network Engineering Skills for Sustainable NREN Growth.

  • Empowering Librarians and ICT Professionals for the Digital Research Environment.

  • Building ICT Leadership Capacity in Higher Education Institutions.

Track 5: Research Enablement and Open Science

  • Strengthening Research Visibility Through Institutional Repositories and Open Access.

  • Open Science and Research Collaboration: The Role of NRENs.

  • Preparing Institutions for High-Performance Computing and Data-Intensive Research.

Track 6: Cybersecurity, Trust, and Network Resilience

  • Cybersecurity Readiness for Research and Education Networks.

  • Collaborative Incident Response Models for NRENs.

  • Balancing Openness and Security in Academic Networks.

Track 7: Partnerships and Regional Collaboration

  • Strategic Partnerships as Catalysts for NREN Growth and Sustainability.

  • Government, Industry, and NREN Collaboration for Digital Transformation.

  • Regional and Global NREN Cooperation: Opportunities for Shared Growth.

Track 8: Digital Transformation of Teaching and Learning

  • Enabling Hybrid and Online Learning Through Research and Education Networks.

  • Digital Learning Platforms, Analytics, and Innovation.

  • Institutional Digital Transformation: ZAMREN as a Strategic Partner.

Track 9: Governance, Policy, and Sustainability

  • Governance Models for Sustainable National Research and Education Networks.

  • Financial Sustainability and Cost-Sharing Models for NRENs.

  • Aligning NREN Strategies with National Education and Research Policies

Track 10: Impact, Innovation, and the Future

  • Measuring the Impact of NRENs on Research, Education, and National Development.

  • Growing Together: Success Stories from ZAMREN Member Institutions.

  • The Future of ZAMREN: Innovation Pathways for the Next Decade

Submission Guidelines

  • Papers should be original and not previously published or under review elsewhere.

  • Submissions may be research papers, case studies, technical papers, or policy papers.

  • Abstract length: 300-500 words.

  • Full papers (if accepted): 6-10 pages.

  • Submissions should be in Microsoft Word or PDF format

Review Process

All submissions will undergo a peer-review process coordinated by the ZAMREN Week Technical Committee. Accepted papers will be allocated to paper presentation sessions during ZAMREN Week 2026.

Important Dates

  • Call for Papers Opens: 22nd January 2026

  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 1st February – 28th February 2026

  • Notification of Acceptance: 15th March 2026

  • Full Paper Submission Deadline: 15th April 2026

  • Conference Dates: 4th – 8th May 2026

Publication and Presentation

Accepted papers will be presented during ZAMREN Week 2026 and may be considered for inclusion in the conference proceedings or other ZAMREN knowledge-sharing platforms.

Contact Information

For enquiries and submissions, please contact:

ZAMREN Secretariat

Email: zamrenweek@zamren.zm

Website: www.zamren.zm

We look forward to your contributions as we Grow Together to strengthen research and education through collaboration, innovation, and shared digital infrastructure