Welcome Message

Words of Welcome

Introducing Women in the Smart World

Dr. Runhe Huang, Hosei University, Deputy Director of Hosei Library, Japan

Launched in 2024 by founding chairs Prof. Runhe Huang (Hosei University, Japan) and Prof. Zhi Jin (Peking University, China), the Women in the Smart World Forum was created to recognize and strengthen the leadership of women advancing artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and smart technologies. Following two successful gatherings, the first in Fiji and then in Canada, we are proud to continue this global movement at the Third Women in the Smart World Symposium, held in conjunction with the 2026 IEEE Smart World Congress at the University of Calabria in Rende, Italy.

Aligned with the Congress theme, "Convergence of Minds: Forging Human-AI Partnerships Across Disciplines," this Symposium envisions a future where technological innovation is guided by human values and is enriched by diverse and collaborative perspectives.

The Symposium will bring together accomplished researchers, innovators, industry leaders, policymakers, and emerging scholars to exchange ideas, inspire collaboration, and challenge conventional thinking about the future of intelligent systems. We invite participants to explore how women are helping to shape a Smart World through the keynote address, paper and poster presentations, and dialogue, with panel discussions during this Symposium.

We hope this Symposium will be defined by showing how a Smart World can be formed by building inclusive relationships and collaborations, and as such, this Symposium will serve as a call to action to ensure that the evolution of the next generation of Smart World will reflect diverse and shared values of a global community.