HAMBURG, Germany, May 13 – We are very pleased to announce that nine topics focusing on practical challenges, emerging ideas, and shared community interests have been selected for the newly introduced ISC Community Stage. This is a space specifically created to promote interactive meetups, peer exchange, and community-led discussion across advanced computing and related ecosystems.
Unlike traditional presentation formats, the community stage places audience participation at the center, with sessions built around discussion, networking, live feedback, lightning talks, and collaborative problem-solving. The Community Stage access is included as a benefit for Exhibition Pass holders.
“This new program stems from the intention of offering our community a relaxed space for sharing ideas, asking questions, and connecting with one another,” said Tanja Gruenter, Head of Conference Program Team. “It is about creating open dialogue on important topics.”
Gruenter noted that the selected sessions address pressing issues in HPC, AI, and quantum computing, including how to build a community, train future leaders, enhance collaboration, improve access, and turn advanced computing into real-world impact.
The selected Community Stage sessions are:
1. Show Up, Stand Out, Stick Around: Activate ISC’s Full Potential
Led by BeeGFS / ThinkParQ, this peer-to-peer session explores how exhibitors and organizations can make better use of the full ISC lifecycle — before, during, and after the event. Drawing on BeeGFS’s experience in building a strong HPC user community, the session will examine pre-show outreach, meaningful on-floor engagement, post-show follow-up, and the role of user groups, BoFs, and peer knowledge exchange in creating lasting community visibility.
2. Managing EuroHPC Collaborative Projects: Expectations and Best Practices from the Funder and Consortia
Aimed at project managers and principal investigators working on EuroHPC Joint Undertaking projects, this meetup brings together EuroHPC project officers and experienced consortium managers for an open discussion on effective project management. The session will address internal coordination, communication with granting authorities, reporting expectations, governance structures, and practical ways to manage complex multi-partner projects with less friction and greater clarity.
3. Open OnDemand Community Flash Talk Forum
Organized by members of the Open OnDemand development team, this session will provide a forum for the Open OnDemand community to share experiences, best practices, and practical tips. Through a series of short flash talks, audience questions, and discussion, participants will explore how institutions are using Open OnDemand to make HPC systems more accessible through browser-based portals, shared applications, and community-developed tools such as Appverse.
4. Bridging HPC Operations and Users from Industry and Academia: Let’s Talk
This highly interactive session will examine how HPC centers can better connect infrastructure, operations teams, researchers, and industry users. Through lightning talks, live polling, and moderated audience discussion, participants will explore how to move beyond fragmented one-off collaborations toward scalable engagement models, especially as AI, digital twins, quantum workflows, and workforce pressures reshape users’ expectations of HPC centers.
5. EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy (EVITA): HPC Training for Everyone
This session will introduce the EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy and its work toward a structured, modular European framework for HPC training. Participants will discuss the Competence and Qualification Framework, prototype training modules, the HPC Certification Forum Skill Tree, and opportunities for training providers to contribute material through funded calls. The session is designed to gather community feedback on the training needs and how EVITA can support universities, HPC centers, and industry.
6. Finding Your People in HPC: A WHPC Community Meet-Up
Hosted by Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC) representatives, this informal meetup is designed to help its members, allies, and newcomers build genuine connections within the HPC community. Through facilitated networking, rotating conversations, and opportunities to meet WHPC Chapter and Affiliate leads, the session aims to make ISC feel more welcoming and to help participants leave with a stronger sense of belonging and an ongoing support network.
7. Sustainable Collaborations and Knowledge Exchange Across the UK and Europe
Supported by the Computational Abilities Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) project, this session will focus on turning conference conversations into lasting collaborations. Open to researchers, early-career scientists, mentors, mentees, and digital research professionals, the session will combine lightning talks with facilitated group discussions to identify shared interests, skills, and possible next steps, including joint proposals, shared software, mentoring, training, and cross-border collaboration.
8. AI Factories in Europe: Powering the Convergence of HPC and AI for Scientific Breakthroughs and Digital Sovereignty
This session will explore how AI factories are reshaping the role of HPC in Europe by integrating compute infrastructure, data pipelines, software stacks, and talent to support AI development at scale. Through lightning talks, polling, moderated discussion, and open Q&A, participants will examine how AI factories differ from traditional HPC centers, how they can support scientific and industrial innovation, and what they mean for Europe’s digital and AI sovereignty.
9. #hacktheworldabetterplace – Why It Still Matters to Inspire Our Youth to Code
Led by Hacker School in Hamburg, this session connects the future of HPC with the need to inspire young people to code. It will highlight how early coding education, especially for girls and socio-economically disadvantaged students, can help broaden the talent pipeline for HPC, AI, and advanced computing. The session will invite attendees to reflect on their own path into technology and consider how the HPC community can support grassroots initiatives that make coding literacy more accessible.
In addition to the Community Stage, we encourage attendees to take part in networking opportunities across ISC 2026, including the Meet & Greet sessions, Birds of a Feather discussions, poster sessions, and exhibition-floor activities. You can view the full program on the ISC event platform.
Join ISC High Performance 2026 in #ConnectingTheDots
ISC 2026 returns to the Congress Center Hamburg from June 22 to June 26 for its 41st edition. Since its inception in 1986, it has been recognized as the world’s oldest and Europe’s most attended event for HPC, AI, and quantum professionals and organizations interested in performance, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Nages Sieslack
nages.sieslack@isc-group.com
