On September 23 and 24, 2026, the 32nd Doctoral Seminar on IT, Service, Innovation, and Collaboration (WISIC), organized by the Chairs of Business Informatics at the University of St. Gallen and the Institute for Business Informatics at the University of St. Gallen, took place.

The seminar focused on academic exchange regarding current research topics in the fields of AI, digitalization, innovation, and collaboration. The goal was to further develop ongoing dissertation projects through constructive feedback, interdisciplinary discussions, and cross-campus exchange.

To this end, the doctoral candidates presented their research in four different formats (Idea Talks, Relevance Pitch, Proposal, Journal Paper Project). The direct exchange with Professors, postdocs, and colleagues opened up new perspectives and provided valuable insights for further research.

A particular highlight of the academic program was the lecture by Prof. Dr. Jana Rehse from ETH Zurich on the future of Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) visualization. The focus was on how the perspectives of users and practitioners can be better incorporated into the further development of modeling and visualization.

Further academic insights were provided by Prof. Dr. Ivo Blohm on the topic of pre-registration in the scientific submission process and by Prof. Dr. Mahei Li on the role of generative AI in quality assurance and data preservation of raw data in scientific research.

There was also plenty of opportunity for personal interaction. During an art tour at the University of St. Gallen, participants gained fascinating insights into the university’s publicly accessible art collection. The event concluded with a team outing at Oktoberfest, which provided a chance for a convivial get-together.