2020 AIS Technology Challenge Award

    Nancy Pouloudi, Professor at the Department of Management Science and Technology of the Athens University of Economics and Business, received the "2020 AIS Technology Challenge Award” by the International Association of Information Systems (AIS), during the closing ceremony of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2020), conducted online on 16th December 2020.

    The award is given to individuals or organizations that stand out for their significant contribution, via new technologies, to the development of the IS scholars community internationally. For the year 2020, AIS recognized the contribution of Program Co-Chairs of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) and Pacific-Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS), which were conducted online for the first time.

    Specifically, as noted by the AIS President, Professor Brian Fitzgerald, the contribution of Professor N. Pouloudi in the conversion of ECIS 2020 to an online conference and the formation of the AIS Virtual Conference Series (VCS), in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, was remarkable. This contribution not only benefited the ECIS 2020 participants, but also resulted in numerous advancements and contributions in the long-term technological vision of the Association. The AIS Executive Director, Professor Matthew Nelson, acknowledged that Professor N. Pouloudi's leadership, efforts and vision set the standard of the platforms and the technical solutions adopted by many international conferences.

    Professor N. Pouloudi, on the occasion of her honorary distinction, stated: "The conversion of the organization of a leading international scientific conference, with a history of almost 30 years, into an online form for the first time, and in fact within three months, in the unprecedented conditions of the pandemic, was a huge challenge. I am grateful for the excellent cooperation with my Co-Chairs Professor Sue Newell, Professor Eric van Heck and the AIS staff. The result of this cooperation was a conference that attracted more than 1000 participants from all over the world, to watch -via video conference- 300 scientific papers in 28 thematic tracks and 5 parallel sessions. The presentation and discussion methods first tested at this conference were used by the other AIS conferences held later in the year. Advantages (e.g., easier access for colleagues from remote and poorer countries) and disadvantages (e.g., lack of direct personal communication and networking) of this form of organization were also appreciated, and these are likely to affect our perception of successful conference organization in the future."