Information Systems Research in Scandinavia

The IRIS (Information Systems Research in Scandinavia) Association is a non-profit organization that helps people learn more about information systems. These are the ways we use computers and technology to share and manage information. IRIS works mostly in the Nordic region, which includes countries like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.

The group started because of a meeting called the IRIS conference, which has happened every year since 1978. The IRIS Association became an official group in 1997. It also helps connect the Nordic countries with a bigger group called the Association for Information Systems.

IRIS takes care of a magazine called the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS). It also plans big meetings like the IRIS Conference and the Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems. Right now, a person named Aleksandre Asatiani is leading the group until 2026.

Governance

The IRIS Association has a board with four leaders and two PhD student members. Board members are chosen at the yearly meeting during IRIS/SCIS conferences. The leaders serve for four years, and PhD students serve for two years. Each leader is from one of the four IRIS countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. PhD members come from two IRIS countries that change every term.

The board makes sure the association follows its rules. It organizes the IRIS/SCIS conferences, picks members for the editorial board of the Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, and takes care of the association's daily tasks.

IRIS and SCIS Conferences

In 1978, the IRIS Association started having yearly conferences. It is the oldest conference in the world about information systems. It began with some Finnish computer science professors who wanted a place for Nordic scholars to share new ideas in systems analysis and design. The first conference was in Tampere and was called the Scandinavian Research Seminar on Systemeering. In 1987, it changed its name to IRIS. These conferences happen every year for researchers and students from Nordic countries in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Topics often include Digital Transformation, Emerging Technology, Business Process Management, and Participatory Design.

In 2010, the IRIS Association started another conference called the Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS). SCIS happens together with the IRIS conference and focuses on carefully reviewed research papers. In 2020 and 2021, both IRIS and SCIS conferences were held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next IRIS/SCIS conference will be near Borgarnes, Iceland, in August 2026.

Past Conference Locations

Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (SJIS)

The Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems is an important journal linked to the IRIS Association and the Association for Information Systems. It is published online by the Association for Information Systems. The journal studies how information systems impact society and focuses on research methods used in the Nordic region, such as working with people during research and creating new technology ideas. Authors and readers are from all over the world.

The idea for this journal began in 1984 at an IRIS conference in Helsinki, and the first issue was published in 1989. The journal’s editorial board has four editors, one from each IRIS country, chosen by the IRIS executive board. Lars Mathiassen was the first Editor-in-Chief.