MIDDLEWARE 2026: 27th ACM/IFIP International Middleware Conference
30th November – 4th December 2026
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Tarragona, Spain
https://middleware-conf.github.io/2026/
CALL FOR RESEARCH PAPERS
The annual ACM/IFIP Middleware conference is a major forum for discussing innovations and recent scientific advances in middleware systems with a focus on the design, implementation, deployment, and evaluation of distributed systems, platforms, and architectures for computing, storage, and communication. The conference will include a high-quality single-track technical program, invited speakers, an industrial track, panel discussions involving academic and industry leaders, poster and demonstration presentations, a doctoral symposium, tutorials, and workshops.
Topics of Interest
The Middleware conference seeks original submissions of research papers on a diverse range of topics, particularly those identifying new research directions. The topics of interest for the conference include, but are not limited to:
Middleware Applications
Middleware for cyber-physical and real-time systems
Middleware support for security and privacy
Middleware for AI and machine learning systems
Middleware for data science pipelines
Middleware techniques for internet-of-things and smart cities
Middleware for multimedia systems
Middleware Systems
Fault tolerance and consistency
Distributed and parallel systems
Distributed ledgers and blockchains
Event-based, publish/subscribe, streaming, and peer-to-peer systems
Serverless and Function-as-a-Service computing
Data-intensive systems (big data)
Cloud, fog, edge computing, and data centers
Networking, network function virtualization, and software-defined networking
Mobile and pervasive systems and services
Emerging hardware technologies
Middleware Design Principles and Programming Models
Programming abstractions and paradigms for middleware
Reconfigurable, adaptable, and reflective middleware
Critical reviews of middleware paradigms, e.g., object models, aspect orientation
Methodologies and tools for middleware systems design, implementation, verification, and evaluation
Monitoring, resource management, and analysis
Virtualization, auto-scaling, provisioning, and scheduling
Energy and power-aware techniques
The conference seeks original papers of five types:
Research Papers: These papers report original research on the above topics and will be evaluated on the significance of the problem, the novelty of the solution, advancement beyond prior work, sufficient supporting evidence, and clarity of the presentation.
Experimentation and Deployment Papers: These papers describe complete systems, platforms, and/or comprehensive experimental evaluations of alternative designs and solutions to well-known problems. The emphasis during the review of these papers will be more on the demonstrated usefulness and potential impact of the contributions, the extensive experimentation involved, and the quality and weight of the lessons learned.
Big Ideas Papers: These are papers that have the potential to open up new research directions. For such papers, the potential to motivate new research is more important than full experimental evaluation, though some preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the approach or idea is important. We will require senior researchers to present papers in this track for stronger dissemination and more lively discussion.
Short Papers : These papers hold up to the same standards and evaluation criteria of full research papers, but their content is presented in a more compact format.
Important Dates, Deadlines, Conditions
Middleware 2026 will have two submission deadlines, and we are providing the possibility of revision decisions for some papers that are deemed promising but somehow not yet complete. A more detailed explanation of the submission model is provided below.
First Round: Fall/Winter Deadlines:
Full paper submissions due: December 13, 2024
Early rejection notification: January 20, 2026
Rebuttal: February 26-28, 2026
Notification to authors (Accept/Accept with shepherding/Revise for Spring deadline/ Reject): March 7, 2026
Shepherded submissions due: March 28, 2026
Notifications of decisions of shepherded papers (Accept/Reject): April 11, 2026
Final paper files (camera-ready copy) due: April 25, 2026
Second Round: Spring/Summer Deadlines:
Full paper submissions due: June 06, 2026
Rebuttal: August 18-22, 2026
Notification to authors (Accept/Accept with Shepherding/Revise for next calendar year/Reject): September 5, 2026
Shepherded submissions due: October 3, 2026
Notifications of decisions of shepherded papers (Accept/Reject): October 10, 2026
Final paper files (camera-ready copy) due: October 24, 2026
Complete Guidelines and requirements
Please check the complete CFP at https://middleware-conf.github.io/2026/calls/call-for-research-papers/.