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 for sustainable computing
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
Sustainability-aware techniques
The conference seeks original papers of these 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.
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 Cycle: Winter Deadline:
Paper abstract registration: December 5, 2025
Full paper submissions due: December 12, 2025
Early rejection notification: January 26, 2026
Rebuttal: February 18-20, 2026
Notification to authors: March 6, 2026
Final paper files (camera-ready copy) due: April 24, 2026
Second Cycle: Summer Deadline:
Paper abstract registration: May 29, 2026
Full paper submissions due: June 5, 2026
Early rejection notification: July 10, 2026
Rebuttal: August 12-14, 2026
Notification to authors: August 28, 2026
Final paper files (camera-ready copy) due: October 16, 2026