Cognitive infocommunications (CogInfoCom), is an emerging interdisciplinary research field that has recently started to appear in the context of theoretical, R&D, and industryoriented projects. CogInfoCom deals with novel approaches to extend the cognitive capabilities of human users through the artificial cognitive capabilities of infocommunications devices, enabling them to interact more flexibly with IT infrastructure.

Two key points must be considered when asking why the emergence of CogInfoCom is not only timely but also necessary.

First of all, the infocommunications industry is experiencing trends that are resulting in the gradual appearance of artificial cognitive capabilities ? capabilities directed towards a broadened scope covering the sensing and processing of unstructured data.

Secondly, future users of infocommunications devices will expect both to be able to access these artificial cognitive capabilities in their everyday activities and to be able to merge them with their own cognitive capabilities. They will thus be able to apply them flexibly ? through their infocommunications devices ? in a wide range of applications in both physical and virtual contexts.

This Special Issue on Cognitive Infocommunications contains extended versions of key ideas presented at CogInfoCom conferences. The table of contents alone will demonstrate to the reader the broad scope of theoretical considerations and practical applications that underlie current and emerging CogInfoCom research.

It is our hope that this Special Issue ? along with the CogInfoCom conference series ? will contribute to providing a scientific forum for researchers from areas related to CogInfoCom and beyond, so that they may be able to develop stronger cooperation and create a more common language in order to produce useful synergies, and in order to fully meet the interdisciplinary challenges that underlie CogInfoCom.