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Guidelines and Deadlines

How it works

The Academic Programme is organised in the format of Workshops with Papers selected by the Workshop Directors.

Workshops may cover all the main areas of political science, including comparative politics, public policy and public administration, political theory, international relations and European studies.

All Workshops are to be held in person at the University of Innsbruck. This event does not support the hybrid format.

There is a two-stage process for submitting proposals to the Academic Programme:

  1. Call for Workshops 18 July 2025 – 30 September 2025
  2. Call for Papers 5 November 2025 – 3 December 2025

Participants may attend only one Workshop and must fully participate in all of that Workshop's sessions. You will be expected to engage in the discussion of all Papers in the workshop.

The Academic Programme will appear on the ECPR website in February. A full schedule for each Workshop will be sent by the Workshop's Directors ahead of the event.

Proposing a Workshop

18 July – 30 September 2025, midnight UK time

Eligibility

  • Any scholar affiliated with an ECPR Full Member institution is eligible to serve as a Workshop Director.
  • Associate Members can co-direct a Workshop only when partnered with a scholar from a Full Member institution. They are not eligible to act as sole Directors.
  • A Workshop can be led by a single Director or by one Director and one Co-Director. However, owing to the significant workload involved in organising a Workshop, we strongly recommend having both a Director and a Co-Director to share responsibilities.
  • The Workshop Director has the key responsibility of reaching out to their participants ahead of the event and keep them updated on event details and schedule times.
  • Directors and Co-Directors must represent institutions in different countries.
  • Individuals who served in any Workshop leadership role in 2024 or 2025 – as Director or Co-Director – are not eligible to serve in either role in 2026.
  • Approved Workshop Directors and Co-Directors in 2026 will only be eligible to apply again in 2028.

Student eligibility

  • Student proposers must be in the final year of their PhD programme.
  • They must also have prior experience organising panels or sections at an ECPR General Conference.
  • Students may not co-direct a Workshop with another student.

What you'll need

  • A Workshop title.
  • A brief overview of the theme, aims, and objectives.
  • An explanation of why the discipline needs the Workshop.
  • Key questions the Workshop will explore.
  • Director and Co-Director's details as listed in their My ECPR account.
  • Paper topics sought, after Workshops have been selected.

Workshop evaluation criteria

  • Proposals are evaluated by the ECPR Executive Committee and a Panel of previous Workshop Directors.
  • Evaluation is based on:
    • Originality of the topic and approach
    • Academic merit and scholarly contribution
    • Potential for participant engagement and interaction
  • Workshop topics must be duplicate those presented in the 2024 and 2025 Joint Sessions.
  • Proposals must show a clear contribution to the discipline and relevance to current scholarly debates.
  • Selection is limited to 30 Workshops. Proposals must meet all the criteria to remain competitive.

What happens next

Proposers will be informed about the outcome of their submissions by the end of October 2025.

All Papers will be presented in person at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Please ensure any Paper proposals you encourage are made aware of this.

Standing Group endorsements

Standing Groups or Research Networks can endorse only one Workshop each. This can be a joint endorsement with one or more Standing Groups or Research Networks.

Aspiring Workshop directors should contact the Steering Committee Chairs to seek such endorsement and must confirm the endorsement when submitting the online form.

Endorsed proposals are treated preferentially.

Proposing a Paper

5 November – 3 December 2025, midnight UK time

Please note that all Workshops will be held in person. This event does not support hybrid Workshops.

Papers sent directly to Workshop Directors will not be considered and late submissions may not be accepted.

Who can propose

  • Anyone conducting research in the field covered by the Workshop.
  • Only 10% of the total number of participants in a Workshop can be from an ECPR Non-Member institution. Workshop Directors will select on this basis.
  • Anyone proposing a Paper must have a My ECPR account.
  • If a Paper is co-authored, up to two authors can participate in the Workshop.

What you'll need

  • The Workshop number and/or title you wish to propose to, as listed in the Academic Programme
  • The Paper title (no more than 20 words)
  • The abstract (no more than 500 words)
  • 3–8 keywords, selected from a predetermined list, indicating the Paper’s subject, theme and scope. We use these keywords to categorise Papers, enabling users to search the online programme
  • The Co-author’s email address as registered in My ECPR (if applicable)

What happens next

From December 2025, Workshop Directors can access all submitted proposals to start selecting the Papers. You will be notified of the Directors' decision by early January 2026.

You may attend only one Workshop and must be present and fully participate in all of the Workshop sessions.

Funding

December 2025 – January 2026, midnight UK time

You could get funded to attend our Joint Sessions of Workshops with the support of our dedicated funding stream.

Event Participation Grant

Open to PhD students and early career scholars from ECPR Full Member institutions .

If successful, you will receive full fee waiver and up to £500 towards travel and accommodation costs.

All participants must register to attend. However, please do not register until you have heard about the outcome of your application.

Please note:

  • You must not be in receipt of any other funding for this event.
  • You must not have received funding from ECPR within the last two years.

Registration

January – February 2026, midnight UK time

Those not registered and paid by the registration deadline will be withdrawn from the Workshops.

Participants attending and appearing in any capacity in the Academic Programme must register and pay through ECPR’s online system before the registration deadline.

All participants must pay a fee, with the exception of Workshop Directors who are exempt from payment but must still register.

Student registration

Students are eligible for a reduced registration fee. To qualify, ensure your student status is verified in your My ECPR profile before registering. Upload a student ID or enrollment confirmation with a valid expiry date here.

You will receive a confirmation email once verified, allowing you to register for the event.

N.B. Your uploaded document is purely for verification purposes and will be deleted from our system once verification is complete.

Paper upload

Deadline March 2026

For further preferences and presentation times, contact your Workshop Director.

Upload or circulate your Paper (in PDF and English) to fellow Workshop attendees by March 2026 so they can prepare comments and questions.

  1. Head to My Events in your My ECPR account;
  2. Click Joint Sessions > Full details > My registrations > Manage paper > Upload;
  3. Click View Document to ensure that it has been uploaded successfully.

You can replace or remove your Paper after the event using this facility.

Uploading your Paper via My ECPR constitutes an agreement for ECPR to publish the Paper on the event app accessible to all participants.

Contact our Events Team if you have questions about uploading your Paper.

Visas

Visas are the responsibility of the individual. Depending on the purpose of travel and your country of origin, different types of visas will apply. Enquire well in advance about entry regulations at the embassy or consulate in your home country.

Visa letters will be supplied only when we have received your registration fee in full and after the 14-day cooling-off period. ECPR cannot offer any further advice on visas.

Travel and accommodation

If you are directing or planning to attend a Workshop taking place at the University of Innsbruck, please do not book your accommodation or travel until your participation has been confirmed.

When arranging travel and accommodation, ensure that your booking is refundable. It is your responsibility to arrange appropriate travel insurance. ECPR is not liable for reimbursing the cost of travel or accommodation made by participants.