The conference is a joint partnership between EADI (European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes) and Institute of Development Policy (IOB) at the University of Antwerp. 

More information about the scope and aims of conference can be found on the landing page of this conference website here

The conference will be hosted within the premises of the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) at the University of Antwerp. Details about buildings and rooms will follow in due time. 

Yes, the conference is organised in a hybrid way to give the maximum flexibility to participants. This means that presenters and participants will be able to present/participate either online or in-person. Sessions will take place physically at the conference venue and be live-streamed via Zoom. Hybridity applies to all panel sessions except for poster sessions.  

Please note that once you registration for the conference opens later in 2026, you will need to take a final decision regarding whether you attend in person or online. 

To stay up to date with the latest news, you can subscribe to our newsletter here, follow our Bluesky account here and check for regular updates on the conference website here. 

We seek to provide spaces for discussion, engagement, sharing, and co-creation among conveners, contributors and participants. For that reason, the conference gives room for a variety of different panels and sessions:

Seed Panels

• Are included in the open call for abstracts (opens in October 2025)

• Provide a platform to present work in progress and/or innovative ideas

• Do not necessarily require the submission of a full paper

Harvest Panels

• Are included in the open call for abstracts (opens in October 2025)

• Provide a space to present completed research and research findings

• Will require upload of a (draft) paper before the conference

Roundtable sessions

• Bring a panel of experts to reflect on a given topic

• Not included in the call for abstracts

Poster presentations

• Are included in the open call for abstracts (opens in October 2025)

• Provide an informal space to present very early stage research, particularly suited for master or PhD students

• Can only presented on-site (online option not available for posters)

Important deadlines: 

• 20 October 2025: call for abstracts opens

• 16 December 2025: call for abstracts closes

• 26 January 2026: notification of acceptance/rejection of abstract

If you want to submit an abstract for a seed panel, a harvest panel or a poster, you can do so via Conftool, the conference management software, once the call opens on 20 October. Your abstract will then be reviewed and you will be notified by 26 January whether your contribution is accepted or not.

Note: before being able to submit an abstract, you will need to create an account on Conftool (see below)

Unless indicated otherwise in the individual descriptions of panels, the working language of the conference is English. 

Conftool is the conference management software that is used for this conference. Through Conftool you can submit a contribution, and at a later stage manage your profile and register for the event. 

To register to Conftool, follow these steps: 

• Open the Conftool page by clicking here, or copy pasting the following URL into your browser: https://www.conftool.org/eadi-iob-2026/ 

• Click on ‘register new’ to start creating your account

• Fill in all the required fields and any optional field you like, and click on ‘Create user account only’ at the bottom of the page

• Check that you receive the automatic confirmation email in your mailbox. Make sure to check your spam folder: Conftool emails often land there. 

To submit an abstract for a seed panel, harvest panel or poster session, follow these steps:

• Log in to your conftool account and click on ‘Your submissions’

• Read carefully the information on top of the page before proceeding

• Select the panel you are interested in from the list

• Fill in the required fields and click on ‘Proceed’

• Review all your information before clicking on ‘Save submission’

• The submission is now saved and will appear on top of the ‘Your submissions’ page

• Check that you have received the confirmation email (it may be in your spam folder)

For each panel, at least one convener needs to be physically present in Antwerp for the conference. If there are more than one convener for a panel, some can attend online as long as one is present. 

Once accepted presenters in your session have been notified of their acceptance, they will have to register. It is during the registration process that they (and everyone else) will have to decide whether they attend online or in-person. 

No, this is unfortunately not feasible. Each panel gets one slot and one only. 

Please email us at: conference2026(at)eadi.org letting us know of the desired changes and we will make the relevant changes on the conference website and on Conftool.

Yes, everyone attending the conference needs to register. This also applies if you are attending the conference without taking part in a panel. To register, you will need to create a Conftool account.

Registration will open in 2026 (exact date to be announced), and the deadline for early-bird registration will be communicated soon on this page. Please consult the FAQs regularly for updates.

The conference fee for the conference will soon be published here. Please consult the FAQs regularly for updates.

Bursaries will be available for selected participants in the Global South. More information will be made available on this page in due time. 

Yes. The conference organisers do not provide packages which include accommodation. You need to take care of booking accommodation yourself.