Call for Papers

The 2026 International Symposium on Sustainable Development (ISSD 2026) will take place on 23 October 2026. The Symposium is hosted by the Sustainable Development and Consumption Research Cluster, The Business School and is designed as the cluster’s flagship annual academic event.

ISSD 2026 provides a research-led platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainable development across systems, markets, finance, policy, digitalisation, innovation, and consumption. The Symposium responds to the growing need for integrative sustainability research, particularly in emerging and transition economies where sustainability challenges are complex, interdependent, and policy-relevant.

The Symposium aims to strengthen interdisciplinary sustainability research, support research excellence and publication pathways, enhance HDR and early-career researcher development, and build international visibility and partnerships. It also seeks to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals agenda, particularly SDGs 4, 9, 11, 12, and 13.

Participants will have the opportunity to present research, receive developmental feedback, join thematic discussions, and engage with senior scholars and journal editors.

These activities are expected to help the participants develop long-term collaborations with researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and institutions working on sustainable development.

ISSD 2026 welcomes submissions across a broad range of sustainability-related disciplines, including:

A dedicated focus will be placed on HDR and early-career researcher development through mentoring opportunities, developmental feedback, and sessions designed to support publication readiness and research collaboration.

• International scholars in sustainable development, sustainability transitions, sustainable finance, circular economy, climate action, digitalisation, public policy, consumption research, management, and related disciplines
• HDR candidates and early-career researchers seeking developmental feedback and publication pathways
• Policy-makers, practitioners, and professionals working on sustainability, climate action, sustainable business, and responsible innovation
• Researchers and institutions interested in developing international collaboration, special issue proposals, edited volumes, book proposals, and joint grant consortia

Interested authors are invited to submit their research papers (in PDF files) no later than 22 August 2026 via the form below. Extended abstracts (maximum 4 pages) are also welcome; however, full papers must be submitted before the conference. All submissions must be written and presented in English. Early submission is strongly encouraged, and decisions will be communicated on a rolling basis once the peer‑review process is complete. No submission fee applies.

Editors’ sharing panel

ISSD 2026 will include a dedicated Editors’ Sharing Panel for participants to receive guidance from senior scholars and journal editors. The session is designed to support authors in developing conference papers into publishable journal articles and to strengthen the publication pipeline for HDR candidates and early-career researchers.

Potential publication channels

To be updated.