Is addressing Grand Challenges impossible – or just impossible to do alone?
Conference Program
Experience three inspiring days of exchange, insight, and collaboration.
The program of the Grand Challenges Conference 2026 explores how joint research can turn shared knowledge into lasting progress on the most urgent challenges of our time. It highlights how collaboration across perspectives and professions can open pathways toward more inclusive, sustainable, and hopeful futures, bringing together diverse approaches that spark dialogue and new ways of thinking. In addition to engaging with global perspectives on how to address grand challenges, the program also focuses on the following five topics: Social Cohesion, Global Health, Responsible Innovation in Times of Transformation, Climate & Water under Change, and Quantum Technologies.
Participants can look forward to:
- Inspiring keynotes and thought-provoking discussions that explore visions and global concepts for addressing the complex societal issues of our time.
- Groundbreaking insights from experts across disciplines on progress and solutions to five pressing grand challenges.
- Countless opportunities for networking and collaboration, offering space to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and initiate new joint initiatives.
Day 1
Common Grounds
Day 2
Focus Sessions
Day 3
Beyond Now
Call for Contributions
Share your ideas, and join us in shaping better futures — together.
The Grand Challenges Conference 2026 invites researchers, practitioners, and changemakers to come together under the theme Joint Research for Better Futures. In an era defined by complexity and transformation, we believe that collaboration—across disciplines, institutions, and sectors—is key to generating knowledge that matters and action that lasts. At the heart of the conference are the following six topics:
- Addressing Grand Challenges – exploring approaches, concepts, and visions for researching major societal issues
- Social Cohesion – strengthening trust, participation, and democratic resilience
- Global Health – advancing equity and preparedness in a changing world
- Responsible Innovation in Times of Transformation – ensuring that technological and social innovation serves people and the planet
- Climate & Water under Change – adapting to and mitigating the impacts of environmental transformation
- Quantum Technologies – unlocking the transformative potential of quantum systems to tackle tasks of information processing and communication
We welcome submissions for presentations of research papers and posters that present fresh insights, share inspiring examples, or demonstrate innovative approaches. Contributions should show how joint research—across disciplines, perspectives, and professions—can help create more inclusive, sustainable futures.
Descriptions of individual sessions can be found here
To learn how to submit your abstract, please click here for more information.
We warmly invite you to send us your abstract by 30 November 2025.
Topics and Sessions
To learn more or submit an abstract, please choose a topic and session that interest you. You can submit your abstract by clicking the Submit button under the session of your choice in the session overview.
Please note that signing in and submitting an abstract does not automatically register you for the conference. Conference registration will open separately in January 2026.
Submit
How to Submit
We’re delighted about your interest in contributing to the conference. To learn more or submit an abstract, please choose a session and topic that interests you. You can submit your abstract by clicking the Submit button under the session of your choice in the session overview
Please note that signing in and submitting an abstract does not automatically register you for the conference. Conference registration will open separately in January 2026.
You can submit your proposal here
Full submission guidelines are available here
We warmly invite you to send us your contribution by 30 November 2025.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re always happy to assist — simply click here to get in touch.
Submission Formats
Presentation time: 10–20 minutes (depending on the session)
Start your abstract with a clear, jargon-free sentence that introduces your work in a way that is accessible to a broad, cross-disciplinary audience. This opening should identify the grand challenge your contribution addresses and clearly connect it to one of the conference’s core themes.
Next, describe the specific context in which your work is situated—emphasizing its real-world relevance and making it understandable to participants from diverse fields. Outline your research approach or methodology, the central question driving your work, and your key findings.
Conclude with a brief reflection on the significance of your contribution: What does it add to current knowledge or practice? How does it matter—academically or practically—in the context of the selected theme?
All presentations will be part of curated sessions, designed to foster dialogue, exchange, and connection across disciplines and sectors.
Poster
Posters will remain on display throughout the conference and will be featured during a dedicated session that allows presenters to engage directly with attendees and discuss their work in depth.
When preparing your abstract, begin with a clear, jargon-free sentence that introduces your work in a way that is accessible to participants from diverse disciplines and sectors. Identify the grand challenge your work addresses and clearly connect it to one of the conference’s core themes.
Next, provide context: describe where and how your work is situated, and explain why this setting matters. Frame your description in a way that resonates with a broad, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral audience. Then, briefly summarize your approach or methodology, outline the central research question, and share key findings.
Conclude your abstract by explaining the significance of your contribution. What does it add to ongoing conversations, either in academic or practical contexts? Why should others take note? Make sure its relevance is clearly tied to your chosen conference theme.
Submission Guidelines
We welcome a range of contribution formats and are happy to support you in selecting the one that best fits your work. If you’re unsure which format or theme aligns most closely with your project, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the conference organizing team by clicking here. we’re happy to assist and look forward to hearing from you!
Author(s): Please list all authors and co-authors, including their full names and institutional affiliations. Kindly provide a short biography for each author, not exceeding 2,000 characters (including spaces).
Length: Abstracts should not exceed 2,000 characters (including spaces).
Title: Keep your title concise—maximum 100 characters.
Multiple Submissions: You are welcome to submit more than one abstract. If you’re unsure which session is the best fit, you may indicate a second session preference.
Alternative Formats: If your abstract is not selected for an oral presentation, please let us know whether you would be open to presenting your work as a poster.
Review and Selection
All submissions will be reviewed by the Scientific Conference Committee to ensure they align with the chosen contribution format and the overarching conference themes.
If you submit multiple abstracts for oral presentations, please be aware that the committee may limit oral presentation opportunities to one per individual. Additional accepted submissions may be offered as poster presentations or Grand Challenges Spark Talks instead.
To promote fair and inclusive participation, we warmly encourage submissions that reflect the diversity of social groups, backgrounds, and genders.