ERSA Monthly news & updates

October Issue - 10/2026

#ERSA2027: Call for Special Session Proposals is OPEN!

Help shape the scientific programme of the 66th ERSA Congress!



Under the theme “Regions and Cities in an Era of Geopolitical Risks,” ERSA2027 will explore how geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, and technological and environmental transitions are reshaping regional development.

We invite researchers to submit proposals for special sessions, bringing together scholars around shared research interests and emerging topics in Regional Science. This is an opportunity to foster scientific exchange, share new perspectives, and build international collaborations.

📍 Milan, Italy | 23–26 August 2027

🏛️ Politecnico di Milano

Submit your special session proposal and contribute to the ERSA2027 scientific programme!

Deadline: December 17th

See you in Milan for #ERSA2027! 🇮🇹

Spanish Section

ERSA at the 50th International Conference on Regional Science – Barcelona 2026

Barcelona, Spain | 21–23 October 2026

The 50th International Conference on Regional Science took place at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Barcelona, organised by the Spanish Association of Regional Science (AECR), in collaboration with the Catalan Regional Science Association (ACCR). This landmark edition celebrated the 50th anniversary of AECR under the theme “AI-Driven Territories for a Sustainable Future: 50 Years Building Knowledge for Regional Development.”

The conference was a great success, bringing together a large and engaged audience and showcasing a high level of academic rigour and scientific excellence. It reaffirmed the vitality of the Regional Science community and the importance of fostering high-quality research and international collaboration to address the challenges facing regional development.

The conference brought together researchers and members of the international Regional Science community to discuss emerging challenges in regional development, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and sustainability.

A highlight of the closing programme was the participation of Prof. Roberta Capello, President of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA), in the plenary session “AECR: 50 Years Building Knowledge for Regional Development”, held on 23 October. The session reflected on five decades of Regional Science in Spain, highlighting the evolution of the discipline and the contribution of scientific associations to advancing research and fostering collaboration at national, European and international levels.

The session also featured Janet E. Kohlhase, President-Elect of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), alongside distinguished members and former presidents of AECR. As part of the anniversary celebrations, Roberta Capello and Janet E. Kohlhase received commemorative plaques recognising the milestone.

Roberta Capello’s participation underscored ERSA’s strong ties with its Spanish section and the importance of cooperation among regional science associations. The conference provided a valuable opportunity to celebrate AECR’s longstanding contribution to the discipline and to reaffirm a shared commitment to scientific exchange, international collaboration and sustainable regional development.

ERSA congratulates AECR on its 50th anniversary and looks forward to continuing to strengthen the European and international Regional Science community.

Official programme:

https://reunionesdeestudiosregionales.org/barcelona2026/en/programa/

Spanish Section

Following the 2023 edition held in Barcelona, the VII Seminar for New Academic Researchers (VII SNAR) took place on 24 and 25 September at the Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism of the University of Alcalá, continuing a series of seminars that have already become a reference point for those embarking on their research careers.

Promoted by the Madrid Association of Regional Science, the Seminar responds to one of the priorities that the Spanish Association of Regional Science has pursued in recent years: continuing to strengthen a network of young academics and researchers to foster the development of Regional Science.

These seminars are designed to provide PhD students and early-career researchers with an opportunity to share their research interests, ongoing projects and open questions, receive feedback, and begin building academic networks that can support them throughout their research careers.

The Seminar received an excellent response, with around 50 proposals submitted. Following a careful evaluation by the Scientific Committee, these proposals formed a rich and diverse programme. Over the course of the two-day event, seven sessions were held to present research proposals, both in person and online. Participants came from a wide range of academic backgrounds, representing 16 Spanish universities and 8 international universities. Their research spanned a broad range of disciplines, including economics, geography, history, tourism, law, architecture, political science, computer science, multimedia and communications.

The event also combined the scientific sessions with training activities specifically designed for researchers at the early stages of their careers: a GIS workshop, a course on applied spatial econometrics using R, and a session addressing a crucial question for any young academic: how to publish an article in Regional Science.

The Opening Lecture was delivered by Professor Rosella Nicolini of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and focused on social and territorial cohesion, demographic challenges and public policies.

The Seminar was made possible thanks to the excellent work of the Organising and Scientific Committees. We would also like to acknowledge the institutional support provided by the University of Alcalá, the Institute for Economic and Social Analysis (IAES), and the Faculty of Economics in hosting this event. We are equally grateful for the support, sponsorship and dissemination provided by the Spanish Association of Regional Science (AECR) and its different regional branches, as well as by ERSA and RSAI. The Mexican Association of Regional Development Sciences and the Colombian Association of Regional and Urban Studies (ASCER) also helped spread the word about the event.

It was a highly productive two days of intense discussion and learning, providing an excellent opportunity to continue building a strong and lasting network among researchers interested in Regional Science, territorial economics, and the analysis of major economic and social challenges from a spatial perspective.



Here you can find the photos from the Seminar.

The Organising Committee

METREX is a partner in R-Map, a Horizon Europe project mapping, assessing and predicting the effects of remote and hybrid working on urban, suburban, peri-urban and rural areas across Europe. For regional scientists, these effects touch on core questions: labour market geography, commuting flows, residential relocation, agglomeration and the economic prospects of peripheral regions, including cross-border ones.

In November, the project will host six online Cross-Regional Dialogues, bringing together policymakers, practitioners and researchers to discuss the project's regional use cases. Each session presents region-specific scenarios and results, followed by facilitated exchange on which policy measures might transfer to other contexts.

Participants can join up to three dialogues:

• 5 November, 13:00–14:30 CET | Rheintal–Bodensee (AT): Turning Cross-Border Remote Work into Regional Opportunity, led by RIM Research and Innovation Management
• 6 November, 12:30–14:00 CET | Surrey (UK): Co-designing a Work-Life Hub Network, led by the University of Surrey
• 12 November, 11:00–12:30 CET | Thessaloniki (GR): The Spatial Dimension of Remote Work in Thessaloniki, led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• 13 November, 11:00–12:30 CET | Twente–Münsterland (NL–DE): Cross-Border Remote Working, led by the University of Twente
• 18 November, 10:00–11:30 CET | Istanbul (TR): Needs-Based Occupational Health Governance for Safe, Flexible and Climate-Resilient Work, led by Koç University
• 23 November, 14:00–15:30 CET | Milan (IT): Metropolitan Governance of Distributed Work: Integrating City and Periphery, led by Bocconi University

Registration is open until 30 October, and later registrations will be considered subject to availability: https://forms.gle/P1dGW8W8D4qK3Wzu6

Alongside the dialogues, the R-Map Platform may also be of interest to your members. It brings together European datasets on remote work, connectivity, transport, housing and jobs, and users can upload their own regional data as a CSV file to see how a territory compares: https://r-map.eu/r-map-platform/

Announcing IIHS Research Week 2027 | 11–16 January

IIHS Research Week returns from 11–16 January 2027, bringing together the PhD Workshop and Urban ARC, our annual international research conference.

The PhD Workshop (11–13 January) offers doctoral scholars at all stages a space to refine their research through mentorship, peer learning and individual feedback. Urban ARC (14–16 January) will explore ‘Urban Futures: Crisis, Knowledge, and Collective Possibility’, welcoming contributions across urban disciplines and methods.

Urban ARC follows immediately after the Workshop. We encourage Workshop participants to stay for the conference, build on discussions with peers, and engage with a wider community of researchers and practitioners.

Both events take place at IIHS, Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru. Urban ARC also welcomes online participation, with limited online options for the PhD Workshop.

Applications for both close on 1 November 2026.

Apply for the PhD Workshop

Submit your Urban ARC abstract

Share Your 2026 Book Publication with the RSAI-ERSA Community

Are you a member of the RSAI-ERSA Community and have recently published a book (preferably written in English)? Don’t miss this opportunity to share your work with our network send the details to office@ersa.org.