“Taking stock and building partnerships for sustainable development of the mountain and rural areas”

The 8th Forum Carpaticum will follow upon the success of the Forum Carpaticum 2023 Carpathian Futures – Critical Transitions at the cross-section of the region’s social, political, environmental and economic challenges as well as research grounded solutions.

In addition to the dominant themes in the regional scientific and policy debates showcased in the S4C Research Agenda 2022-2030, the 2025 conference will pay special attention to two sub-themes to support the region’s diverse vulnerable communities and places as well as the scientific communication across the disciplines:

1. Building capabilities and facilitating the participation of vulnerable groups in rural and mountain regions through SSE in multi-level sustainable development policy
2. Bridging natural and social sciences for sustainable development and impact-driven research through transdisciplinary approaches

The contributions are welcome from the amongst the broad thematic areas identified in the S4C Research Agenda 2022-2030:

• Climate Change
• Water Resources and Management
• Natural Hazards and Risks
• Land Use and Land Cover Change
• Integrated landscape management and governance for better regional development policy
• Forests, their management and governance
• Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
• Ecosystem services and human well-being
• Urban and rural development
• Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Tourism
• Cultural heritage and traditional knowledge
• Education for Sustainable Development
• Participatory research, multi-actor dialogues and knowledge co-production
• Social innovation to promote sustainable development
• Green energy and energy efficiency
• Data Management

In addition to building on the S4C Research Agenda 2022-2030, the Forum Carpaticum 2025 will aspire to support Carpathian Convention’s Presidency of Serbia strategic priorities: “strengthening interregional cooperation and strengthening cooperation with the EU, and encourages close cooperation of the Carpathian Troika consisting of the previous, current and future Presidencies to maximise the results of common efforts”. In this light, the conference will be organised with the following objectives:

• seeking cross-disciplinary and cross-methodological synergies and capitalising on interdisciplinary research across natural and social sciences as well as humanities, including legal studies, in the Carpathian Region and beyond
• continuing in a multi-level stakeholder dialogue across local, national and supranational levels; building synergies with other relevant regional initiatives; and bringing local and marginalised voices beyond academia to the table
• supporting the development of intra-regional and inter-regional collaborative projects, particularly with the Caucasus Mountain Network
• showcasing the region’s Education for Sustainable Development initiatives, drawing from its cultural and natural heritage
• facilitating publication outputs through special issues and workshops with renowned scientific publishers
• capacity building and networking of young scholars and practitioners
• facilitating conversations with key public and private international donors

Deadlines for Proposals of Sessions, Abstracts and Side Even

There is a three-stage process for submitting proposals:

1.      Call for Sessions: 20 December 2024 – 31 January 2025 (midnight CET time)

Call for sessions are open NOW! To propose a session, please submit all the necessary information via the registration form here.

What you will need to submit:

• Indicate the type of session you are proposing
• Title of the section
• Overview and description of the session
• Name of Session Chair(s)
• Email address of Session Chair(s)
• Indicate whether it is a closed session or whether it is open to other participants
• Indicate three thematic areas from the S4C Research Agenda 2020-2023

Participants will be notified of the outcome of their proposed session by 5 February 2025.

2.  Call for Abstracts of Presentations and Posters: 5 February 2025 – 20 March 2024 (midnight CET time)

Call for abstracts of presentations and posters opens SOON!

What you will need to submit:

• Title of the presentation/poster
• Abstract (max. 300 words)
• 3-8 keywords
• Additional abstract of the presentation/poster in layperson language (max. 300 words) to make it easier to communicate and share your work with practicioners or other relevant stakeholders.
• 1-3 sentences long layperson description of the main outcomes / relevance of your presentation/poster for sustainable development of the Carpathian region.
• Indicate three thematic areas from the S4C Research Agenda 2020-2023

Participants will be notified of the outcome of their proposed abstract by 15 April 2025.

3.  Call for Side Events: 20 December 2025 – 15 April 2025

Call for Side Events open NOW! To propose a side event, please get in touch with the organising team via emails: jakub.csabay@fses.uniba.sk, kristina.rankovova@fses.uniba.sk, rudolf.skovira@fses.uniba.sk and juraj.turan@uniba.sk.

What you will need to submit:

• Type of side event
• Title of the side event
• Overview and description of the side event.
• Email address of the organiser(s) of the side event
• Number of envisioned participants

Participants will be notified of the outcome of their proposed side event by 15 April 2025.

Registration

Early-bird registration: 15 March 2025 – 15 May 2025 (midnight CET time)

Regular registration: 15 May 2025 – 15 June 2025 (midnight CET time)

Participants attending and/or appearing in the Programme must register and pay through online system before the registration deadline. The registration online system will be open on 15 March 2025. Those not registered and paid by the registration deadline will be withdrawn from the conference. Information regarding registration fees will be shared SOON.

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 by consulting the embassy or consulate of Slovakia in your home country. Organisation team cannot offer any further advice on visas. Visa invitation letters will be supplied on request only when we have received the registration fee in full.

Programme

The conference programme with full timetable will be available on the FSES website by early July 2025.

Contact information:

Kristína Rankovová, Conference Director, kristina.rankovova@uniba.sk
Juraj Turan, Conference Manager, juraj.turan@uniba.sk
Jakub Csabay, Conference Co-Chair, jakub.csabay@uniba.sk
Rudolf Škovira, Conference Convener, rudolf.skovira@fses.uniba.sk

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Venue

The event takes place and is hosted by the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia.

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Photo by Pixabay user fishka1380