The 2026 SGH Doctoral Conference: Europe Revisited – Pathways to Competitiveness and Resilience

About the conference

The 2026 SGH PhD Research Conference is a one-day interdisciplinary academic event. Its objective is to explore economic, political, business, regulatory and social issues pertinent to improving Europe’s competitiveness and efficiency of the Single Market, as outlined in the Draghi and Letta reports.  The conference comprises of five thematic tracks aligned with key social science disciplines, offering participants opportunities to present their research (paper and/or poster presentation), engage in policy-oriented discussions, and receive feedback from senior academics and public/private sector representatives. 

Doctoral research can be isolating, particularly when addressing complex policy challenges. The conference creates peer support networks among students working on similar themes, fostering informal mentorship and resource sharing. By participating in the conference, doctoral students and early-stage researchers will develop stronger identification with the international research community, whereby opportunities to network, collaborate, and publish will be created. The networking reception and social activities facilitate these connections in relaxed settings.

The event is strategically designed to connect with the TFSC Paper Development Workshop (June 29, 2026) and the 2026 SGH PhD Summer School (June 30-July 2, 2026), thus to create a comprehensive academic experience for emerging European scholars who conduct research on topics related to the future of European integration, including the complex and interrelated issues of market integration and competitiveness.

Call for papers 

• Abstracts (ca 300 words) and papers of up to 10 pages (Calibri 11, space: 1) are required for submission and should include the following sections: title, abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and discussion.
• Please upload your abstracts here; please, submit your papers to Marta Ekner (mekner@sgh.waw.pl) and Professor Anna Visvizi (avisvi@sgh.waw.pl) 

All submissions will be reviewed by the organizing team, and authors will be notified of the decision shortly after the submission; as the number of seats is limited, subject to quality, decisions on abstract acceptance will be shared on a rolling-basis.

Topics:

The organizers of the conference welcome submissions that address either of the following broadly outlined topics.

Track 1: Management and Entrepreneurship 

• Digital transformation and innovation management in European enterprises
• Quality standards and competitiveness in the Single Market
• Organizational resilience and adaptation strategies

Track 2: Politics

• EU: governance, policies, institutional reform, challenges
• Safety and security in a turbulent world
• Migration and its regional/national facets

Track 3: Economics

• The Single Market, the cost of non-Europe, and lost opportunities 
• Innovation ecosystems, start-up, R&D investment, venture capital
• Twin-transition and the prospect of growth in/for Europe

Track 4: Finance

• Capital Markets Union implementation
• Sustainable finance and ESG integration
• Financial stability and crisis resilience

Track 5: Public Administration  

• Algorithmic governance and the rule of law 
• Regulatory quality across the EU member states
• Regulatory quality standards in AI and GDPR legislation for protecting the human rights

Deadlines:

• Deadline for abstract submission*: April 5, 2026
  Registration Form
• Deadline for registration: April 5, 2026 [once you will have been notified about your abstract acceptance, we will ask you to confirm your intention to join us at the SGH] 
• Deadline for full paper submission: June 1, 2026 [please, share it with Marta Ekner at mekner@sgh.waw.pl & Anna Visvizi at avisvi@sgh.waw.pl
• Conference date: June 28, 2026

*as the number of seats is limited; subject to quality, decisions on abstract acceptance will be shared on a rolling-basis.

Format of the conference and useful information

• The conference will be organized in panels (1.5h), 4 papers (each 15 mins), followed by discussion (30 min) moderated by the panel chair
• Poster presentations are welcome (the authors are responsible for the print out, A2 size) 
• The authors of best papers will receive additional feedback in view of exploring the possibility of submitting their work to the following journals:
  TGPPP
  DPRG
• The authors (and their supervisors) of best papers will be invited to submit their work in view of it being published in a Springer (Scopus-indexed) edited volume 
• There are no fees related to the participation in the conference

Associated events:

• Technological Forecasting And Social Change – paper development workshop
  TSFC PDW
• The 2026 SGH PhD Summer School

Organization

The Steering & Organizational Support Committee

• Marta Ekner, Ph.D. candidate, SGH Doctoral School, Warsaw, Poland
• Krzysztof Karwowski, Ph.D. candidate, SGH Doctoral School, Warsaw, Poland
• Zaharia Andreea Sorina, Ph.D. candidate, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Bucharest, Romania
• Artur Veryho, Ph.D. candidate, SGH Doctoral School, Warsaw, Poland
• Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Professor SGH, Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland; coordinator;

The Academic Committee

• Anna Visvizi, Ph.D., Professor SGH, Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland; coordinator;
• Paweł Wyrozębski, Ph.D., Professor SGH, Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland; coordinator;
• Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz, Ph.D., Vice-Dean of the SGH Doctoral School, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland
• Björn Bremer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Central European University (CEU), Vienna, Austria
• Mădălina Cocoșatu, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Faculty of Public Administration, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Bucharest, Romania
• Evelyne Hübscher, Ph.D., Professor, Director of the Doctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations (DSPS), Central European University (CEU), Vienna, Austria
• Radosław Malik, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Coordinator of the Young SGH Researcher Program, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland
  Young Researcher Program
• Elena-Claudia Marinică , Ph.D., Lecturer, Faculty of Public Administration, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA), Bucharest, Romania
• Mangirdas Morkūnas, Ph.D., Professor, Vilnius University Business School, Vilnius, Lithuania

Organizers

• SGH PhD Students’ Union Council
• SGH Doctoral School

Contact

• For all questions pertaining to the conference, please, contact: Marta Ekner mekner@sgh.waw.pl
• For matters related to institutional collaboration etc., please, send your note to Anna Visvizi, PhD avisvi@sgh.waw.pl