91ÌÒÉ«

What is the conference about?

This year's conference focuses on issues related to entrepreneurial learning for innovation, arts, culture and creativity, as well as social diversity and the influence of these areas on shaping the future of post-industrial cities.

The organisers emphasise that contemporary cities are facing numerous challenges, including economic transformation, environmental change, technological development, increasing diversity and social fragmentation.

At the same time, these metropolitan areas are becoming testing grounds for new models of cooperation, civic engagement and social innovation.

The conference aims to create a space for dialogue between academia, professional practice, culture, the public sector and civil society.

Which thematic areas are open for submissions?

Cultural Innovation, Arts and Creative Urban Transformation

Topics include the role of arts and culture in the revitalisation of post-industrial cities, cultural and industrial heritage, science communication through the arts, and the use of artificial intelligence in artistic activities.

Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation and Creative Economies

This theme is devoted, among other things, to social entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, entrepreneurship education, sustainable development and business models supporting urban transformation.

Participatory Methods and Co-Creating Futures

The focus will be on methods of cooperation between academia and society, design thinking, city labs, participatory research, co-creation-based innovation and creative approaches to solving social challenges.

Inclusion, Accessibility and Civic Engagement

The organisers encourage submissions addressing social inclusion, migration, diversity, accessibility, social entrepreneurship, participation in culture and the empowerment of local communities.

What can be submitted?

The organisers welcome submissions in the form of: individual papers, thematic panels, workshops, book presentations, stakeholder debates, artistic performances and student initiatives.

Take Part in the Competitions, Win a Grant and Receive an Award at the Conference

Awards will also be presented during the conference as part of the UNIC Best Paper Awards and UNIC Best CityLab Awards, recognising outstanding academic papers and the most valuable initiatives developed through cooperation between universities and their wider communities.

Both competitions focus on initiatives addressing the challenges of contemporary post-industrial cities and are closely aligned with the conference themes.

The winners will receive grants. Each competition offers two awards: PLN 3,300 each in the Best Paper competition; PLN 2,200 each in the university-community cooperation project competition.

Best Paper Awards:

• The competition is open to both published articles and articles accepted for publication. Doctoral candidates and researchers from all UNIC universities are eligible to apply.
• The submission must be an academic article.
• The author must be a member of the community of one of the UNIC universities.
• Both individual and co-authored articles are eligible.
• Each participant may submit a maximum of one article as lead author.
• Articles must be thematically linked to one of the conference areas.
• To enter the competition, the article must be submitted together with the conference application. Only individuals applying to attend the conference are eligible to enter the competition.
• The file should be submitted in PDF format using the following naming convention: author's first name_author's surname_article title. A short justification for the nomination should also be included.
• In the case of a co-authored article, one person should be designated to submit the application on behalf of the team.
• Both published and unpublished articles may be submitted.
• Applicants must indicate whether the article is available through open access.
• For published articles, the year of publication and full citation details must be provided.
• Each submission will be assessed by researchers from at least two institutions appointed as reviewers by the WP5 coordinators at their home institutions.
• The preliminary review will include a brief qualitative assessment of the article and a score based on the selection criteria.
• Following the initial assessment, a peer-review panel will analyse and select from among the highest-scoring submissions. The panel will include representatives of WP5 and the Thematic Lines, ensuring a diverse, interinstitutional evaluation process.
• The main selection criteria include contribution to the scholarly literature, innovation in theory or methodology, and the rigour of the research design.
• The submission deadline is the same as the conference application deadline.
• More information, including details regarding funding, can be found in the competition document ().

UNIC City Labs Awards:

• One of the flagship activities of the UNIC Alliance is the CityLabs initiative, which brings together universities and their external partners, including local government bodies, private-sector entities, non-governmental organisations and others, to develop solutions to specific challenges faced by communities in post-industrial transition. CityLabs promote innovative and transdisciplinary approaches, engaged and rigorous research, and strengthen the role of universities as partners of cities in building a more just and sustainable future. More information about the CityLabs initiative can also be found in the presentation below.

• The UNIC Thematic Lines CityLabs Award competition is open to doctoral candidates, teaching staff and researchers from the 91ÌÒÉ«.

• More information is available on the UNIC website ().

Funding for Conference Participation

Participation in the conference is free of charge. For authors of accepted papers, the university will cover travel expenses related to participation in the event. In the case of papers submitted by multiple co-authors, funding will be provided for the travel of the lead presenter.

Application Form and Further Information

The application form and detailed information are available on the conference website ().