Call for papers

Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference

6th Edition (FOHE-BPRC6)

The Future of Higher Education – Bologna Process Researchers’ Conference (FOHE-BPRC) has already established itself as a landmark initiative in the European Higher Education Area. Along its’ five editions carried out so far, the FOHE-BPRC managed to fill in an essential gap within the Bologna Process by galvanizing the voice of researchers and offering a space for evidence-based contributions that feed into the European policy-making, thus bring a significant contribution to the development of the Bologna Process.

The 6^th anniversary edition of the event marks 15 years from the first FOHE-BPRC and is organized in the context of the second instance when UEFISCDI is hosting the EHEA Secretariat, held by Romania and the Republic of Moldova between 2024-2027 and culminating with the Iași – Chișinău Ministerial Conference in May 2027.

Under this celebratory backdrop, the upcoming edition of FOHE-BPRC will feature a novel conference format by fully embracing its role for policy translation and fostering science into policy. Concurrently, the Conference will maintain the core features which ensured its success: high-quality research on salient topics authored by renowned and emerging researchers interested in the Bologna Process, rigorously peer-reviewed by leading figures and published in an open-access Springer publication.

While located in the field of Higher Education Studies, the authors are invited to consider the convergence and interaction under a growing array of interdependencies, with contributions from Social Sciences such as: Public Policy Studies, European Studies, International Relations or Political Sciences, Economics, etc.

Whereas the 6^th edition of FOHE-BPRC will not expect the submission of articles linked to narrow, particular fields/topics, the authors could consider topics linked to subjects such as:

Internationalization in times of political turmoil
New forms of connectivity through digital innovation
Resilient institutional partnerships, including structural innovative ones such as the European University Alliances.
Polycentric governance in European higher education: Reconciling EHEA, EEA and ERA agendas
Vertical and horizontal alignment and the policy diffusion of EHEA vision, objectives and policies
Digital transformation and AI in higher education between disruption and democratic values
Tensions between fundamental values of higher education in European and global contexts.

The Conference invites submissions for individual papers or panels composed of a leading professor/chair with 3-4 authors submitting articles. Proposals should include:

Single papers (unpaired): An abstract up to 250 words, including research questions, key findings, and methodology.
Panels: Panel theme and description of no more than 250 words and 3-4 abstracts following the same rules as for single papers.

The introduction of panel submissions aims for stronger agency from proponents in identifying cross-cutting issues and proposing authors-panelists for the sessions.

All proposals require title, abstract, and author information, including name, institutional affiliation, career level, and e-mail address. For panel organizers, this information will be required at both the panel and paper level. In order to be considered, please submit an abstract of your contribution by 30 November 2025 at fohe@uefiscdi.ro.

A selection of international experts will evaluate the submitted abstracts (double-blind peer review) and subsequently provide feedback to authors for the development/finalization of their papers. The experts will provide editorial feedback and guidance prior and after the Researchers’ Conference, providing the organizers with a substantiated opinion regarding which articles are fit for publishing in the proceedings volumes.

Authors of the selected contributions are invited to attend the conference in order to defend their papers. No participation fees will be required from the participants to FOHE-BPRC6. The organizers will cover accommodation and conference meals for all the authors, as well as provide a number of grants for travel costs, based on the first come, first served principle. Should you wish to access one these grants, kindly mention this upon abstract submission.

Looking forward to your contributions!

The Organizers