UALL & SCUTREA Conference 2026:
Call for Papers, Workshops & Other Innovative Activity Proposals
The University of Warwick’s Centre for Lifelong Learning is hosting the UALL & SCUTREA Annual Conference from Monday 15th to Wednesday 17th June 2026. The theme for this in-person conference is Re-imagining Lifelong Learning in Higher Education, reflecting the many threads that we often must weave through our work.
This collaborative conference brings together practitioners, researchers, teachers, academics, activists and policy makers from across the globe to focus on educational research, policy and practice, with innovation in lifelong learning and adult education at its heart.
Given the challenges facing universities and post 16 education providers, there has perhaps never been greater need for the experience and expertise we have within the adult education and lifelong learning fields. It is important that we come together to celebrate, discuss, and shape the future – a future with adult learners at the core of our practice and our provision.
Proposal Submissions
Submissions for papers, workshops and other innovative activities are welcome on the following sub-themes:
Including:
- innovation arising from global and local challenges
- shifting practice in response to new government priorities, whilst retaining adults at the centre of the provision
- imperatives for different forms of lifelong learning and adult education
- the role of place in shaping the lifelong learning and adult education landscape, and equitable exchange of knowledge
- pragmatic leadership and planning in response to change
Including:
- Identifying and addressing the needs of different populations/groups through responsive practices
- embedding good practice in equity, diversity and inclusivity amidst changing learning environments and technologies
- how we can meaningfully diversify our people and our practices
- democracy, citizenship, and the “permanent national necessity” of adult education
- responding to the human impacts of war, climate crisis, migration, and displacement
Including:
- innovative practices that address the great challenges societies face
- new ways, modes and areas of study and practice
- partnership working to strengthen and engage
- innovations in access, engagement and participation
For applications for the Tilda Gaskell Emerging Research Symposium
We welcome work‑in‑progress, and we recognise that some aspects of your project may still be developing. If you do not yet have full information for certain fields (for example, findings, methodology details, or the final framing of your research), simply state this in the relevant section. You are encouraged to share what you currently know about your project and indicate where elements are still emerging. This will not disadvantage your application — the symposium is designed specifically for research that is still taking shape.
How to Submit Your Proposal
All submissions are considered and approved by a volunteer panel, comprised of members of UALL and SCUTREA. We will always do our best to provide constructive feedback where appropriate and we want those submitting to feel supported and appreciated.
All submissions must indicate which sub-theme they are addressing and alignment with the main conference theme. Once received the submission are blind reviewed by sub-theme by at least two reviewers, and their decision will be communicated to you. The outcomes are: accepted, rejected or accepted with amendment (minor or major). If accepted with amendment, we provide guidance on the types of changes required and the reasons for these. Reasons for rejection are generally linked to suitability of the submission for this conference or weak/lack of alignment with lifelong learning and adult education. We endeavour to provide the outcome to submitters as quickly as possible and, depending on the number of submissions being processed, this generally takes 1-2 weeks.
Please submit a short version of your paper, including an abstract. (Word limits are indicated in the form below.)
Those accepted to present papers will be invited to submit a full paper for consideration for publication in special issues of the following journals (optional):
- Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning (Open University)
- The Studies in Education of Adults (Taylor and Francis Online)
- Journal of Adult and Continuing Education (Sage Publishing)
- International Review of Applied Economics (Taylor & Francis)P
Please submit an abstract and information detailing the aims of your workshop and the ways in which you will engage participants in interaction. (Word limits are indicated in the form below.)
These include showcasing, poster presentations, training sessions, etc.
Please submit a proposal that outlines what you wish to do in your session and how you will structure it. Please indicate which theme(s) it relates to. Ideally, the focus will be on sharing best practice, and/or shaping practice (teaching, research, knowledge exchange) with colleagues. Please note the conference venue has IT training rooms and general seminar rooms to support these new activities. (Word limits are indicated in the form below.)
Support
UALL-SCUTREA are sincere in our aim to make access to our conference easier for those who have limited financial support.
We are delighted to confirm that SCUTREA is able to provide bursaries in order to support early career (note this is not age restricted) researchers/scholars to attend and present at the conference.
If you are concerned about financial barriers to participation, please contact us.
Submission deadlines
Main conference programme: Sunday, 27 March 2026
Tilda Gaskell Emerging Research Symposium: Wednesday, 15 April 2026
We encourage you to submit as soon as possible.
Applicants will be informed of our decision one week following submission.