What is changing in Copenhagen, and how feedback from our members has informed the 2027 programme

Following our first annual conference and our members’ survey, for EPSS 2027 in Copenhagen, we are introducing a more focused programme that gives papers equal presentation time, strengthens the role of sections and creates more space for collaborative workshops.

Here is what will change in 2027.

Equal time for every paper

One message from the survey was especially clear: participants value enough time to explain their research and receive meaningful feedback. We have therefore removed lightning rounds. Instead, all accepted papers will be presented in standard panels, with no more than five papers per panel. This gives every paper the same status and helps protect time for questions and discussion.

As before, each participant may present a maximum of one paper, while remaining free to co-author other papers and to serve as a chair or discussant.

A simpler route from submission to panel

For 2027, the open call is for individual papers only. Section chairs will review submissions and bring accepted papers together into coherent panels. We will no longer accept organised panel or symposium submissions through the general Call for Papers. This simplifies the process for authors, supports consistent peer review and gives section chairs a stronger role in shaping balanced programmes across their fields.

Twenty sections including a new home for Politics and AI

EPSS 2027 will feature 20 sections, each led by two co-chairs. In response to a rapidly developing area of research – and to the interests of our community – we are introducing a new section on Politics and AI. This section welcomes work in which AI is central to the research question or method: how AI affects politics, how politics shapes AI, and how AI can be used and evaluated as a tool for political science.

The new section sits alongside the full range of established EPSS sections, which remain in place. Together, the section chairs will help define their sections, select papers, and create panels that foster genuine intellectual exchange.

Special conversations led by our sections

Paper-only submissions do not mean a less varied conference. Authors Meet Critics sessions and Roundtables will remain part of EPSS, but will be developed through the sections rather than submitted as pre-organised panels. Members with an idea for one of these sessions are encouraged to contact the relevant section chairs directly.

This keeps space for timely debates, major scholarly contributions and conversations that reach beyond the conventional paper panel, while ensuring that special formats remain connected to the intellectual priorities of each section.

More space to work together before the conference

The most significant expansion for 2027 will happen before the main conference begins. On Wednesday, 23 June, EPSS will host an expanded programme of pre-conference workshops. These workshops are intended for focused and interactive work: thematic research exchanges, methods training, professional development, teaching, and collaborative or network-building activities.

The new workshop programme will partly replace the opportunity previously offered by organised panels. This will create more room for researchers to build thematic communities and develop collaborative projects without squeezing that work into a standard conference session. A separate Call for Pre-Conference Workshops will open shortly, and we look forward to proposals from across the EPSS community.

Help us build EPSS 2027

EPSS is still a young society, and this gives us a valuable opportunity: we can learn quickly and build our conference together. The 2027 programme reflects that spirit. It preserves rigorous paper presentations at the heart of the conference, gives section chairs the flexibility to convene special conversations, and creates a stronger home for sustained collaboration through pre-conference workshops.

Join us in Copenhagen from 24 to 26 June 2027. The deadline for paper submissions is 13 November 2026. Visit the EPSS 2027 conference page for details and updates, and watch this space for the Call for Pre-Conference Workshops.

Co-chair, EPSS 2027 Conference Committee