Author: Claryed Castillo

The EUPRERA PhD Seminar returns for its nineteenth edition, taking place from 13 to 16 September 2026 in Málaga, Spain — immediately before the EUPRERA Annual Congress. This long-running programme, held successfully since 2007, offers doctoral students in public relations and strategic communication an intensive, international environment to develop their research and professional networks.

What Is the PhD Seminar?

The EUPRERA PhD Seminar is a three-day immersive experience designed for early- and mid-stage doctoral students working in public relations, organisational communication, and strategic communication. The format centres on structured feedback — both from peers and from leading experts in the field — as well as networking sessions and in-depth discussions that go beyond what a traditional conference format allows.

A dedicated panel during the congress that follows the seminar extends the dialogue further. Participants consistently highlight the seminar’s practical value: first-hand advice on publication strategies and academic career development is a distinctive feature of the programme.

The seminar is limited to 10 participants to ensure a high level of professional exchange. Places are allocated through a competitive selection process.

What Is Included

The registration fee covers all seminar materials, full-board accommodation from Sunday afternoon (13 September) through Wednesday morning (16 September), and transport to and from the congress venue. Two registration options are available: the seminar only at €475, or the combined seminar and congress package at €675 — the latter option is recommended and includes the congress registration fee. Accommodation during the congress days is the participant’s own responsibility.

Venue

The seminar will be held at the Casa Diocesana de Málaga, a welcoming conference and retreat space set in a quiet environment near the city. Participants are expected to arrive on Sunday, 13 September, in the afternoon.

How to Apply

The application process takes place in two steps. In the first step, applicants submit a one-page abstract of their thesis project along with proof of enrolment in a doctoral programme, via the congress platform at conftool.net/euprera2026. This must be submitted before 21 June 2026. Candidates selected in the first round will then be asked to provide a 10-page paper and written feedback on two other participants’ projects.

Registration fees

€475 Seminar only: Includes materials, accommodation and full board (Sun afternoon – Wed morning)

€675 Seminar + Congress Recommended: Includes all of the above plus the congress registration fee

Key Dates

21 June 2026Deadline for Step 1 submission (one-page abstract + proof of enrolment)

13 Sep 2026Arrival in Málaga — seminar begins Sunday afternoon

13–16 Sep 2026XIX EUPRERA PhD Seminar, Casa Diocesana de Málaga

16–19 Sep 2026EUPRERA Annual Congress, University of Málaga

Scientific Direction

The 2026 seminar is directed by Jens Seiffert-Brockmann (Vienna University of Economics and Business), with the support of Nora Denner (University of Mainz) and Winni Johansen (Aarhus University). For enquiries, contact Jens Seiffert-Brockmann at jens.seiffert-brockmann@wu.ac.at.

EUNES — the European Network of Emerging Scholars — invites early- and mid-career researchers to join the Research Escalator Session (RES) at the EUPRERA 27th Annual Congress, to be held at the University of Málaga, Spain, from 16 to 19 September 2026.

The EUNES Research Escalator is a dedicated session designed to support scholars at pivotal stages of their academic journey. Whether you are developing a work-in-progress project, advancing a PhD, or exploring a new research idea, the Research Escalator offers a structured and collegial environment in which to present your work and receive meaningful, constructive feedback from both senior respondents and peers.

The session will take place on Friday afternoon, 18 September 2026, as part of the congress programme. Over the years, the RES format has earned consistent recognition from participants for its collaborative spirit and its practical value in helping researchers move their work toward publication.

Why Participate?

The Research Escalator is built around three core benefits for participating scholars. First, it provides direct, actionable guidance: pitching your work-in-progress to an audience of respondents and peers generates the kind of critical yet supportive input that can meaningfully accelerate a research project. Second, it is an exceptional networking opportunity, connecting you with fellow scholars who share your interests in public relations and strategic communication, and opening the door to lasting academic collaborations. Third, it fosters a culture of mutual learning — the exchange of ideas across different methodological traditions and career stages consistently generates new perspectives that participants carry forward into their own work.

The EUNES Research Escalator welcomes empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions. Researchers from all career stages, affiliations, and geographic locations are encouraged to apply. In cases of high demand, preference will be given to early- and mid-career researchers.

How to Apply

Interested scholars should submit an extended abstract of 500 to 1,000 words (excluding references) through the official congress submission platform at conftool.net/euprera2026. Abstracts may address any topic within public relations and strategic communication, regardless of methodological approach.

Key Dates

21 June 2026Deadline for extended abstract submission via ConfTool

6 July 2026Decision on submission communicated to authors

10 August 2026Assignment of extended abstracts for in-depth review

18 September 2026Research Escalator Session — Friday afternoon, Málaga

About EUNES and EUPRERA

EUNES — the European Network of Emerging Scholars — is a network within EUPRERA (European Public Relations Education and Research Association) dedicated to fostering the development of early- and mid-career academics in public relations and strategic communication. Through initiatives such as the Research Escalator, EUNES works to build an inclusive and supportive scholarly community across Europe and beyond. https://euprera.org/eunes

El Congreso Anual de EUPRERA es uno de los principales encuentros académicos en el ámbito de las relaciones públicas y la gestión de la comunicación en Europa. La 27ª edición reunirá a académicos y profesionales de todo el mundo en la Universidad de Málaga del 16 al 19 de septiembre de 2026.

Regeneration and Communication: Rethinking the Role of Public Relations in a Changing World

What to Expect from the Webinar

We are just under two months away from the submission deadline (15 March) for the EUPRERA 2026 Congress, which will take place in Málaga, Spain. With a timely and challenging theme—Regenerating Public Relations and Strategic Communication in the Face of the New Global Order: Are We Ready for This Challenge?—the organizing team invites you to a webinar designed to offer insights and reflections to support a potential submission to the Congress.

Regeneration is emerging today as a paradigm that goes beyond the traditional boundaries of sustainability and resilience, offering a deeper, more evolutionary, and relational perspective on social, economic, and environmental systems. It is not only about maintaining what already exists, but about activating processes of restoration, revitalization, and evolution that enable living systems—including organizations—to become agents of collective well-being.

In a global context marked by the climate crisis, persistent inequalities, and political-communicative tensions, this approach opens a necessary discussion about how institutions function and what kind of communication is required to align with the principles of interdependence, adaptation, and mutual care.

In this context, public relations and strategic communication hold great potential to foster regenerative processes, although historically they have also contributed to reinforcing power narratives, promoting discourses with limited impact, or sustaining exclusionary dynamics. Recognizing this ambivalence is essential to reorient the discipline toward more conscious, critical, and transformative practices.

This webinar proposes to explore how communication can become a force capable of overcoming inertia, expanding our understanding of systemic problems, and fostering relationships that generate real positive impact.

The following key questions will guide the dialogue:

• How can we design narratives that support regenerative change?
• In what ways can communication ethically influence organizational decision-making?
• What professional responsibilities emerge in a context affected by misinformation, polarization, and the loss of public trust?

This space invites participants to reflect and to build new possibilities for the regenerative role of communication.

Oradores

Evandro Oliveira, CEO and Founder of Gaudere, Spain

Consultant, executive coach, and professor with global activity, working at the intersection of strategy, communication, and regenerative management. Founder of Gaudere in Barcelona, he collaborates with organizations worldwide. He combines applied research, leadership coaching, and executive education, focusing on sustainability, organizational transformation, and responsible communication across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

Bel Barroso, University of Málaga, Spain

Social entrepreneur, researcher, and visiting professor specializing in strategic communication for sustainability. She co-founded Cronopios and has led projects on education, climate activism, and biomimicry. Former Director of Innovation and Communication at AlmaNatura, she collaborates with Comunidad B Andalucía and B Academics Spain, delivering international lectures on transformative communication.

Rune Schanke Eikum, BI Norwegian Business School, Norway

Managing Director of the innovation consultancy Tinkr (Norway) and a late-stage PhD candidate at BI Norwegian Business School. His work focuses on companies’ transitions toward sustainability and their path to business regeneration, combining academic research with hands-on work with Norwegian organizations in land-based aquaculture and coffee production, and drawing on his early experience as a consultant at GK Nordic, the largest public relations and communication agency in the Nordic region.

Moderator – Isabel Ruiz-Mora, University of Málaga, Spain

Lecturer and researcher in public relations, sustainability, and activism at the University of Málaga. Editor of the International Journal of Public Relations. Member of ECREA, EUPRERA, and AIRP. I believe in a better world; we must uphold education as a human right! I love discovering new places, new flavors, new people…

EUPRERA 2026 Congress Officially Presented at Universidad de Lund (Suecia)

The EUPRERA Annual Congress 2026 was officially presented during the closing session of the 26th EUPRERA Congress, held at Lund University (Sweden) in September 2025.

Representing the organising committee, Isabel Ruiz-Mora, together with María Belén Barroso, introduced the upcoming edition, which will take place from 16 to 19 September 2026 at the University of Málaga (Spain). The announcement marks the beginning of a new stage for the EUPRERA community, which will once again gather to exchange ideas, share research and reflect on the challenges shaping the future of public relations and strategic communication.

A congress with a regenerative vision

The 27th Annual Congress of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) will be held under the theme:

“Regenerating public relations and strategic communication in the face of the new global order: are we ready for this challenge?”

This edition calls for a critical and transdisciplinary dialogue on how public relations and strategic communication can move beyond sustainability to actively contribute to social, organisational and environmental regeneration. The congress seeks to examine the transformative potential of the discipline, as well as its ethical and social responsibilities, in a world marked by the climate crisis, disinformation, inequality and digital transformation.

Hosted by the University of Málaga

The congress will be hosted by the Faculty of Communication Sciences at the University of Málaga, one of Spain’s leading institutions in communication and media studies. With a strong record of research and international collaboration, the Faculty will provide an inspiring Mediterranean setting for academic exchange, collaboration and innovation in the communication field.

The programme will include plenary sessions, parallel panels and workshops, organised around six main thematic tracks:

1. Organisational legitimacy in the face of the new global order
2. Regenerative narratives
3. Ethics and conscious leadership
4. Measuring and evaluating PR & strategic communication contribution
5. Education and training in PR and strategic communication
6. Open Track
   

Call for papers and participation

The Call for Papers will open in the coming weeks, inviting academics, PhD students and professionals to submit research contributions, case studies and panel proposals aligned with the theme and main tracks. Detailed guidelines and registration information will be available on the official website.

About EUPRERA

The European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) is an autonomous organisation with more than 550 members across 50 countries. Its mission is to advance academic research and knowledge in public relations and strategic communication through collaborative projects, publications and its annual congress — a key meeting point for the international communication research community.

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Venue: Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Málaga
More information: www.malaga2026.eu
Contact: congress2026@euprera.org