Author: Claryed Castillo

  • Central Conversation Regenerating Public Relations or Public Relations for Regeneration?

    Central Conversation Regenerating Public Relations or Public Relations for Regeneration?

    • Wednesday, 16/Sept/2026
    • 3:15pm – 4:15pm
    • Location: Salón de Actos / Auditorium

    The Central Conversation, “Regenerating Public Relations or Public Relations for Regeneration?”, brings together perspectives from academia, purpose-driven business, the technology sector and the social economy to explore a central question of EUPRERA 2026: whether regeneration requires transforming public relations itself—its practices, assumptions and responsibilities—or repositioning communication as a force that can contribute to wider social, territorial and economic regeneration. Through an open conversational format, the session will address ethical dilemmas, narrative risks, questions of legitimacy and the possibilities for real impact, connecting critical reflection on the profession with the practical challenges of organisations seeking to contribute to positive change.

    Participants

    Wim Elving
    Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, The Netherlands / EUPRERA Board / Leader, EUPRERA Public Relations, Social Responsibility & Sustainability Network

    Ludi García García

    Managing Director, SEC Newgate Spain / President, ADC (Asociación de Consultoras de Comunicación, Spain)

    María Luisa García Pérez
    Global Internal Communications General Manager, Cosentino / Dircom Andalucía

    Juan Carlos Molleda

    Emeritus faculty of the University of Florida (2000-2016), former dean of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication (2016-2025), and former trustee of the Institute for Public Relations, Plank Center, and Page Society.

    Nico Ordozgoiti

    Executive Creative Director — 21 Gramos / Purpose-Driven Brands

    Franzisca Weder
    WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria / Past Chair, International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) / Editor in Chief, Public Relations Inquiry

    Moderator: 

    Ángeles Moreno. Professor of Public Relations / Past President of EUPRERA

    BIOs

    Wim Elving
    Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, The Netherlands / EUPRERA Board / Leader, EUPRERA Public Relations, Social Responsibility & Sustainability Network

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    Professor of Sustainable Communication at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands, where he is affiliated with the Centre of Expertise Energy – Entrance, focused on the energy transition and the development of a sustainable society. His research explores communicative and behavioural interventions for sustainability, alongside corporate communication, internal and change communication, CSR and branding. With more than 250 publications, he previously worked at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) and served for ten years as Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Communications: An International Journal. He is a member of the Board of Directors of EUPRERA and co-leads its network on Public Relations, Social Responsibility and Sustainability. His work connects communication research and practice with the challenges of sustainability, organizational change and societal transformation.

    Franzisca Weder
    WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria / Past Chair, International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) / Co-Editor-in-Chief, Public Relations Inquiry

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    Professor of Organizational and Sustainability Communication at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, with more than 20 years of international experience in research and teaching across organizational communication, critical public relations, sustainability communication and corporate social responsibility. Her academic career has included positions at the University of Queensland and University of Klagenfurt, as well as visiting professorships in the United States, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Her research explores how sustainability is communicated across corporate, political, environmental and civil society contexts, with particular attention to strategic sustainability communication, alternative narratives, social change, and emerging roles for communication professionals. Author and editor of key publications including Strategic Sustainability Communication and The Sustainability Communication Reader, she combines research, methodological and pedagogical innovation to advance communication for sustainability and transformation.

    Ludi García García

    Managing Director, SEC Newgate Spain / President, ADC (Asociación de Consultoras de Comunicación, Spain)

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    Managing Director of SEC Newgate Spain and President of ADC, the Spanish Association of Communication Consultancies, with more than 25 years of experience in strategic communication, marketing, digital transformation and innovation. Her career includes senior leadership positions at Omnicom PR Group, Hotwire and MARCO, as well as communication roles in IBEX 35 companies, with a consistent focus on driving transformation across organisations and teams. She was recognized as the highest-rated communication professional in Spain in SCOPEN’s PR Scope 2021/2022. For the past five years, she has also chaired ADC, representing Spain’s communication consultancy sector, and contributes to the development of future professionals through teaching in corporate communication, online reputation management and crisis communication.

    María Luisa García Pérez
    Global Internal Communications General Manager, Cosentino / Dircom Andalucía

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    Global Internal Communications General Manager at Cosentino, where she has built a career of more than 20 years at the intersection of communication, business strategy, people and organizational transformation. She leads internal communication for a diverse global workforce of around 6,000 employees across more than 30 countries, positioning communication as a strategic management function that connects people with business priorities, strengthens culture and trust, and supports transformation. Her work has received recognition from Dircom and the Observatorio de Comunicación Interna, and she actively contributes to the development of the communication profession through industry forums, publications and international conversations. Her areas of expertise include strategic and internal communication, leadership, measurement, organizational transformation, employee experience, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of the profession.

    Nico Ordozgoiti

    Executive Creative Director — 21 Gramos / Purpose-Driven Brands

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    Executive Creative Director at 21gramos, a B Corp consultancy and creative agency that helps organisations build brands and businesses with positive impact. With more than 16 years of experience in the creative industry, he has worked at leading national and international agencies including Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, CHINA, LOLA MullenLowe, Havas London and We Are Social, and his work has been recognised at festivals including Cannes Lions, El Sol and El Ojo de Iberoamérica. At 21gramos, he leads the agency’s creative vision, using creativity to connect brand, business, purpose and culture, translating organisational commitments into narratives, ideas and actions that build meaningful relationships with society and contribute to positive change. He is also a member of the Action Team at Creatives for the Future and the Impact+ Committee at APG Spain.

    Ángeles Moreno
    Professor of Communication Management and Public Relations/ Past President of EUPRERA

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    Prof. Dr. Ángeles Moreno is Past President of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and a member of the high-performance Group of Advanced Studies on Communication (GEAC) at Rey Juan Carlos University. She has extensive experience in international research projects and has played leading roles in major transnational studies in strategic communication and public relations. Her research has received awards and recognition from PRSA, ICA, EUPRERA and AIRP.

    She currently leads international projects focused on strategic health and crisis communication, with particular emphasis on knowledge transfer and the application of research to professional practice and societal challenges.

    Prof. Moreno is a highly prolific and internationally recognized scholar and is ranked among the most influential social sciences researchers in Spain by the CSIC. She has held leadership positions in academic associations and serves on editorial and review committees for leading journals and international conferences in the field. She also acts as an evaluator for national and international research bodies, including MINECO, AICO, EAI, ANEP, DEVA, Research Council KU and A3ES.

    Juan Carlos Molleda

    Emeritus faculty of the University of Florida (2000-2016), former dean of the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication (2016-2025), and former trustee of the Institute for Public Relations, Plank Center, and Page Society.

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    Leading scholar and academic leader in global public relations and strategic communication, with a distinguished career spanning the University of Florida and the University of Oregon, where he served as Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication from 2016 to 2025. Internationally recognized for his pioneering work on strategic communication in Latin America, he has co-directed the Latin American Communication Monitor since 2014 and has contributed to the profession through leadership roles with organizations including the Institute for Public Relations, Page Society, Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, and Museum of Public Relations. His contributions have received major recognition, including the Institute for Public Relations Pathfinder Award in 2022. Now based in Paris, he continues to engage with the global communication community, connecting research, academic leadership and the international development of public relations.

  • Discover the EUPRERA Thematic Networks at the Congress

    Discover the EUPRERA Thematic Networks at the Congress

    Don’t miss the opportunity to explore our Thematic Networks – communities of researchers and practitioners collaborating on key topics in public relations and strategic communication.

    Each network connects EUPRERA members with shared interests to advance research, publications, events, and teaching initiatives. During the Congress, you can:

    • Meet the network leaders and members at the Thematic Network Meetings on Thursday, September 17 (18.15-19.00) – check ConfTool for exact times and locations (if a network is not mentioned there, then the network meeting is taking place at a different time and place either during the Congress or online after it).
    • Engage with network leaders and members throughout the Congress, not just during the meetings. Many networks also organise additional activities such as the Education Café and the Research Escalator Session – keep an eye on the programme for details.

    Here’s who to contact if you want to learn more or join:

    Public Relations, Social Responsibility & Sustainability Network – Adalberto Arrigoni (a.arrigoni@leedsbeckett.ac.uk) and Wim Elving (w.j.l.elving@pl.hanze.nl)

    Public Relations Education Network – Anca Anton (anca.anton@fjsc.ro) and Monique Abbenbroek (M.Abbenbroek@hr.nl)

    European Network of Emerging Scholars (EUNES) – Denis Simunovic (denis.simunovic@iulm.it) and Caroline Siegel (caroline.siegel@uni-leipzig.de)

    Strategic Health Communication Network – Angeles Moreno (mariaangeles.moreno@urjc.es)

    Women in PR Network – Maria João Cunha (mjcunha@iscsp.ulisboa.pt)

    Internal Communication Network – Joan Cuenca-Fontbona (joancf@blanquerna.url.edu)

    Digital Transformation and Public Relations – Grazia Murtarelli (grazia.murtarelli@iulm.it)

    Public Affairs and Lobbying Network – Scott Davidson (sd310@leicester.ac.uk)

    EPRHN – European Public Relations History Network – Anastasios Theofilou (atheofilou@bournemouth.ac.uk)

    Practical tips:

    • Check the Congress programme in ConfTool for all room assignments and times.
    • Arrive a few minutes early for the network meetings to make the most of the discussions.
    • Use the entire congress as an opportunity to connect with network members and explore possible collaborations.
    • If you are not an EUPRERA member, please consider joining the association in order to join one or several Thematic Networks.

    Make sure to stop by the Poster Gallery for additional details about the EUPRERA networks’ activities, projects, and resource suggestions!

    If you have a question regarding EUPRERA, please get in touch with Anca Anton, the EUPRERA DPRA, at dpra@euprera.org. If you have a Congress-related question, please contact the organising team at congress2026@euprera.org.

  • Málaga Congress Card: exclusive perks for EUPRERA Annual Congress Málaga 2026 attendees

    Málaga Congress Card: exclusive perks for EUPRERA Annual Congress Málaga 2026 attendees

    Good news for everyone joining us in Málaga this September: the Málaga City Council, through the Málaga Convention Bureau (Tourism Department), has registered the EUPRERA Annual Congress Málaga 2026 in the Málaga Congress Card, a free digital tool designed to make your stay in the city a little smoother  and a lot more rewarding.

    What is the Málaga Congress Card?

    It’s a simple web app that puts up-to-date tourist information about Málaga right on your phone, maps, brochures, recommendations, plus discounts and free admission to several museums and leisure venues around the city. In short: a handy companion for the days around the congress, whether you’re squeezing in a museum visit between sessions or exploring after hours.

    How to sign up

    Registration takes just a couple of minutes and the app is available in both Spanish and English:

    1. Open the app: https://malagacongresscard.com/es/login
    2. Click REGISTRO on the login screen.
    3. Fill in your details (title, first name, surname, email and password).
    4. In the “Congreso al que va a asistir” field, open the drop-down menu and select EUPRERA ANNUAL CONGRESS MÁLAGA 2026.
    5. Accept the legal terms and click Registrarse.
    6. You’ll receive an email with a direct link straight into the app, that’s it, you’re in.

    We’d recommend registering before you land in Málaga, so the card is ready to use from day one.

    Full step-by-step instructions (with screenshots) are available here:

    Part of a warm welcome from the city

    This is one of several ways the city of Málaga is supporting EUPRERA 2026, which will bring together around 250 participants from more than 40 countries, representing over 200 universities, research centres and professional organisations, at the Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación (University of Málaga).

    We hope the Congress Card helps you make the most of everything Málaga has to offer.

    More about the congress: https://malaga2026.eu/

  • EUPRERA 2026 Congress. IPRA Roundtable: “The Strategic Repositioning of PR in AI Governance”

    EUPRERA 2026 Congress. IPRA Roundtable: “The Strategic Repositioning of PR in AI Governance”

    Date and venue: Thursday, 17 September 2026, 12:30pm – 2:00pm, Salón de Actos / Auditorium, Facultad de Ciencias de la Comunicación, Calle León Tolstoi 4, 29010, Campus de Teatinos, Universidad de Málaga.

    As part of the EUPRERA Annual Congress 2026, the IPRA Roundtable “The Strategic Repositioning of PR in AI Governance” brings together international scholars and practitioner-scholars for a focused discussion on the changing role of public relations and strategic communication in the age of artificial intelligence.

    Connected to IPRA Gold Paper No. 20, Trust & Influence in the Age of AI, the session will explore how AI is reshaping trust, credibility, influence, reputation and accountability, and what this means for the strategic repositioning of PR as a structural participant in AI governance, rather than merely a messaging function. The discussion will gather diverse perspectives and practical insights that will inform the Gold Paper, with attention to governance, organisational exposure, synthetic media, misinformation, narrative manipulation, and regional and cultural differences.

    The purpose of the roundtable is to gather diverse international perspectives that will inform IPRA Gold Paper No. 20. This discussion will follow the same core questions as other IPRA AI chapter roundtables, so that findings can later be compared, analyzed, and distilled into common themes, differences, and recommendations. The moderator will facilitate the discussion, not lead it or influence its conclusions.

    This roundtable is organised as a cooperation between EUPRERA and IPRA.

    Panellists

    • Anne Gregory
    • Dejan Verčič
    • Ganga Dhanesh
    • Ana Adi
    • Lea-Ann Germinder

    More information about the EUPRERA Annual Congress 2026 at malaga2026.eu

  • EUPRERA 2026 Congress. Editors’ Roundtable: “Publishing, Legitimacy and the Future of Communication Research”

    EUPRERA 2026 Congress. Editors’ Roundtable: “Publishing, Legitimacy and the Future of Communication Research”

    What kinds of public relations and strategic communication research will journals actually need five years from now? Is AI already reshaping how research is written, reviewed and evaluated? What will distinguish, by 2030, the journals that remain intellectually relevant from those that simply keep publishing more papers?

    Date and venue: Thursday, 17 September 2026, 12.30–14.00, Salón de Actos / Auditorium.

    These are some of the questions that will be discussed on 17 September, as part of the EUPRERA Annual Congress 2026 in Málaga, when editors of leading journals in public relations, strategic communication and related fields come together for a forward-looking conversation about the future of academic publishing.

    The Editors’ Roundtable — “Publishing, Legitimacy and the Future of Communication Research” will explore emerging research priorities, changing expectations around theory and methodology, the role of journals in connecting academia and practice, and the challenges posed by AI, internationalisation, peer review, research impact and editorial responsibility.

    The roundtable is designed as an open exchange with Congress participants, offering insights into what editors are looking for, how the field is evolving, and how scholars can contribute to shaping its next intellectual agenda.

    Moderator

    Isabel Ruiz-Mora (Universidad de Málaga, Spain), Co-editor-in-Chief of the Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas.

    Speakers

    Some of the questions on the table

    “What kinds of public relations and strategic communication research do you think journals will need more of in the next five years, but are not receiving enough of now?”

    “How are you thinking about AI-generated or AI-assisted research, not only in writing, but in literature reviews, data analysis, visualisation, translation, and peer review?”

    “Do you see a growing tension between publishing internationally and preserving research that is locally, culturally, or linguistically specific?”

    These and other questions — listed further below — will set the tone for an open conversation with the Congress audience.

    About the speakers

    Jesper Falkheimer

    Jesper Falkheimer is Professor of Strategic Communication at Lund University, Professor II at Kristiania University College in Oslo, Honorary Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Communication Management and has held several senior academic leadership roles, including Executive Director for Research, Collaboration and Innovation at Lund University and Rector of Campus Helsingborg. He also served as President of EUPRERA in 2024–2025. His research focuses on strategic communication theory, communication management, crisis communication, persuasion, relationships, society and disinformation. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including Research Handbook of Strategic Communication, Psychological Defence – An Introduction, and the third edition of Strategic Communication: An Introduction to Theory and Global Practice.

    Jens Seiffert-Brockmann

    Jens Seiffert-Brockmann is Professor of Business Communication at the Department of Business Communication at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). From 2015 to 2020, he was a postdoctoral researcher in the Corporate Communication Research Group at the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Vienna. He received his doctorate in 2014 on public trust in media society at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Leipzig, where he also studied communication and media studies and political science. His research and teaching activities have taken him abroad to Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic), George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia (USA) and Lund University (Sweden), among others. Jens Seiffert-Brockmann is Deputy Head of the Department of Business Communication and Program Director of the International Master’s Program in Business Communication at WU. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Strategic Communication, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Research (CMC) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), and a member of the Ethics Council of the Public Relations Association Austria (PRVA). Since 2025, he has also led the EUPRERA PhD Seminar.

    Martina Topić-Rutherford

    Martina Topić-Rutherford is an associate professor in public relations leadership at the University of Alabama, USA. Her work examines how communication shapes organizational culture, authority, legitimacy, and professional identity. Her perspective is informed by two doctoral disciplines: behavioral sociology and communication/public relations, which allow her to connect individual behavior with the wider institutional and cultural systems in which people work, lead, seek recognition, and build belonging. She is Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Communications: An International Journal and Editor-in-Chief of a book series “Women, Economics and the Labour Relations” (both with Emerald). She is also Editor-in-Chief of the “Northern Lights: A Film & Media Yearbook” (Intellect), and co-editor of the book series “Routledge New Directions in PR and Communication Research”. She is the author of Fashion Advertising and PR: A Historical and Sociological Perspective and Workplace Culture in Mass Communication Industries. In EUPRERA, she leads the Master Thesis Award and serves as one of the Heads of the Scientific Committee for the Annual Congress.

    Yijing Wang

    Yijing Wang is Full Professor and Chair of Strategic Communication, with a focus on Responsible and Sustainable Organisations and Business in the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She serves as Chair of the ECREA Risk and Crisis Communication Section, Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Reputation Review, and Editorial Board Member of Public Relations Review and Business Horizons. She is the Principal Investigator and Coordinator of the Horizon Europe project CUES (EUR 6.5 million, 2024–2028), a Management Committee Member of the COST Action project Alert Hub, and a member of the Crisis Communication Think Tank (CCTT). Yijing obtained her PhD degree in Corporate Reputation and Stakeholder Management from Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is the author of numerous international publications in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of International Management, Business Horizons, Convergence, Public Relations Review, Journal of Communication Management, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, and Media and Communication.

    Isabel Ruiz-Mora

    Isabel Ruiz-Mora is Associate Professor at the University of Málaga, in the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising. She is currently Principal Investigator of the project “Citizen Activism and Communication in the Face of Climate Change”, funded by the Government of Spain, and of the project “PhDs EU-Rail. Extending the Rail Network of PhDs in Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking”, funded by EU Horizon JU Research and Innovation Actions. Her research interests follow three main lines: the role of strategic communication, sustainability and activism in creating spaces for dialogue; the gender perspective in public relations academia; and the railway sector and citizen processes in urban areas. She is editor of the Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas and has been a visiting professor and researcher at universities in Scotland, Denmark, England, Malaysia, Austria and Portugal. Professionally, she always seeks to align her academic work with initiatives or processes taking place in society, in order to strengthen its purpose of knowledge transfer and social impact. She is one of the promoters of the “Académicas PR” network, which studies and deepens understanding of women’s contribution to public relations academia. She participates in the podcast “Relaciones Públicas al Descubierto”, a knowledge-transfer project funded by AIRP, the Spanish Association of Public Relations Researchers, which aims to make visible the contribution of public relations to addressing societal challenges. For two years, she was responsible for communication at UMA RacingTeam, the University of Málaga’s motorcycle racing team. In the area of knowledge transfer, she collaborates on a project with Metro Málaga and with the Simur-UMA Chair “Compliance and Transparent and Responsible Communication.” Isabel is Co-Chair of the EUPRERA 2026 Annual Congress in Málaga.

    Franzisca Weder

    Franzisca Weder is Professor of Organizational and Sustainability Communication at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, with more than 20 years of international experience in research and teaching across organizational communication, critical public relations, sustainability communication and corporate social responsibility. Her academic career has included positions at the University of Queensland and University of Klagenfurt, as well as visiting professorships in the United States, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. Her research explores how sustainability is communicated across corporate, political, environmental and civil society contexts, with particular attention to strategic sustainability communication, alternative narratives, social change, and emerging roles for communication professionals. Author and editor of key publications including Strategic Sustainability Communication and The Sustainability Communication Reader, she combines research, methodological and pedagogical innovation to advance communication for sustainability and transformation.

    More information about the EUPRERA Annual Congress 2026 at malaga2026.eu

  • Øyvind Ihlen to deliver the Closing Keynote: “Territories of Public Relations in the New Global Disorder”

    Øyvind Ihlen to deliver the Closing Keynote: “Territories of Public Relations in the New Global Disorder”

    We are pleased to announce the Closing Keynote of the EUPRERA 27th Annual Congress, delivered by Øyvind Ihlen, professor at the University of Oslo and former President of EUPRERA.

    The Closing Keynote, ‘Territories of Public Relations in the New Global Disorder’, will take place on Friday 18 September, from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm in the Salón de Actos / Auditorium, delivered by Øyvind Ihlen. It will be followed by the EUPRERA Hour, the General Assembly and the Research Escalator, with the social activity taking place the following day. The talk situates public relations and strategic communication within the current global disorder, with particular attention to their role at the societal macro level, calling for more power-oriented analysis while renewing the normative case for reflexivity and ethics in practice.

    About the speaker

    Øyvind Ihlen is a professor at the University of Oslo, Norway.

    He has authored or co-authored over 170 articles, chapters, and books, including the edited volumes Public Relations and Social Theory (2018) and Handbook of Organizational Rhetoric and Communication (2018). He applies theories of rhetoric and sociology to risk and crisis communication and lobbying and interest group studies.

    Ihlen has led two large cross-disciplinary research projects on the COVID-19 pandemic and is involved in the EU Horizon project PREPSHIELD, the COST network Alerthub, and the Crisis Communication Think Tank – International (CCTT).

    He is a former President of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) and vice-chair of the Public Relations Division of the International Communication Association (ICA).

  • Manuel Quirós Galdón to open the Congress with “Designing Regenerative Cultures”

    Manuel Quirós Galdón to open the Congress with “Designing Regenerative Cultures”

    We are pleased to announce the opening keynote speaker of the EUPRERA 27th Annual Congress: biologist and educator Manuel Quirós Galdón, founder of NatureInspireUs and co-founder of Biomimicry Iberia.

    Quirós Galdón will open the Congress with the keynote “Designing Regenerative Cultures”, taking place from 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm in the Salón de Actos / Auditorium. His talk sets the tone for four days of critical, transdisciplinary dialogue on how public relations and strategic communication can contribute to regenerating the systems they operate in — from organisations to the wider social and ecological contexts they are part of.

    About the speaker

    Professor at IE University, Universidad de Navarra and the UNESCO Chair UPV/EHU. Founder and director of NatureInspireUs.

    Manuel Quirós holds a PhD in Biology and has more than ten years of postdoctoral research experience and over twenty years of experience in higher education, teaching, and managing innovative biodiversity-related projects. He is currently a Part-Time Adjunct Professor at IE University, a Collaborating Professor at the University of Navarra, and a Visiting Professor at the UNESCO Chair at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

    Throughout his academic career, he has designed pioneering courses on sustainability and regeneration, developing innovative approaches that place nature at the heart of learning and decision-making. At IE University, he also created and leads the Sustainability Lab, an initiative that explores regenerative scenarios and solutions in collaboration with real-world institutions and organisations. He is regularly invited to speak at seminars, conferences, and events hosted by leading academic and professional institutions.

    He is a co-founder of Biomimicry Iberia and the 3i Biomimicry Network. His work has also taken him on numerous expeditions to the heart of the Colombian Amazon, where he has accompanied postgraduate students in collaborative learning experiences with Indigenous communities.

    Since 2013, he has served as a Contributing Editor of Zygote Quarterly Journal, an award-winning biomimicry publication based in Calgary, Canada. He has published numerous scientific and popular science articles and is actively committed to advancing a regenerative culture inspired by nature.

    Manuel is also the founder and director of NatureInspireUs, a bio-inspired consultancy that applies strategies and principles derived from nature to help companies, organisations, and communities address complex challenges and explore regenerative solutions. His current work focuses on solitary, free-living wild bees, continuing his exploration of how nature can inspire new ways of thinking, learning, and acting.

    More on Manuel Quirós Galdón: linkedin.com/in/mquiros-biomimicry

  • The Congress Programme is now available!

    The Congress Programme is now available!

    If your paper or panel for the EUPRERA 2026 Congress in Malaga was accepted, we invite you to head over to ConfTool to see when you are scheduled to present! While the agenda is dynamic and some updates may appear, it is safe to say that this is the programme for our annual congress.

    The Congress programme will be accessible to all registered ConfTool users until the end of the registration period on September 15. After this date, only Congress participants will be able to access it.

    Registration

    Registration is open and you can find more details about fees on the Congress website. Note that the important dates regarding registration are August 1 (early-bird deadline) and September 1 (end of registration). 

    IMPORTANT: 

    EUPRERA members who have paid their individual or institutional membership fee have received the discount code to be used to take advantage of a lower registration fee. If you do not have it or cannot find it, please get in touch with the EUPRERA DPRA, Anca Anton, at dpra@euprera.org or, if you are part of an institutional membership, please contact your institutional coordinator.

    Travel preparations and documents

    If you are coming to Malaga, we recommend you start preparations for travel and accommodation as soon as possible. Several accommodation options and discount codes are already available on the Congress website. Additionally, for the necessary paperwork related to your institution, please download the invitation letter and, if needed, the visa letter from ConfTool. 

    Access ConfTool and the Congress Programme!congreso!

  • EUPRERA 2026 Sets a New Record with 151 Accepted Papers and Panels

    EUPRERA 2026 Sets a New Record with 151 Accepted Papers and Panels

    The review results for the EUPRERA 2026 Congress in Malaga are now available online on ConfTool. We’re excited to announce that 151 papers and panels have been accepted for presentation, a new record for the EUPRERA Congress! Congratulations to all authors and a warm thank-you to our reviewers!

    Registration is also open – don’t miss the August 1st early-bird and September 1st final deadlines for registration. Member discount codes were also sent to individual members and to the coordinators of institutional memberships provided that the 2026 membership was paid by May 30th.

    Please take a moment to rate your reviews by June 15th. The programme will be available by June 30. Check out the Congress website for the programme outline, travel tips, and accommodation recommendations.

  • The Climate Route comes to Málaga: When responsible tourism becomes climate action

    The Climate Route comes to Málaga: When responsible tourism becomes climate action

    Málaga is positioning itself as a benchmark city in sustainability and climate communication, thanks to a pioneering project that transforms the city’s streets into spaces for reflection and change.

    Málaga from within: Exploring the climate emergency through a critical lens

    When we think of tourism, we usually picture beaches, monuments and restaurants. But what if a tourist route could become a tool for understanding climate change, visualising its consequences and discovering real solutions? That is exactly what the Climate Route proposes: a pioneering initiative in Spain that has chosen Málaga as one of its epicentres.

    The project redefining responsible tourism in Spain

    The Climate Route (rutadelclima.es) is more than a guided walk. It is a comprehensive tool that combines responsible tourism, environmental education and civic cooperation to address the climate emergency from a constructive and hopeful perspective.

    Born in 2019, this initiative has grown and evolved into a project funded by the European Union through Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism’s Experiencias Turismo España programme. A recognition of the transformative potential of an idea that started small but thinks big.

    Málaga: The ideal setting to explore the climate

    The choice of Málaga as one of the host cities of the Climate Route is no coincidence. A Mediterranean coastal city, Málaga is a living laboratory where the effects of climate change are something tangible: rising temperatures, the transformation of the coastline, extreme weather events such as DANAs (cold drop storms), and a society actively seeking answers.

    Those who walk the route not only enjoy the landscape and heritage of Málaga — they also discover, stop by stop, what is happening to our climate, which actors are doing something about it, and how they themselves can contribute. The city becomes the classroom.

    Educational and technological innovation: Clima academy and the mobile App

    One of the project’s recent milestones is the launch of educational and technological tools unprecedented in Spain. The University of Málaga recently hosted the presentation of two standout innovations:

    Clima Academy is a gamification experience designed specifically for secondary schools and educational centres, dividing learning about climate change into six interactive stations. Young people and teachers can thus tackle the climate emergency without giving up on play or scientific rigour.

    Additionally, an open application for mobile phones and tablets allows users to geolocate in real time all the sustainable initiatives along the route, both for individual users and professionals. A step forward in making climate knowledge accessible, visual and participatory.

    These tools have been made possible thanks to the collaboration of organisations such as Social Climate, Rutas Pangea, Aethnic, Low Carbon Economy and many others committed to climate action.

    Simultaneous routes, many cities: When climate action expands

    One of the project’s most remarkable moments took place on 21 March, when Climate Routes were held simultaneously in five Spanish cities: Málaga, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza. A powerful image: while in some cities people were discussing the impact of DANAs and urban reorganisation, the exact same conversations were taking place in other squares and streets across the country.

    This capacity to generate simultaneous debate across multiple urban nodes is no coincidence, it is part of a communication strategy: making climate change stop feeling like something distant, and instead become a close, shared and mobilising experience.

    What this project teaches us about communication and sustainability

    From the perspective of strategic communication and public relations, the Climate Route is a fascinating case study. We ask ourselves: why does it work?

    First, because it combines physical experience with rigorous content. It is not about handing out a leaflet or listening to a talk — it is about walking, observing, interacting and conversing in the very spaces where the climate is changing.

    Second, because it places citizens at the centre. There is no passive audience receiving information: there are people actively participating, becoming agents of change during and after the route.

    And third, because it bets on hope without denying the crisis. One of the great challenges of climate communication is avoiding emotional collapse or paralysis. The Climate Route achieves this by showcasing real solutions, real people and real possibilities.

    Málaga as a city that regenerates

    This project fits perfectly with the spirit of the EUPRERA Annual Congress 2026, to be held in Málaga in September under the theme “Regenerating public relations and strategic communication in the face of the new global order”. The Climate Route is, in itself, an example of regenerative communication: it does not merely inform or raise awareness — it activates, transforms and connects.

    Málaga is not only the setting for the congress. It is a city that experiments, that innovates and that demonstrates that it is possible to do things differently. The Climate Route is proof of that.

    Saturday, 19 September 

    9:30 – 12:00 (approx). Social Programme

    Faculty of Communication Sciences (UMA)

    The Climate Journey: Explore the climate emergency and its solutions

    The Climate Journey is a participatory experience as a tool for climate action, environmental education, responsible tourism, and cooperation. Through thematic itineraries, participants explore climate change from a local perspective – its causes, impacts, and solutions – in a dynamic and interactive way.

    The activity will be conducted in English, lasts approximately 2–2.5 hours, and requires prior paid registration (during the registration for the Congress, via ConfTool).

    More information about the Routes for Climate project.