WEAVE 2027 - Call for Papers

Weaving Multiple Transformations 
through European University Collaboration

A STARS EU Alliance International Conference 
hosted by Hochschule Bremen (HSB), Germany — TIG Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Welcome

Europe is undergoing multiple, simultaneous transformations — ecological, digital, social, cultural and institutional. No single discipline, no single institution and no single perspective can address this complexity alone. WEAVE 2027 brings together researchers and educators from across Europe and beyond to explore one central question:   

How can the multiple transformations Europe is undergoing be woven together into coherent pathways for a sustainable, inclusive and dynamic future?

The image of weaving is central to the conference identity. Just as a woven fabric draws its strength from the interlocking of many individual threads, WEAVE 2027 draws its power from the connections between disciplines, sectors, transformation pathways and actors. We warmly invite you to contribute a thread of your own.

Conference Theme and Thematic Focus

WEAVE 2027 invites contributions from researchers and educators across Europe and beyond, both from the nine STARS EU Thematic Interest Groups (TIGs) and from institutions outside the Alliance. The nine TIGs participate on an equal footing, and submissions are not pre-sorted into tracks: the Scientific Committee allocates accepted papers to thematic sessions after review, drawing on the natural connections between the TIGs.   

• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Sustainable Industry
• Digital Transformation
• Circular Economy
• Inclusion and Social Justice
• Energy Transition
• Living Spaces
• Healthy Ageing
• Art and Creative Industries

Who Should Submit

We welcome submissions from researchers, educators and doctoral candidates, whether affiliated with a STARS EU Alliance partner institution or not. Contributions that connect disciplines, sectors or transformation pathways are especially encouraged.

Submission Format

A single submission format applies:

• Extended Abstract, 800–1,500 words, covering the research question and motivation, theoretical framing, method, preliminary or expected findings, and contribution to the conference theme.
• All submissions must be in English.
• Each presenting author may submit at most two Extended Abstracts.
• Submissions undergo double-blind peer review by the WEAVE 2027 Scientific Committee, composed of scholars from European universities active in the conference's thematic fields.
• Upon acceptance, authors upload a Full Paper, which is distributed to the assigned discussant and posted on the internal conference website.
• WEAVE 2027 does not publish conference proceedings; authors are encouraged to submit their work to scientific journals after the conference.

A Peer-Driven Discussant Format

Each accepted paper is assigned a discussant, drawn reciprocally from the pool of accepted authors. Sessions run in 90-minute blocks of four papers, with each paper allotted 12 minutes for presentation, followed by a 5-minute discussant response and 3 minutes of audience Q&A. Discussants receive the full paper three weeks before the conference — a format designed to ensure scholarly quality and lively dialogue.

WEAVE 2027 is held on-site at Hochschule Bremen and runs parallel online-only sessions for authors who cannot travel. The two modes are not hybrid — each session is either fully on-site or fully online — but online sessions follow exactly the same format, discussant model and double-blind review standard as on-site sessions. Attendance is free of charge, both on-site and online. Authors indicate their preferred mode at submission.

Key Dates

How to Submit

For now, submissions are kindly requested by email to weave@hs-bremen.de. We are also happy to answer any further questions at this address.