VSVR conference 2026 Call for Papers – Drop in session on the 29th April
Call for papers, panel sessions and workshops
The Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference 2026 theme is
Evidence Into Action: Unlocking the Power of Civil Society Research
This will take place on 9–10 September 2026 (with New Researchers session on 8 September) at Watershed, Bristol, UK
Thinking of submitting an abstract for the conference, but not sure where to start? We are running an online informal drop in session if you have any questions about submitting and writing an abstract for a paper, panel session or workshop for the conference. This could be about what to put into an abstract, how long is a workshop or what does a panel entail? Please join us on the 29th April @ 12.00-13.00pm using this Teams link.
Call for papers
Across policy, practice, and academia, expectations are growing that research should do more than generate robust evidence. There is increasing emphasis on co-produced, participatory, and impact-focused research that informs decision-making, strengthens organisations, and contributes to social change.
The 2026 Voluntary Sector & Volunteering Research (VSVR) Conference invites engagement with how research on, and with, the voluntary sector and volunteering can more meaningfully shape policy and practice – and how evidence can be translated into action.
Conference theme: Evidence into Action
Papers engaging with the conference theme may explore questions such as:
- How research knowledge is co-produced with practitioners, volunteers, service users, communities, and policymakers
- How power, voice, and inclusion are negotiated in participatory research
- How research influence and impact are understood, demonstrated, and valued
- Why translating evidence into policy or practice can be challenging, and what helps
We welcome critical, reflective, and creative contributions that examine both successes and tensions in making research matter.
Alongside the conference theme, VSVR ’26 warmly welcomes papers on the full breadth of research relating to volunteering, voluntary action, and civil society.
This includes empirical, theoretical, methodological, and reflective work that advances understanding of the voluntary sector and volunteering, whether or not it engages directly with the Evidence into Action theme. Papers may focus on contemporary or historical issues, organisational or grassroots perspectives, policy or practice contexts, and research from any disciplinary or interdisciplinary standpoint.
The conference encourages international and comparative perspectives and actively welcomes submissions from early-career researchers, practitioner-researchers, and those working at the interface of research, policy, and practice.
By bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders, the conference aims to strengthen dialogue across sectors and support research that is both rigorous and relevant.
We welcome submissions for individual papers, panel sessions and workshops.
Abstracts for the main conference can be submitted here
Deadline is 18th May 2026.
For more information please see the VSSN website www.vssn.org.uk and for specific information on the New Researchers session visit here.
