If you haven’t yet had a chance to submit an abstract for VSVR’26, there’s still time — the deadline is 18 May 2026. We’d love to hear from researchers and practitioner-researchers working across voluntary sector and volunteering research. Details below:
Main conference: 9–10 September 2026 | New Researchers pre-conference day: 8 September 2026 | Watershed Conference Centre, Bristol, UK
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.
Wider Contributions on Volunteering and the Voluntary Sector
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.
VSVR’26 is organised by the Voluntary Sector Studies Network (VSSN), in partnership with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) Research, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and the Institute for Community Research at the University of Wolverhampton.
Submissions and Format
We welcome proposals for:
- Individual papers
- Panel sessions
- Workshops
When submitting an abstract, authors will be asked to indicate whether their paper is best suited to:
- The Conference Theme: Evidence into Action, or
- Wider Contributions — research on volunteering and the voluntary sector
These categories are intended to support the conference programme organisation rather than limit the scope of submissions.
Abstract Submission
Submit your abstract at: https://www.vssn.org.uk/vssn-conference-abstract-submissions-2026/
Deadline: 18 May 2026
We welcome contributions from those working in the voluntary sector and civil society, and from a wide range of disciplines including (but not limited to) sociology, social policy, politics, psychology, geography, economics, business studies, law, anthropology, philosophy, and ethics.
New and Early Career Researchers
The conference provides a supportive environment for new and early-career researchers. A dedicated New Researchers Day will take place on Tuesday 8 September 2026, offering opportunities to present work, network, and gain support from the VSSN community.
New Researchers may present either on the pre-conference day or within the main conference. Our definition is inclusive of students, those new to academic careers, practitioner-researchers, and those working across academic and practice settings. Attendance is subsidised for New Researchers.
New for 2026, New Researchers may choose from three presentation formats:
- 15-minute paper presentations
- Poster presentations
- 5-minute lightning talks
Further details: https://www.vssn.org.uk/vsvr-new-researchers-call-for-papers-new-researchers-day-or-main-conference/
Prizes
Presenters who submit a full paper by the 16 August deadline will automatically be considered for the Campbell Adamson Memorial Prize for best paper (main conference), or for the Duncan Scott New Researchers’ Prize for best paper. Winners of both prizes will be presented with a certificate and cash prize at the Conference reception.
Want to Find Out More?
Booking will open shortly. Visit www.vssn.org.uk or email VSVRconference@vssn.org.uk for further information.
