Call for Proposals: 2026 UNCG Conference on Collaborative Governance with Deadline April 30, 2026

​The 2026 University Network for Collaborative Governance (UNCG) Conference, titled “Anchoring Our Future: How Can Collaborative Governance Meet the Moment?”, takes place from October 30 to November 6, 2026. Proposals are due by April 30, 2026, and can be submitted online. The conference features four tracks: Young Professionals (Perspectives, Challenges, and Engagement), Using AI to Support and Complement Our Work, Skill-Building Workshops to Meet the Moment, and Emerging Questions and Frameworks. Proposals can be submitted in six formats: Fireside chat, Group panel, Facilitated dialogue, Flash research presentation, “Ted Talk” lecture, and Virtual networking activity. This conference advances NCDD’s mission by bringing together collaborative governance practitioners, researchers, students, and young professionals to share work, learn tools, explore emerging questions, and deepen connections across universities and organizations. Dialogue and deliberation practitioners can engage with current priorities in collaborative governance, including centering young professional perspectives, building facilitation and negotiation skills, exploring technology’s role in supporting collaborative work, and surfacing unconventional models. Various session formats enable different types of knowledge sharing and community building.

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The 2026 UNCG Conference will take place on October 30 and November 6, 2026, with call for proposals deadline of April 30, 2026, inviting submissions through online form with questions directed to Hazel Wilburn at [email protected]. The conference theme is "Anchoring Our Future: How Can Collaborative Governance Meet the Moment?" exploring how collaborative governance can effectively address current challenges and opportunities facing communities, organizations, and governance systems. The conference features four tracks: Young Professionals (Perspectives, Challenges, and Engagement) understanding the perspectives of young professionals in collaborative governance; Using AI to Support and Complement Our Work exploring how AI can effectively support collaborative governance; Skill-Building Workshops to Meet the Moment learning practical tools including facilitation and negotiation to navigate today's challenges; and Emerging Questions and Frameworks hearing about new or unconventional models of collaborative governance.

Proposals may be submitted in six formats: Fireside chat (conversation between two-five people on relevant topic), Group panel (presentations by two-four panelists followed by moderated discussion), Facilitated dialogue (provocative questions followed by small group discussions and full group share-out), Flash research presentation (10-minute presentation on current or applied project), "Ted Talk" lecture (20-minute lecture about relevant topic including insights gained and lessons learned), and Virtual networking activity (activity designed to deepen connections between different universities). The conference structure spans two dates in late October and early November 2026, suggesting either a two-day format or split sessions across two weeks to accommodate different schedules and maximize participation from collaborative governance practitioners, researchers, and students across universities and organizations. The four tracks reflect current priorities in the collaborative governance field, including centering perspectives and engagement of young professionals as future leaders, exploring the role of artificial intelligence in supporting and complementing collaborative work, building practical skills through workshops addressing today's challenges, and surfacing emerging questions and unconventional models pushing the field forward.

The variety of session formats enables different types of knowledge sharing and engagement, ranging from intimate fireside conversations to structured panel presentations, participatory facilitated dialogues engaging all attendees in small and large group discussions, brief flash presentations showcasing current research and applied projects, longer lecture-style presentations sharing insights and lessons learned, and interactive networking activities designed to strengthen connections across universities and build a collaborative governance community of practice. Questions about proposal submissions should be directed to Hazel Wilburn at Washington State University ([email protected]), who is coordinating conference programming, with the proposal form accessible through the conference website and a deadline for submissions set for April 30, 2026. The conference provides an opportunity for collaborative governance practitioners, researchers, students, and young professionals to share work, learn practical tools, explore emerging questions and frameworks, and deepen connections across different universities and organizations working to advance collaborative governance practice and scholarship.
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Submit proposals: Online form (deadline April 30, 2026)
Conference dates: October 30 and November 6, 2026
Contact: Hazel Wilburn at [email protected]