ECREA is opening a call for proposals for the hosting and organisation of the 2028 edition of the European Communication Conferences.

Since 2005, when the first ECREA conference was held in Amsterdam, the event has travelled across Europe, with Brno set to host the next ECC in 2026. Hosting an ECREA conference brings significant benefits to its organisers due to the association’s scale, prestige, and international reach. Previous host universities have enhanced their visibility as European leaders in communication, media, and education studies; forged strong and lasting collaborations with scholars across Europe and beyond; and opened new opportunities for joint research projects. ECREA conferences also provide valuable experiences for students and local communities, who benefit from direct engagement with leading scholars. At the same time, they generate economic and cultural impact through accommodation, dining, tourism, and cultural events, raising both the city’s and the university’s international profile. The Governing Body of ECREA (GB) has developed a Terms of Reference framework to define the conference format and provide guidelines for its organisation. 

Interested members are asked to submit proposals for hosting the 2028 European Communication Conference. The institution hosting the Conference must be active in the field of communication research and/or education and have sufficient experience and capacity (staff and support) to prepare and run the event.

The proposal for hosting the 2028 European Communication Conference must take the form of a document where candidate host institutions will: 1) Describe their general vision of the event (including the location, timing, duration and their organisational capacity). We encourage candidates to consider creative approaches to conference event formats. 2) Explicitly engage themselves to meet ECREA's requirements described in the Terms of Reference for Organising ECREA’s 12th European Communication Conference 2028 and provide the basic information regarding the way their proposal will meet ECREA's requirements. 3) Propose a draft financial plan. 4)  Explicitly address the host’s commitment to sustainability and explain how it is embedded throughout the planning and execution of the conference. 5) Sketch out the strengths and weaknesses associated with the proposal. 

Please note that more than one institution can join forces and present a conjoint proposal, as long as they are in the same geographical area.

Deadline and submission

Proposals must be submitted by Friday, 30 January, 2026. The proposals must be sent by e-mail (attachment in .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf format) to info@ecrea.eu .

The ECREA Governing Body will then select one institution to act as local host, and possibly one runner-up to step in, in case the selected host encounters unforeseen difficulties.

Evaluation criteria

• Geographical location
• Facilities
• Accessibility and sustainability
• Timeliness and relevance of the general conference theme
• Articulation of commitment to diversity and inclusion and other ECREA values

Timeline

ECC conferences are typically scheduled for October–November, unless an alternative timeframe is proposed by the local host. The hosting institution is selected at least two years in advance of the event.

The timeline will be as follows:

15 October, 2025: the call for applications is open. Each candidate-host turns in a summary project describing how they see the event, where, how, etc.

30 January, 2026: the call is closed. The GB considers applications, the Daily Governing Body conducts interviews with all applicants and selects one which complies with all criteria, including the strategic priorities of the GB. Contacts are made with candidates for further information where necessary.

March 2026: The GB will announce the selected host institution to all institutional applicants. The chosen institution will then be required  to develop a comprehensive  organisational plan in close cooperation with ECREA’s GB, to be finalised by mid-June 2026. Where appropriate, the GB may also designate  a runner-up institution to host the conference if  the selected host institution is unable to fulfil its commitments. 

June, 2026: The GB examines the full proposal and decides on its approval. If necessary, the organisers are given one more month to fine-tune the proposal (with assistance of the Governing Body).

8 September –11 September, 2026: the ECC2028 conference host is announced at the closing ceremony in Brno.

October – November, 2028: ECC2028 takes place.

We are accepting inquiries from the academic institutions interested in organizing the conference. For any inquiry, please contact ECREA admin info@ecrea.eu .

We are looking forward to receiving your proposals!