The University of Gothenburg
warmly welcomes you to the
2027 ACCESS Forum
14 - 18 June 2027 | Gothenburg, Sweden

 
 

2027 Forum Research Themes

The foundation of every ACCESS Forum starts with our Research Themes (RTs). In order to select the most relevant and high quality RTs for every ACCESS forum we invite researchers to co-propose workshop topics (Research Themes). Each RT proposal requires a detailed design of a four-day long workshop for up to 20 participants.

These workshops are the scientific and collaborative core of the ACCESS Forums. A maximum number of 12 RTs will be selected by the ACCESS Steering Committee through an open call.

Overview

  • The Partnership: Research Theme proposals must be submitted by a pair of lead researchers (PIs)—one from a Swedish member university and one from a Chilean member university. Both applicants must be employed by their respective university and hold a PhD-degree at the time of the proposal and Forum.

  • The Criteria: RT proposals must select one of the ACCESS Focus Areas, select relevant SDG(s) and align with the general criteria for the call. A list of previous RTs can be found here.

  • Timeline: The call for Research Themes is open from 30 March to 31 May 2026.

Guidelines & Application available here (31 mar-30 may 2026)
 
 

Attend the Forum

Once the Research Themes (RTs) are selected, we will open the call for applications to join the Forum. Interested researchers and PhD students can only apply to attend one of the workshops (Research Themes) during the Forum (4 days).

  • The ACCESS Forum is open to researchers from all research fields.

    Participants can be senior researchers, early career researchers (within 8 years of PhD award) and PhD-students.

    Participants who are currently employed at one of the ACCESS member universities are given priority.

    NOTE: Due to space limitations, participation in the Forum is limited. Participation is therefore not guaranteed, even if you have your own funding.

  • ACCESS does not directly fund Forum participation, however, some ACCESS member universities provide grants to their employees (including PhDs) to attend. Grant availability, amounts, and eligibility vary across universities.

    Interested in funding? We recommend contacting your university’s ACCESS representative to discuss internal financial support available for participants.

Apply to Participate (available from October to November 2026)

Chilean and Swedish government agencies, non-profits, industry, or other organizations that are not current ACCESS partners, including universities that are not current ACCESS members, can learn more about ACCESS and potential participation in the Forum by contacting ACCESS@global.lu.se.

 
 

Program Overview

Coming soon!

 
 

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Unlike a traditional academic conference where you present to a room of peers in your own field, the ACCESS Forum is an active, cross-disciplinary laboratory. You will join a dedicated working group to bridge different institutional and national contexts, breaking down academic silos to tackle global challenges.

    The Goal: To end the week with a long-term plan for binational collaboration, including joint grant applications, ideas for co-publication, co-supervision of PhD students, etc.

  • In the ACCESS Forum, Focus Areas serve as a context-specific bridge between broad global goals (SDGs) and the specific societal challenges shared by Chile and Sweden. Their primary role is to ensure interdisciplinary collaboration that is relevant to both nations.

    Additionally the intentional inclusion of "human" elements—such as ethics, governance, and societal impact—into every workshop, aims to increase the interdisciplinarity of both the workshop content as well as the engagement of participants with different areas of expertise.

    By providing this thematic structure, the Focus Areas move the Forum towards integrated, cross-cutting solutions that require input from both technical and non-technical fields.

    Learn more about the relationship between Focus Areas and SDGs here.

  • Research Themes are the core of the forum: four-day collaborative workshops led by a pair of researchers (one from Chile, one from Sweden).

    Unlike traditional conferences, these groups remain together for the duration of the forum to design innovative solutions and long-term research projects focused on specific Focus Areas and SDGs.

  • The program for 2027 is currently being finalized, but the forum typically follows this structure:

    • Sunday: PhD Event (Pre-registration required)

    • Monday: Opening Ceremony & Workshop Session

    • Tuesday – Wednesday: Workshop Sessions

    • Thursday: Final Workshop Session & Closing Ceremony

    • Friday: Cultural/Scientific Excursion

 
 

About the Host

You can learn more about the University of Gothenburg here.

 

Contact Us with Questions

Travel Funding: University Contact Persons
Forum Logistics & PhD Event: TBD
Becoming an ACCESS member: ACCESS platform Coordinator