Pre-Conference Professional Development Workshops
Call for Proposals
Deadline for Submissions: 15 March 2026 (23:59 CET)
Notification of Acceptance: mid-May, 2026
As part of its 2026 biennial conference, the EES is delighted to invite you to submit your proposals for the pre-conference professional development workshops (PDWs). These acclaimed and popular one-day sessions will take place over the 2 days before the Conference opening (26-27 October 2026). They are a unique opportunity for the evaluation community to gain knowledge and training from experienced facilitators on a range of topics; at the same time, facilitators benefit from having the chance to exchange knowledge and experiences with highly motivated participants from all over the world.
The topics may cover any aspect of evaluation theory and practice but preferably be linked to the spirit of the conference title, namely, strengthening the relationship between evaluation practice and its role in supporting democracy and improving the common good. For example, evaluating innovation such as evaluating transition in public policy, engaging with the community, as well as specific fields such as climate change, equity, artificial intelligence and the future of evaluation.
Workshop proposals should be no more than 1’000 words in length. As the peer review process will be double-blinded, the content must be anonymised. However, a separate, brief, biography of the facilitator(s) and relevant workshop experience should also be submitted for the EES’s PDW Coordinating Team’s review. Where relevant, those who have previously delivered at EES Conferences and wish to submit a similar workshop are expected to update and enhance the content, preferably adjusted to link to the main 2026 EES conference theme and sub-themes as appropriate. N.B. You may submit for more than one workshop.
Please note that most of the Workshops are to be delivered in English, being the common language used throughout EES conferences.) However, exceptionally, this year we are encouraging submissions in French, (for delivery in French) of which two will be selected.
Compensatory package and submission
EES will provide the main facilitator with one free conference access and a voucher worth two nights' paid accommodation. When a second facilitator is present, a 50% reduction in the conference fee will be added to the compensatory package.
Submissions should be made online using the link provided above. Again, please ensure that they are totally anonymised and use the template to structure the information.
Please note that the person who submits the proposal will automatically be identified as the main facilitator and primary contact for all future correspondence and workshop-related benefits. If there is more than one presenter, we kindly ask that one person coordinates and submits a single proposal on behalf of the group.
Review Process and Selection Criteria
To create a high-quality programme, including basic as well as the newest ideas and results in the field, the workshop proposals will be double-blinded for assessment by a panel of peer reviewers with respect to the criteria listed below.
Relevance
- Relevance of topic to current debates and issues in the evaluation field
Clarity
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Clarity of learning objectives. Logic of proposed sessions and activities
Innovation
- Originality of ideas and/or learning approach
Participation
- Level of participatory engagement as demonstrated through a variety of effective, interactive, learning strategies.
Proposal completeness
- Submission is complete with all information requested and is anonymised
In addition, for the final review, the EES PDW Coordinating Team will take into consideration the supplementary information, such as prior training experience and overall balance of offers per target audience.
For questions related to content or expertise, please contact Marlène Laeubli or Rosa Maria Flores