RGS–IBG Annual International Conference 2026

Tuesday 1 – Friday 4 September 2026, Royal Geographical Society, London

Session title: New and emerging voices in economic geography

Session convenors:

Liam Keenan (University of Nottingham) liam.keenan1@nottingham.ac.uk

Yuhong Lei (Newcastle University) Y.Lei13@newcastle.ac.uk

Jessa Loomis (Newcastle University) jessa.loomis@newcastle.ac.uk

Diana Morales (University of Vienna) diana.carolina.morales.arcila@univie.ac.at

Franziska Paul (University of Glasgow) franziska.paul@glasgow.ac.uk

Luke Green (Newcastle University) luke.green@newcastle.ac.uk

Format: in-person only

Session abstract:

This session invites postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and early career researchers (ECRs) to share emerging research, ideas, and provocations in economic geography. We aim to create a supportive and inclusive space for scholars at the early stages of their academic journeys to showcase work in progress, explore new directions, and connect with others working across diverse traditions and contexts.

We welcome contributions that engage with any aspect of economic geography, broadly defined. This may include (but is not limited to) research on:

• Economic inequalities and uneven development
• Digital, platform, and creative economies
• Gender, race, identity and the economy
• Geographies of markets, production, exchange, and consumption
• Geographies of money and finance
• Labour, work, livelihoods, and care
• Housing, real estate, infrastructure, and the built environment
• Sustainability, climate, and green transitions
• Industrial change, innovation, and entrepreneurship
• Informal, alternative, and community economies
• Theories and methods in economic geography
• Intellectual histories and futures of economic geography

Papers may be theoretical, conceptual, empirical, and/or methodological in scope. We particularly encourage:

• Papers based on postgraduate or postdoctoral research projects
• Works-in-progress or presentation of preliminary findings
• Submissions from researchers who are new to the RGS–IBG conference or academic conferencing more broadly

Our goal is to foster constructive discussion, peer support, and confidence-building in a friendly environment. Presenters will be encouraged to share not only findings, but also questions, challenges, and future directions.

Submission instructions

Please submit a paper title, abstract (max. 250 words), and author details to Luke Green (luke.green@newcastle.ac.uk) by 5pm (GMT) on Friday, 20 February 2025. Please also include details of any accessibility requirements with your submission.

Accepted papers will be confirmed on Monday, 23 February, in time for authors to submit their final abstract via the ExOrdo submission system by the deadline of Friday, 6 March 2025.

If you have any questions about the session or would like to check the fit of a proposed paper, please feel free to get in touch with Luke via email.

We look forward to hearing from you and to welcoming a diverse range of emerging voices in economic geography in London in September.

With best wishes,

RGS-IBG Economic Geography Research Group

The Economic Geography Research Group (EGRG) of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is delighted to announce details of a new online webinar series taking place over the coming academic year.

Emerging voices in economic geography will showcase new research and spotlight emerging scholars in the field whose work brings attention to new geographies, methodologies and theoretical frameworks that challenge the status quo and enrich our collective understanding of economic geography. 

More information is provided below. Please save the dates for now — a sign-up link and full details will be circulated in the next week.

Emerging voices in economic geography

Economic geography is a subdiscipline that goes through ‘periods of introspection’ (Bathelt et al., 2017), where the field grapples with tensions between calls for greater pluralism and the desire for clearer disciplinary boundaries.

In the last few years, the discipline has witnessed a growing number of critical voices calling for greater diversity, inclusion and openness to new perspectives, especially from those who have held less influence in the subdiscipline — particularly early career scholars and women (Johns and Hall, 2024; Pugh, 2018; Rosenman et al., 2020).

These critiques are not just about representation; they are about the kinds of knowledge that are valued, the geographies that are studied, and the futures that are imagined. New voices generate dynamism in economic geography, challenge established boundaries and advocate for theoretical and methodological pluralism which is key to understanding the complexity of the global economy and the ongoing ‘polycrisis’.

This series spotlights early career researchers whose work brings fresh perspectives and critical insights to economic geography. Each webinar will feature two speakers in conversation with one another and the audience, exploring a distinct economic geography theme and generating new insights.

Save the dates

All sessions take place on Thursdays at 1pm (UK time) with the following themes:

• 20 November 2025 – Housing

• 5 February 2026 – Regional development

• 2 April 2026 – Finance and sustainability

• 28 May 2026 – Technology, platforms, and labour

The first webinar will feature Tim White (Queen Mary University of London, UK) and Ifigeneia Dimitrakou (Universität Zürich / University of Zurich, Switzerland) discussing their research on the geographies of housing.

More information and registration links will follow soon — but for now, please save the dates and circulate among your networks.

Get in touch with Liam Keenan (EGRG Chair, liam.keenan1@nottingham.ac.uk) or Luke Green (Events Officer, l.a.green2@newcastle.ac.uk) if you have any questions.

The Economic Geography Research Group (EGRG) is pleased to welcome submissions to the annual Undergraduate Dissertation Prize. A prize of £100 is awarded this round for the best undergraduate dissertation in economic geography (broadly define). 

Nominated dissertations should be an outstanding theoretical and/or empirical piece of work, usually 8,000 words or more in length, and submitted for formal assessment in the current academic year to a UK Higher Education Institution for a BA/BSc level geography degree programme. 

Please note that a department may not submit more than one entry and nominated dissertations should not be submitted for consideration for any other RGS-IBG prizes.

Please fill in Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and RGS-IBG Research Groups Undergraduate Dissertation Prizes Submission Form 2025 by 15th July and refer to the details and guidance on the form.

We are also pleased to again welcome submissions to the annual PhD prize competition. A prize of £100 is awarded each year for the best PhD thesis in economic geography (broadly define). The prize provides the opportunity to recognise the outstanding research conducted by PGRs in the UK and we welcome submissions related to any subfield of economic geography.

To be considered for the award, please send an electronic copy of the thesis to the EGRG Prizes Officer: dissertation.prize@outlook.com by 31st May. This must be an absolutely final version of a PhD thesis that has passed the degree for which it has been submitted at a UK institution between 1 January ​2024 to 31 December 2024. Each thesis will then be reviewed by the EGRG committee before a winner is announced.

Previous winners can be found via the EGRG website: https://egrg.org/prizes/

Call for papers, RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2025

Thinking creatively about futures for geographical research on the economy

Convened by the Economic Geography Research Group (EGRG)

Inspired by the conference theme of ‘creativity’, in this session we invite proposals for a series of 5-minute provocative ‘lightning talks’ which think critically and creatively about futures for geographical research on the economy, broadly defined. Talks will be followed by a panel and/or discussion allowing time for dialogue between presenters and audience.

Themes for the lightning talks might include, but are not limited to:

• Emerging concepts and theories, and critiques of/challenges to hegemonic paradigms
• Alternative/creative visions for future, activism and academic research as subversive (political) practice
• Plurality and interdisciplinarity across and beyond Geography
• Equality, diversity, inclusion and decolonialisation
• New directions/urgent priorities for future research on the economy
• Creative and innovative methods for researching the economy
• Creative and alternative forms of dissemination for non-academic audiences
• Applied research, policy and practice: ‘creative’ possibilities beyond the academy
• Creativity in research-led teaching practice

We encourage academics at any and all career stages to submit to this session. While speakers are welcome to talk about their own research, this is not the key aim of the session, and we encourage reflection on how this research relates to broader themes such as those we highlight above.

Accepted speakers will be invited to submit a brief one-side written provocation ahead of the conference session. It is also hoped that this session will underpin the development of a journal special issue, or other edited written collection, after the conference takes place.

Abstracts (approx. 200 words), along with the title of the talk and author contact details (name, affiliation, email address), should please be sent to Allan Watson (A.Watson3@lboro.ac.uk), Liam Keenan (Liam.Keenan1@nottingham.ac.uk ) and Jessa Loomis (Jessa.Loomis@newcastle.ac.uk) by 21^st February 2025.

Our congratulations to Dr Felicia Liu of the University of York, who has been awarded the EGRG travel award to attend the 2025 Global Conference on Economic Geography!

The Economic Geography Research Group (EGRG) of the RGS-IBG invites applications for a £500 travel award to support participation in the Global Conference on Economic Geography (GCEG) from 4-8 June 2025 at Clark University in Worcester, MA USA. This award is funded by the Royal Geographical Society and the Economic Geography Research Group of the RGS-IBG. 

Please review the eligibility criteria and selection process below. To apply for this travel award, complete the application form here: https://forms.office.com/e/Px5Eg1u6n4Can

The application deadline is 6 January 2025 at 23.59 GMT. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process before the conference registration deadline. 

Eligibility

• This conference funding award is for an early career or otherwise precarious scholar who will be presenting research in the field of economic geography. Following UKRI, we do not consider years post-PhD or job title to be a sole marker of career progression. As such, we invite applicants to self-identify as ECRs and/or scholars who are precariously employed in the academic biography section of the application. 
• Given the EGRG’s remit to advance economic geography in the UK, applicants should have received their PhD at a UK university and/or currently hold an affiliation at a UK higher education institution. If the applicant does not currently hold a PhD, they must have already submitted their doctoral thesis by time of application. 
• The applicant does not need to be a member of the RGS/EGRG to be eligible for the award.  
• The travel award can be held jointly with the travel awards offered by the GCEG conference. 
• Following conference attendance, the awardee will be invited to share their experiences at the GCEG and/or deliver a research talk based on their GCEG paper with the wider EGRG membership in 2025-2026. 

Selection Process

• The selection process will be jointly managed by a panel composed of the core Economic Geography Research Group board members: Allan Watson (chair), Liam Keenan (secretary) and Jessa Loomis (treasurer). 
• Following the assessment methodology currently piloted by the British Academy, all applicants who provide adequate background information (part 1) and meet the key criteria (part 2) will be eligible for the award. 
• After the application deadline, the assessment panel will review the applications to ensure that each applicant is eligible; we expect all applicants will be. 
• Once eligibility has been determined, the award will be allocated via lottery. If the selected applicant is unable to make use of the award, it will be offered to the next randomly selected eligible participant. 

Questions: For any questions on the application or selection process, please email Dr Jessa Loomis (EGRG treasurer): Jessa.Loomis@Newcastle.ac.uk

Minutes of the EGRG Annual General Meeting held on 7th September 2021 (online) are now available for viewing here. You can also find minutes of past AGMs on that same page.