Building bridges in regional science

2025 and 2026 conference participation support

The RSAI facilitates the participation of researchers from low-income and lower-middle-income economies (as defined by the World Bank: https://data.worldbank.org/about/country-and-lending-groups#Low_income) at the RSAI World Congress 2026, and the three largest Regional Science Conferences in 2025 and 2026: PRSCO, ERSA and NARSC.

RSAI will provide a subsidy up to 500 Euros to selected researchers. This is likely to cover the conference registration fee and some local travel costs. Alternative means of financing will have to be sought for international travel and accommodation.

Only one author of a submitted paper presentation proposal can apply for a subsidy.

Interested researchers should upload a two-page CV plus a one-page motivation –including a budget with proposed sources of funding of the conference-related registration, travel and accommodation costs – within 30 days of receiving confirmation of the acceptance of the researcher’s abstract by the conference organizers.

Applicants should be regular members of the RSAI and have a paper accepted for presentation at the conference for which they are asking for support. In case you are willing to become a RSAI member, please get in touch with RSAI Secretariat (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

All applications, to be submitted at the following link:

https://forms.gle/G57Q983dAUK7aV9Z8

will be reviewed by the Committee and will have to be formally approved by the RSAI Council. Their decision will be final.

Before applying, please check if your country is eligible.

The North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) promotes the scholarly exchange of ideas and knowledge that apply to urban and regional phenomena in North America and across the globe.

The association fosters exchange across academic disciplines and builds on the understanding that urban and regional issues are best addressed by utilizing tools, methods, and theoretical frameworks specifically designed for regional analysis, as well as concepts, procedures, and analytical techniques of the various social and other sciences.

The association organizes an annual national conference that provides a forum for interaction and discussion, and sponsors scholarly regional science journals for the dissemination of research and ideas. NARSC is an objective, scientific body without political, social, financial, or nationalistic bias.

The Pacific Regional Science Conference Organisation (PRSCO) was established at the 7th Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association (WRSA) in San Diego, February 1-4, 1968 at the initiative of representatives from WRSA and the Japan Section of the Regional Science Association (JSRSA). The first conference of PRSCO was held at the East-West Center, University of Hawaii, August 26-29, 1969. Subsequently, full conferences and smaller meetings have been held in many countries in the Pacific Rim area. A full international conference is held every second year and a smaller summer institute in alternate years.

The PRSCO is one of the 4 supra-regional associations of RSAI (Regional Science Association International) which is founded in 1954. The PRSCO enhances and facilitates exchange of research information in the field of regional science among members of Membership Sections of the PRSCO, as well as the exchange of this information in the Pacific Rim area between such members and other persons with an interest in regional science.

The PRSCO is a federation of the following affiliated sections/associations of the Regional Science Association International in the Pacific Rim Area. 

The European Regional Science Association (ERSA) is the supranational grouping of national regional science associations across Europe.

The main functions of ERSA, apart from promoting the field of regional science, are to organize an Annual European Congress, an Annual Summer School, the EPAINOS prize for young scientists and the ERSA European Prize in Regional Science to recognize outstanding regional scientists.

ERSA members are academics, policy professionals and researchers interested in spatial economics and planning, regional and local development and related issues. They are drawn largely from the disciplines of economics, geography and planning. There are presently 20 active associations (commonly named ’sections’), some, such as the German or French speaking sections, organized on linguistic groupings and covering more than one country. Constituent associations range in size from more than 700 members to 27. The largest sections have their own national professional organizers. In total, ERSA has some 3500 members in its constituent associations.

ERSA events have been growing in size and professionalism over the past 10 years. Attendance at Congresses has grown consistently over time, and more than 1000 delegates participated in the last three Congresses. The Summer Schools have been supported by the European Commission’s Marie Curie Program and the European Investment Bank Institute Program.