ERSA2026 Congress Recordings Now Available

The 65th ERSA Congress, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 25–28 August 2026, brought together regional scientists, researchers, academics, policy-makers and professionals from around the world under the theme:

“Global Challenges and Regional Responses in a Transition Era.”

We are pleased to share a selection of recordings from the Congress, including keynote lectures, special round tables, the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony

Explore the discussions, ideas and insights that shaped ERSA2026.

Opening Ceremony ERSA2026

The Opening Ceremony officially launched the 65th ERSA Congress at the Aula Magna of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

The ceremony featured welcome addresses from ERSA and Bulgarian academic and public institutions, a written congratulatory message from the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, and a special video message from European Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva.

The keynote address by Atanas Pekanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, focused on Bulgaria’s position within European and national policies, the Recovery and Resilience Plan, competitiveness, economic transformation, cohesion policy and balanced regional development.

Keynote Lecture

by Prof. Peter Nijkamp

Urbanometrics and Wellbeing: City Love, Spatial Comfort Zones and Prosilient Panarchy

In his keynote lecture, Prof. Peter Nijkamp explored new ways of understanding the relationship between cities, space and wellbeing.

The lecture introduced three concepts:

·    City Love – the emotional and social attachment people develop towards their places.

·    Spatial Comfort Zones – how access to amenities in surrounding areas influences residential choices and people’s decision to stay in a location.

·    Prosilience and Panarchy – how cities and regions can move beyond simply recovering from shocks and instead develop towards a stronger future.

Drawing on examples from Rotterdam, Flanders and Iași, the lecture highlighted the importance of understanding wellbeing at different spatial scales, from neighbourhoods to cities and regions.

European Commission JRC

Round Table

Reviving Industrial Policy: Data for Mapping Competitiveness and Cohesion

Organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre TEDAM team, this round table examined the role of data in understanding industrial competitiveness and territorial cohesion.

The discussion highlighted how regional data and evidence-based analysis can support the mapping of competitiveness challenges, regional disparities and the territorial effects of industrial policy.

The session brought together contributions from experts at the European Commission JRC, the University of Warsaw, EURADA, Université libre de Bruxelles and the London School of Economics.

Highlight: The Big Five Round Table

One of the highlights of ERSA2026 was the high-level special academic round table:

“A European Perspective on a Turbulent World”

The event featured an exceptional exchange between:

Mario Draghi - Former President of the European Central Bank and former Prime Minister of Italy

Paul Krugman - Nobel Prize laureate in Economic Sciences

The discussion addressed Europe’s position in an increasingly turbulent global economy and explored the challenges and opportunities facing European competitiveness.

Among the key issues discussed were:

·    Europe’s competitiveness in relation to the United States and China

·    The future of the European single market

·    Industrial policy and technological sovereignty

·    Europe’s investment gap

·    The impact of Chinese exports and changing global trade patterns

·    Infrastructure, innovation and regional cohesion

·    The relationship between competitiveness and solidarity

·    The role of European cooperation in responding to geopolitical uncertainty

Mario Draghi emphasised that Europe’s challenge is not simply to become more competitive, but to do so while preserving the values at the heart of the European project.

He highlighted the importance of completing the single market, reducing regulatory fragmentation, investing in infrastructure and developing common European strategies in areas such as energy, communications, satellites and cybersecurity.

A particularly important message was that European competitiveness and social solidarity should not be seen as opposing objectives. Referring to Sweden, Draghi noted that strong social protection can coexist with high levels of productivity and innovation.

The round table also included contributions from:

·    Prof. Roberta Capello, ERSA President

·    Prof. Eduardo Haddad, University of São Paulo

·    Prof. Martin Andersson, Sweden

The discussion was moderated by Karima Kourt and included a Q&A session with young researchers.

Watch this exceptional discussion on Europe’s future.

Closing Ceremony, Awards &

Keynote Lecture by Prof. André Torre

The Closing Ceremony brought the 65th ERSA Congress to a conclusion with a celebration of academic achievements, contributions to regional science and the international ERSA community.

The ceremony included the presentation of several ERSA and RSAI awards, recognising outstanding research, service and academic contributions.

Awards presented included:

·    ERSA EPAINOS Prize 2026

·    RSAI Fellow Awards

·    The Hirotada Kohno Award for Outstanding Service to the RSAI

·    RSAI Peter Nijkamp Research Encouragement Award

·    RSAI Dissertation Award

·    Martin Beckman Award for the Best Paper in PiRS

·    RSPP Best Paper Award

The ceremony also featured the presentation of the ERSA Prize 2026 to Prof. André Torre, followed by his keynote lecture: "Proximity analysis and proximity relations: where are we today?"   

The event concluded with the official handover of the ERSA Congress flag to the organisers of the 66th ERSA Congress in Milan, Italy, which will take place on 22–23 August 2027.

Watch the Full ERSA2026 Playlist

Discover the recordings from the 65th ERSA Congress in one place.

The playlist includes:

·    Opening Ceremony

·    Keynote Lecture by Prof. Peter Nijkamp

·    European Commission JRC Round Table

·    Big Five Round Table: A European Perspective on a Turbulent World

·    Closing Ceremony, Awards & Keynote Lecture by Prof. André Torre

Thank you to all participants, speakers, chairs, organisers, partners and contributors who made ERSA2026 a successful and memorable Congress.

We hope you enjoy revisiting these discussions and insights from Sofia.

Organisers

Partners

Sponsors

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visit ourupcoming events page on our website.