Weaving Silk Road Cooperation for a Resilient World. A Multidisciplinary Conference on Climate, Society, and the Cognitive Built Environment.
Registration and abstract submission use the same form. You choose whether to present.
Organized alongside the General Assembly of the Silk-Road Universities Network. The conference will be held across four locations in Algeria: Tlemcen, Bejaia, Setif, and Algiers.
The Silk Road University Network (SUN), uniting 87 universities across 27 countries along the historic land and maritime Silk Roads, stands as a living testament to the “Spirit of the Silk Road”: a legacy of bridge-building between East and West, North and South.
In a world defined by accelerating environmental, social, and technological disruption, this network is uniquely positioned to answer a defining question of our era:
How can societies strengthen their resilience in the face of accelerating environmental, social, and technological change?
This three-day multidisciplinary academic conference invites scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and innovators from Business and Management, Technology, Sciences, Medicine, Law, Humanities, Architecture, Engineering and Urban Planning, and other fields to move beyond disciplinary silos.
We seek contributions that weave together diverse expertise to foster resilience across four interconnected pillars:
A defining question of our era, and the question this conference is convened to answer.
We seek contributions that weave together diverse expertise to foster resilience across four interconnected pillars.
Sharing adaptation strategies and renewable innovations across Arctic, desert, temperate, and tropical zones.
Preserving cultural heritage and community cohesion amid migration, urbanization, and economic transformation.
Leveraging digital twins, AI, and nature-based solutions to create smart, safe, and culturally responsive cities.
This conference comprises five specialized forums that will provide an in-depth look into the history, socio-economics, geopolitics, languages, medicine, sport and knowledge systems that define Silk Road civilizations, ensuring that the conference honors the rich cultural tapestry underlying all discussions of resilience and innovation.
This is not a traditional academic gathering. As the SUN Assembly welcomes new member institutions, this conference serves as a launchpad for actionable collaborations. We highly encourage submissions that go beyond theory to present:
Ground-level solutions from your community.
Initiatives already connecting universities across the Silk Road.
Scalable models for global impact.
Early-stage experiments in climate resilience, social inclusion, or smart cities.
Archival discoveries, linguistic analyses, and socio-economic histories that illuminate the Silk Road’s enduring legacy.
Dedicated forums and social sessions to connect with like-minded researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from 27 countries.
This conference offers a unique opportunity to present and connect within five specialized forums, each hosted by a distinguished SUN member institution. These forums provide a focused platform for scholars in area studies, history, languages, medicine, sports science, and transdisciplinary research to share their work and build lasting partnerships.
The conference aims to generate project ideas, facilitate new research partnerships, and strengthen a shared commitment to weaving the “Threads of Change” into the fabric of SUN’s next decade.
A keynote dialogue, balanced thematic panels, practitioner-led workshops, and dedicated time for partnership building.
The conference will feature a series of high-impact, practitioner-led workshops designed to equip participants with actionable skills and real-world knowledge. These sessions will be facilitated by distinguished professional experts, including industry leaders, policymakers, urban planners, legal advisors, and technology innovators, who work at the forefront of sustainability, resilience, and digital transformation.
Dedicated time for participants to meet potential collaborators and develop joint proposals.
Each panel will pair one scholar from Asia, one from the Middle East/Africa, and one from Europe to ensure balanced, diverse perspectives.
We welcome abstracts from all majors and faculties. The conference is organized around three simultaneous thematic panels complemented by five specialized academic forums. Presenters are encouraged to address the cross-cutting questions that link their field to the broader Silk Road context.
Themes: Water scarcity, extreme heat, sea-level rise, renewable energy corridors, cross-border early warning systems, climate-induced migration.
How do climate impacts on the Silk Road affect global political and economic stability?
Green finance models, carbon market integration along trade routes.
Decarbonization technologies, climate modeling for diverse geographies.
Transboundary environmental governance, climate justice frameworks.
Health impacts of extreme heat and air pollution, epidemic surveillance in changing climates.
Themes: Cultural heritage conservation, intergenerational justice, inclusive urbanization, migration and identity, equitable access to education and healthcare.
Can the Silk Road spirit of exchange survive the pressures of globalization, nationalism and climate migration?
Social entrepreneurship, sustainable tourism, inclusive supply chains.
Cultural property rights, historical narrative preservation, refugee law.
Mental health in displaced populations, aging societies and social care.
Digital archiving of cultural heritage, AI for social inclusion.
Themes: Digital twins, AI for disaster response, heat-resilient urban design, flood-prone area management, nature-based solutions, data sovereignty.
How can digital infrastructure respect cultural diversity and data sovereignty?
IoT sensors, predictive analytics for infrastructure, green building materials.
Smart city ROI, public-private partnerships for urban tech.
Data privacy, cybersecurity, cross-border data governance.
Urban ecology, biodiversity in cities, climate-resilient agriculture. Healthy city design, reducing urban heat island effects on vulnerable populations.
This dedicated track comprises five specialized forums, each hosted by a leading SUN member institution, focusing on the deep historical, cultural, linguistic, medical, and collaborative dimensions of the Silk Road.
Themes: Archaeological discoveries along ancient routes, preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, digital humanities for historical reconstruction, museology and cultural diplomacy, Silk Road art, music, and literature traditions.
Call for Submissions: Papers exploring heritage conservation challenges, cross-cultural artistic exchanges, and the role of cultural memory in fostering contemporary resilience.
Themes: History of medical knowledge exchange along the Silk Road (Greek, Persian, Indian, Chinese traditions), traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia, cross-border health challenges, epidemic history and pandemic preparedness, One Health approaches connecting human, animal, and environmental health.
Call for Submissions: Papers on historical medical texts, comparative health systems, traditional healing practices, and contemporary public health collaborations across the Silk Road region.
Themes: Best practices in cross-border research partnerships, funding mechanisms for international collaborative projects, capacity building and knowledge transfer, ethics of transdisciplinary research, science diplomacy, and the role of universities in sustainable development along the Silk Road.
Call for Submissions: Case studies of successful collaborative projects, analyses of barriers to transdisciplinary work, and proposals for new research networks addressing shared challenges.
Themes: Traditional sports and games along the Silk Road, sport as a tool for social cohesion and youth engagement, mega-events and soft power, sports diplomacy between East and West, physical education and public health, inclusive and adaptive sports for diverse communities.
Call for Submissions: Papers exploring the cultural significance of traditional sports, the role of sport in peacebuilding, and innovative sports-based interventions for social inclusion.
Themes: Linguistic diversity and language preservation along the Silk Road, historical linguistics and contact languages, translation and interpretation as tools of diplomacy, multilingual education policies, digital language documentation, and the role of language in cultural identity and integration.
Call for Submissions: Papers on endangered languages, translation studies, language policy in multicultural societies, and innovative pedagogical approaches to multilingual education.
From the Saharan south to the Mediterranean coast, the landscape that will hold four days of conversation.
In-person. The program spans four calendar days, including three conference days and one travel and cultural-visit day.
Day 1 · Nov 15
November 15: Conference sessions in Tlemcen.
Day 2 · Nov 16
November 16: Intercity travel and an optional cultural visit to the Roman ruins of Cherchell.
Nov 17-18
November 17-18: Parallel conference sessions in Bejaia, Setif and Algiers.
Nov 17-18
November 17-18: Parallel conference sessions in Bejaia, Setif and Algiers.
Nov 17-18
November 17-18: Parallel conference sessions in Bejaia, Setif and Algiers.
We invite submissions for individual papers, panel proposals, or pilot project showcases.
This is a call to thinkers, doers, and bridge-builders. Whether you are a scientist modeling glacial melt in Central Asia, a lawyer designing climate migration policies, a business professor studying green supply chains, or a medical researcher tracking vector-borne diseases in new climates, your expertise is a vital thread in the tapestry of a resilient world. We look forward to welcoming you to Algeria in November 2026 to weave those threads together.
Registration and abstract submission are handled through a single form. When you register, you choose whether to submit an abstract.
Register for the Conference
