Interregional Governance, Cohesion and Sustainability:
Overcoming Territorial Inequalities for a Balanced Future
June 30 - July 3, 2026 | Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave, Barcelos, Portugal
The Portuguese Regional Science Association (APDR) is pleased to announce the organisation of the Sustainable Regional Development Academy, which will be held in Barcelos, Portugal, at the Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave, from June 30 to July 1 of 2026, just before the 2026 APDR conference (2-3 July).
The Sustainable Regional Development Academy will be organized for a limited number of participants.
The Academy is designed as a springboard for successful academic careers by examining important issues such as publishing, reviewing, and collaborative research; the event also provides networking opportunities.
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The Sustainable Regional Development Academy has the following structure:
Lectures on Location Measures, Land Aptitudes, Cluster Analysis, Principal Component Analysis, Generalized Q Analysis, Network Analysis, Spatial Econometric Analysis, Base Model, Input Output Model, Spatial Interaction Model.
Technical Visit.
Working groups on sustainable tourism in urban areas, mobility, and left behind people and places, migrant integration, and cultural identity of places.
Students’ Presentations Sessions where they have the opportunity to present and discuss their research projects with the instructors and other senior researchers.
The goal of the Sustainable Development Academy is to provide the participants with methodological skills and research experience. It will encourage meaningful discussions and exchange of ideas between the participants and field experts, fostering long-term academic collaboration.
Selection of participants
The Sustainable Regional Development Academy will aim to gather participants from any research field interested in developing skills and learning new methods on the topics of people and places interactions within space.
The number of participants is limited to approximately 25.
Application submission
Participants who want to participate in the Sustainable Regional Development Academy should submit their application via email (apdr@apdr.pt) by March 15, 2026 (midnight CET) and include (in PDF format):
• A one-page Motivation letter
• A one-page CV of the applicant
After notification of acceptance, the accepted applicants must register and pay the participation fee before the registration deadline.
The fee
Participation fee: €195 (until May 31, 2026).
The fee includes:
(June 30 and July 1) 2 days of Sustainable Regional Development Academy with Technical Excursion;
(July 2-3) 2 days of 2026 APDR Congress;
Lunches and coffee breaks for the 4 days;
Official dinner (July 2).
Please note: Participants must cover their own travel and accommodation expenses to/from the Academy venue.
