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IIAS First Annual Conference (HYBRID)

IIAS First Annual Conference (Hybrid)

Roots and Futures: Advancing the African Scholarly Imagination

As the Institute celebrates 10 years of pioneering scholarship, mentorship, and innovation, we are delighted to announce the First Annual Hybrid Conference, a landmark event that will bring together scholars, STEM researchers, and professionals from the academy, industry and public sectors. This inaugural conference, “Roots and Futures: Advancing the African Scholarly Imagination,” invites diverse participants to reflect on the knowledge traditions that ground African scholarship, while imagining new futures shaped by research, creativity, technology, and industry collaboration.

DATE: July 30-31, 2026

Conference Aims

The First Annual Conference seeks to:

  • Celebrate a decade of the Institute’s contributions to African-centred research and training
  • Strengthen links between academia and industry by inviting professionals, innovators, and practitioners into scholarly dialogue
  • Promote interdisciplinary engagement across the humanities, social sciences, STEM, the arts, and professional fields
  • Inaugurate the IIAS Fellows Network, IIAS Senior Fellows fostering long-term mentorship and collaborative partnerships
  • Expand access through a dynamic hybrid format, connecting participants across regions and sectors.
  • Fellows’ Fundraising Events 
  • Inauguration of the IIAS Alumni/ae Network

Themes

  • Submissions are welcome from scholars, researchers, practitioners, and industry professionals. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
  • African Epistemologies and Knowledge Traditions
  • Indigenous knowledge frameworks, storytelling, oral histories, philosophical foundations.
  • Historic Trajectories of African Science and Technology
  • Scientific heritage, engineering practices, mathematical knowledge, ecological and agricultural innovation.
  • African Futurisms, Digital Worlds, and Technological Innovation
  • AI, biotechnology, data science, robotics, engineering solutions, and future-oriented technological imaginaries.
  • STEM for Sustainable and Inclusive Development
  • Climate resilience, health innovation, energy systems, industrial technologies, and applied scientific research with societal impact.
  • Industry–Academia Partnerships
  • Collaborative research, innovation ecosystems, technology transfer, and professional practice shaping African futures.
  • Creative and Practice-Based Knowledge Production
  • Performance, visual cultures, multimedia storytelling, design, and artistic research
  • Language, Identity, and Decolonial Methodologies
  • Translation, multilingualism, inclusive research, and reimagining scholarly norms.
  • Communities, Spaces, and Social Transformation
  • Urban futures, community-driven science, environmental justice, governance, and grassroots innovation.
  • Transdisciplinary Research Across STEM, Humanities, and Industry
  • Approaches that integrate technical, cultural, and professional perspectives to expand African scholarly imagination.

Submisssion Guidelines

  • Abstract: 250 words
  • Biographical note: 100 words
  • Format Accepted:
  • Individual paper proposal Panel paper proposal
  • Panel paper proposal
  • Submission deadline: February 28th, 2026
  • Notification of acceptance: March 28th, 2026
  • Conference Dates: July 30th – 31st, 2026
  • Format: Hybrid (in-person + virtual)
  • Venue: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

How to Submit

Please submit your proposal and biographical note to submission portal with the subject line: IIAS First Conference, 10th Anniversary.

Highlights

  • Book exhibition 
  • Inauguration of the IIAS Fellows Network
  • IIAS Senior Fellows
  • Multidisciplinary community to bridge scholars, STEM researchers, and industry professionals, fostering mentorship, collaborative research, and innovation-driven partnerships.
  • About the 10th Anniversary: 
    • For a decade, the Institute has championed African-centred scholarship, supported early-career researchers, and facilitated interdisciplinary inquiry. 
    • The First Annual Conference celebrates these achievements while opening a new decade of collaboration—connecting roots and futures, scholarship and industry, imagination and real-world impact.
Click here to Apply