Call for Papers
ITS21 Conference #8
FROM COGNITION TO CAPACITY:
FOUNDATIONS OF EMPOWERING KNOWLEDGE
27–28 May 2026 - University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense, Denmark
Conference Overview
We are pleased to welcome you to the eighth conference in the ITS21 – Interdisciplinary Teamwork Skills for the 21st Century series.
This year’s theme:
"FROM COGNITION TO CAPACITY:
FOUNDATIONS OF EMPOWERING KNOWLEDGE"
...explores how knowledge—when internalized, contextualized,
and activated—can empower individuals, institutions,
and communities to initiate meaningful change.
In an era marked by complex and interconnected challenges—ranging from climate adaptation and resource equity to innovation in public services and inclusive governance—this conference investigates how agency emerges through knowledge, and how that agency can be cultivated and supported through collaborative frameworks that span domains of knowledge, governance, and lived experience.
This conference is part of the Nordplus Horizontal project Students as Change Agents in Grand Societal Challenges, which brings together Nordic universities, university colleges, and municipalities to investigate how interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral collaboration can support students in creating lasting societal value.
In connection with the conference there will be a special issue of "The Journal of Problem Based Learning in Higher Education".
The call will be announced in January 2026
ITS21 2026
• Researchers and educators
• Students and learning facilitators
• Public sector professionals and municipal leaders
• Business and industry partners• Community organizers and civic innovators
• Cross-sectoral collaboration networks
Whether you work in education, governance, sustainability, innovation, or enterprise, we invite you to join us in exploring how knowledge can empower meaningful change.
- What kinds of knowledge empower individuals and communities to act with purpose and impact?
How do academic, experiential, cultural, and relational forms of knowledge contribute to agency?
- How is empowering knowledge cultivated, shared, and sustained across contexts?
What pedagogical, institutional, and collaborative practices support its development and circulation?
- How can knowledge be translated into capacity for action?
What models and mechanisms enable people to move from understanding to implementation?
- How do governance structures and lived experience shape what knowledge is considered empowering?
In what ways do power, participation, and context influence whose knowledge is valued and how it is mobilized?
- What frameworks support the co-creation of empowering knowledge across domains of expertise and practice?
How can institutions, communities, and networks collaborate to unlock the transformative potential of knowledge?
Exploring how diverse knowledge systems—academic, experiential, institutional, and community-based—shape agency and transformation. Empowering knowledge is not just about content, but about context: how it is situated, interpreted, and applied across disciplines and sectors.
2. Cognitive Processes and Learning for Agency
Examining how knowledge is cultivated and internalized through pedagogical models, institutional cultures, and collaborative learning. What kinds of environments foster agency, and how can education, training, and mentorship support individuals in becoming confident, capable contributors to change?
3. Translating Knowledge into Capacity for Action
Focusing on the mechanisms and models that enable knowledge to become actionable. How do people move from insight to implementation? What role do interdisciplinary teamwork, co-creation, and challenge-based learning play in transforming understanding into impact?
4. Knowledge, Governance, and Lived Experience
Examining how governance structures and lived experience shape what knowledge is considered valid, relevant, and empowering. How do participation, context, and inclusion influence the way knowledge is mobilized in decision-making and transformation processes?
5. Frameworks for Co-Creation and Collaboration
Exploring how institutions, communities, and networks can collaborate to generate and apply empowering knowledge. What kinds of frameworks support meaningful co-creation across domains of expertise and practice, and how can they be scaled or adapted to different settings?
Preliminary programme
Wednesday 27 May 2026
09.00-09.30 Welcome and introduction to the conference
by Steffen Kjær Johansen
Opening speach
by Jens Ringsmose,
Rector at the University of Southern Denmark
09.30-10.15 KEYNOTE 1
10.15-10.30 Coffee break
10.30-12:00 Block 1
12.00-13.15 Lunch – followed by Walk and Talk
in the Vild-med-Vilje area at SDU
13.15-15.15 Block 2
15.150-15.30 Coffee break
15.30-16.15 KEYNOTE 2
16.20-17.05 INVITED SPEAKER
17.05-17.15 Closing remarks
19.30 Conference dinner at Restaurant H.C. by Meyers,
Odeons Kvarter 11, 5000 Odense C
Thursday 28 May 2026
09.00-09.15 Introduction to today’s programme for the conference
by Steffen Kjær Johansen
Opening speach on day two
09.15-10.00 KEYNOTE 3
10.00-11.00 Block 3
11.00-11.15 Coffee break
11.15-12.00 KEYNOTE 4
12.00-12.45 Lunch sandwich
12.45-14.10 Block 4
14.10-14.25 Coffee break
14.25-15.30 Takeaways from the conference and closing remarks
We expect to have the final programme available by 21 April.
We invite submissions of abstracts that engage with the conference theme and core conceptual areas.
Contributions may include:
• Theoretical explorations
• Empirical research
• Case studies
• Interdisciplinary approaches
Preferred mode of presentation:
Please indicate whether you would like to present your work as a talk, poster, or workshop.
You must submit your conference abstract according to the instructions in the template.
Download Template for Abstract
Deadline for abstract submission is 31 March, 2026
You hand-in by e-mailing your contribution to its21@sdu.dk in Word or PDF format no later than 31 March, 2026.
On 14 April, 2026 you will receive a notification about accept or not of your abstract.
A number of students will be invited to present their contribution at the conference, and will be offered free participation.
If you are a student sending in a contribution, you should wait until 15 April to register, as the selection will be finalised on 14 April, and the selected students will receive an e-mail with a special link for free participation.
The registration fee includes access to the conference scientific program, lunch and refreshments during the two days.
In addition we have a Conference Dinner on 27 May at 19.30
Seats at the Conference dinner is limited to 90 persons.
The Students Fee includes a seat at the Conference Dinner.
For all others, the conference dinner is optional but we encourage all registrants to participate in this part of the event as well.
Early Bird registration deadline is 26 April, 2026
Early Bird Student Fee (includes Conference Dinner) – 1,250 DKK
Early Bird Fee – 3,125 DKK
Early Bird Fee with Conference Dinner – 4,000 DKK
Early Bird Partner members (up to 5 per partner) – 0 DKK
Early Bird Partner members (up to 5 per partner) with Conference Dinner – 875 DKK
Registration deadline is 10 May, 2026
Regular Student Fee (includes Conference Dinner) – 1,875 DKK
Regular Fee – 4,375 DKK
Regular Fee with Conference Dinner – 5,250 DKK
Partner members (up to 5 per partner) – 0 DKK
Partner members (up to 5 per partner) with Conference Dinner – 875 DKK
All fees are including VAT. Danish institutions under UFM will be automatically be exempt of VAT.
Please pay by credit card or (for Danes) by EAN invoice.
Note
Invoices will be not be issued until 27 April, 2026, if you order before this date.
You will receive a reminder e-mail, when the invoice is issued.
Go to registration site
Venue
The conference takes place at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. The lectures will take place in Auditorium O100 located at the SDU main entrance.
Posters, exhibitions, and catering will be situated at The Campus Square.
Use the SDU Map app SDU Indoor-Map and search for O100
Accommodation
We have made arrangements with 3 hotels in Odense.Find information on the hotels at the registration site.
Travel Guide
By plane:
Fly to Copenhagen Airport (CPH) that has convenient direct train connections to Odense.
Fly to Billund Airport (BLL) that has a bus shuttle connection to Vejle, from where you can reach Odense via regular train connections.
By train:
Go by train to Odense station (Odense St.)
Take the tram directly from Odense Station to SDU Campus (direction Hjallese St.)
Tram connection (direction: Hjallese Station).
Scan the QR code at platform or download and use the app RejseBillet to buy ticket.
Get off at the stop Campus Odense and enter the main entrance to your left, and you will find the conference venue at the top of the stairs, look for Auditorium O100.
Find public transport in Denmark:
Journey planner (Rejseplanen for local buses and trains)
Arrive by car or taxi:
From West or Odense City, the address is Fioniavej 32, 5230 Odense M: Use SDU entrance Vangene V.
From East, the address is Moseskovvej 47, 5230 Odense M: Use SDU entrance Agrene Ø.
TAXI services in Odense:
Taxi fare from Odense train station to SDU costs approx. DKK 250 (€35)
Dantaxi tel. +45 48484848
TaxaSyd tel. +45 66154415
Odense Taxi tel. +45 66122712
Associate Professor
Steffen Kjær Johansen
SDU Global Sustainable Production
Department of Technology and Innovation
skjo@iti.sdu.dk
Conference mail: its21@sdu.dk
For more information
Associate Professor
Steffen Kjær Johansen
SDU Global Sustainable Production
Department of Technology and Innovation
skjo@iti.sdu.dk
or
Conference mail: its21@sdu.dk