The World Capital Institute and The New Club of Paris Joint Annual International Conference 2026
Frankfurt Dialogue 2026: Design, Democracy, Diplomacy
Goethe University Frankfurt, 8-9 October 2026
Call for Abstracts
Set within the global context of Frankfurt World Design Capital 2026 and the Frankfurt Book Fair, the focus of the next joint academic conference of The New Club of Paris and the World Capital Institute is under the title of Design-Democracy-Diplomacy which builds on the key aspects of the capitals-based–system including cultural, intellectual, connected, societal and urban capital.
In collaboration with Goethe University Frankfurt, the program will feature a conference drawing on academic studies and knowledge (8-9 October 2026) exploring a range of themes such as the development of intellectual, cultural, human and social capital over the last 30 years; the design of future cities and urban ecosystems; environmental health and human wellbeing; governance, diplomacy, and democratic participation; and innovative approaches to sustainable economies and knowledge-based societies. Keynotes, panel discussions as well as paper and poster sessions will highlight how design, science, policy, and culture can reconnect people, urban fabrics, natural systems, and the places where we live, thrive, and work.
In this context we invite research paper and poster contributions that can coherently address topics across the capitals system such as those specified below:
Design
Research under this heading addresses the role of design as a strategic and transformative practice within knowledge-based and capital-driven systems. Contributions may examine design as a mode of inquiry, intervention, and communication across technological, societal, and environmental domains.
• Design science research as a methodological foundation for innovation and systemic change
• The role of art and design in effective communication and knowledge translation
• Design as a driver of economic transformation, linking knowledge production to measurable impact
• Designing for an AI-driven future, including ethical, social, and economic implications
• Design of new urban initiatives aimed at generating positive societal, environmental, and economic outcomes
• Urban design approaches for balancing environmental sustainability with socioeconomic development
• Design-led strategies for enabling change through active community engagement in urban futures
• Design perspectives on humanistic management and organisational practice
• Design thinking applied across the capitals system, including intellectual, urban, societal, natural, and cultural capital
Democracy
This theme focuses on democratic forms of governance, participation, and value creation within economic, urban, and knowledge systems. Submissions are encouraged to critically explore inclusive, ethical, and regenerative models of development.
• Democratic governance models of the economy beyond autocratic and oligarchic structures
• Humanistic management approaches and their implications for democratic economic systems
• Urban and societal capital as foundations for inclusive and participatory development
• Knowledge-based development trajectories, examined across past, present, and future contexts
• Integrated analyses of economic, social, and environmental dimensions of development
• Natural capital, regenerative approaches, and democratic stewardship of resources
• Cultural capital as a driver of social cohesion, participation, and democratic capacity
• Mechanisms for active community engagement in shaping democratic urban futures
Diplomacy
Contributions within this stream examine diplomacy as a knowledge-driven, institutional, and geopolitical practice, particularly in relation to sustainability, technological change, and global governance.
- Science diplomacy in the context of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies
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Intellectual capital in international cooperation and global knowledge exchange
- Thirty years of intellectual capital: retrospective and forward-looking perspectives
- Emerging concepts and new taxonomies for Futurizing Intellectual Capital research
- Interactions between intellectual capital, knowledge management, and sustainable transformation
- The role of international governmental organisations in driving systemic change and sustainability transitions
- Knowledge cities and transnational urban networks in the age of AI and the climate crisis
- Post-urban futures viewed through the lens of geopolitical instability and global risk
- Diplomatic engagement across the capitals system, linking knowledge, sustainability, cities, and global governance
- Thirty years of intellectual capital: retrospective and forward-looking perspectives
- Emerging concepts and new taxonomies for Futurizing Intellectual Capital research
Contributions
Contributions to this Annual International Conference are warmly welcomed according to the following milestones and due dates:
– Deadline for abstract submission 30.06.2026 (structured abstract required: background; objective; methodology; findings; implications. Max. 1000 words. References in APA style 7th edition) to email to zimmermann-timm@bio.unifrankfurt.de, cgarner@worldcapitalinstitute.org or stefan.guldenberg@ehl.ch
– Abstract acceptance notification 31.07.2026
– Final paper submission 31.08.2026
Publication opportunities of best papers
Scientific Committee
Prof. Dr. Ahmed Bounfour, Paris-Saclay University, France and Co-Founder of The New Club of Paris
• Prof. Dr. Sladjana Cabrilo, I-Shou University, Taiwan
• Prof. Dr. Francisco Javier Carrillo, Emeritus at University Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico and Founder of the World Capital Institute
• Prof. Dr. Pierluigi Catalfo, University of Catania, Italy
• Prof. Dr. Leif Edvinsson, Emeritus at University of Lund, Sweden and Co-Founder of The New Club of Paris
• Dr. Cathy Garner, Honorary Fellow, University of Lancaster, UK, Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and the Royal Society for Arts, UK and President World Capital Institute
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Güldenberg, EHL Hospitality Business School Lausanne, Switzerland and President of The New Club of Paris
• Prof. Dr. h.c. Günter Koch, Humbold Cosmos Multiversity, Austria and Spain and Co-Founder of The New Club of Paris
• Prof. Dr. Noboru Konno, Tama Graduate School of Management, Japan and President Japan Innovation Network
• Prof. Dr. José Carlos Ramos, Open University of Catalonia and ECOnGOOD.
• Dr. Waltraut Ritter, Founder and CEO of Knowledge Dialogues, Germany
• Prof. Dr. Flurina Schneider, Scientific Director of Institute for Social-Ecological Research and Professor in Social Ecology and Transdisciplinarity at Goethe University Frankfurt
• Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research and Professor of Ecosystem Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt
• Prof. Dr. Lina Užienė, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania and Vice President The New Club of Paris
• Prof. Dr. Heike Zimmermann-Timm, Goethe University Frankfurt and and FHD - University of Applied Sciences, Germany
For questions or to get in touch please contact us by e-mail guenterkochat@gmail.com
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