Call for Papers | The 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education

Call for Papers

The 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education

Shanghai, 21–22 October 2026

Background

“Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” is a core target of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Globally, there is a broad consensus on the need to restructure education systems, foster learning societies, and establish comprehensive lifelong learning frameworks.

Higher education institutions, as primary knowledge hubs and drivers of innovation for learning society development, are undergoing a fundamental transformation worldwide, from providers of terminal, stage‑based education to universities and centers dedicated to lifelong learning.

In the era of intelligence, digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and virtual reality, have permeated diverse lifelong learning contexts. New collaborative models and mindsets are reshaping university governance. Universities across the globe have carried out local experiments and accumulated practical experience. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need for an equitable multilateral dialogue platform to share experiences, jointly address common challenges, and advance both theoretical development and policy innovation in lifelong education.

Since Shanghai joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2019, local universities and partner institutions of the Open International Alliance for Research and Cooperation on Learning Cities have been actively exploring development pathways, producing research outputs, and sustaining regular international exchanges.

The year 2026 marks the launch of China’s 15th Five‑Year Plan, while the international community turns its attention to educational reform and sustainable development in the post‑2030 era. Building on thirteen successful editions, the 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education, organized by the Shanghai Institute of Lifelong Education, will be held in Shanghai on 21–22 October 2026.

With a global outlook, the Forum aims to share lifelong education practices from around the world, identify pathways for cross‑national collaboration, synthesize multi‑regional experiences, generate cutting‑edge scholarship, and provide academic support for the refinement of lifelong education policies globally.

We invite scholars, educators, and policy researchers worldwide to submit their work. Authors of accepted papers will be invited to the Forum, with opportunities for plenary keynote addresses and parallel session presentations. A dedicated poster session will also be arranged. Partner academic journals will participate in the review process, and selected papers will be recommended for publication following further evaluation.

I. Forum Theme

International Experience and Chinese Explorations of Universities in Supporting the Construction of Learning Societies in the Intelligent Era

II. Topics and Scope

Submissions are invited on topics including, but not limited to:

1. International practices of universities in supporting the construction of a learning society in the intelligent era

2. Theoretical rationale for university engagement in learning society development in the intelligent era

3. Defining “lifelong education universities”: connotations and pathways

4. Theoretical foundations and practical approaches for universities to build life‑course learning support systems

5. Evaluation frameworks for universities’ role in learning society development: international experience and Chinese practice

6. Collaborative strategies for university participation in learning city initiatives within the APEC framework

7. Challenges and functional restructuring of adult education universities amid digital‑intelligent transformation

8. Age‑friendly universities in the intelligent era: global trends and local innovations

9. Models, opportunities, and challenges of cooperation between diverse lifelong education organizations and universities

10. Innovative models and long‑term mechanisms for international cooperation in learning society development in the intelligent era

III. Submission Guidelines

1. Manuscripts should employ rigorous research methods and present well‑substantiated arguments. Preference will be given to papers adopting comparative or globally oriented analytical perspectives.

2. Submissions must conform to standard academic formatting, with a minimum length of 4,000 words. Full papers exceeding 10,000 words are strongly encouraged.

3. Chinese‑language manuscripts must include an English title, abstract, and keywords. Full‑text submissions in English are also welcome.

4. If artificial intelligence tools have been used in the research or writing process, authors must clearly specify the specific tasks and contributions of AI at the end of the paper.

IV. Formatting Requirements

1. Files should be submitted in Word format with an A4 page layout.

2. Main title: centered, bold, font equivalent to No. 2 Hei, no more than 20 Chinese characters. Subtitle: bold, font equivalent to No. 3 Fang‑Song. Author names: font equivalent to No. 4 Kai, with a single space between co‑authors. Author affiliations and contact details (name, gender, institution, title/position, phone number) should appear as footnotes on the first page.

3. Abstract: font equivalent to No. 5 Kai. Keywords: font equivalent to No. 5 Kai, separated by semicolons.

4. Main text: font equivalent to No. 5 Song. First‑level headings: centered, bold, font equivalent to No. 4 Hei, numbered with Roman numerals I, II, III… Second‑level headings: font equivalent to No. 5 Song, numbered with (I), (II), (III)…

5. Figures: font equivalent to No. 6 Song, with captions and numbers placed below the figure. Tables: font equivalent to No. 6 Song, with captions and numbers placed above the table.

6. References: the heading “References” in bold, font equivalent to No. 5 Hei; individual entries in font equivalent to Small No. 5 Song, numbered sequentially in square brackets.

V. Important Dates

Submission Deadline: 10 September 2026

VI. Submission

Please send your manuscript to: mail@smile.ecnu.edu.cn

Email subject and file name should follow this format:

[Your Name] + [Your Affiliation] + Paper Submission for the 14th Shanghai Forum on Lifelong Education

We cordially invite experts, scholars, and practitioners in lifelong education from around the world to join this international event. Together, we will explore frontiers in lifelong education and contribute to the building of learning societies in the intelligent era.