The call for abstracts for the 2027 AIESEP International Conference closes on December 1, 2026, so anyone thinking of submitting has less than two months to get an idea into shape. The conference runs July 12–16, 2027 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and it is hosted by Fontys University of Applied Sciences.
I recently sat down with two members of the local organizing committee, Menno Slingerland and Lars Borghouts, to hear how the conference is taking shape. Part 1 of our conversation is all about the scientific side: the theme, the deadlines, the submission rules, two brand-new session formats, the pre-conference day, and what your registration covers. Part 2, on local culture and getting to Eindhoven, is coming soon.
How Eindhoven won the bid
This bid grew out of nearly two decades of AIESEP involvement. Lars first attended in 2006 and Menno in 2010 (La Coruña), and the wider Fontys research group has attended every AIESEP conference since 2012. Both described AIESEP as the place where they built their international network and where they feel at home.
The turning point was a specialist seminar. At the 2016 conference in Wyoming, the team pitched an idea for an assessment-focused specialist seminar, and the response was enthusiastic. They hosted it in Eindhoven in 2018. The specialist seminar was a success so the next step was to bid for an annual conference, and here we are!
That 2018 seminar has had a lasting impact on the field. It led to the AIESEP assessment position statement, which is on the AIESEP website and has been translated into several languages. I cited it heavily in the last book my colleagues and I wrote. Specialist seminars are also a good reminder that AIESEP’s scholarly work happens well beyond the main conference.
The theme: bridging the gap from theory to everyday practice
The 2027 theme is “bridging the gap from theory to everyday practice in physical education,” and it comes straight from the way Fontys works. To understand it, it helps to know what a university of applied sciences is.
In the Netherlands there are 13 research universities, which offer more academic programs and are the only institutions that can award PhDs. Alongside them sit the universities of applied sciences (in Dutch, hogescholen), which offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees aimed at a specific profession. Similar institutions exist in Germany and the Nordic countries. Historically these institutions did no research, but research funding was introduced in the early 2000s, and the Fontys School of Sports Studies only began research around 2007.
The result is a research culture grounded in the profession it trains people for. As the hosts explained, any research project at Fontys should benefit the professional field. They do not do fundamental research, and they put a strong emphasis on translating research knowledge into practice. These universities are creating PE teachers, and the research behind that work should be informed by practice.
Key dates at a glance
The two dates that matter most right now are December 1, 2026 (abstracts and pre-conference proposals due) and early March 2027 (decisions).
| Date | Milestone |
| First week of September 2026 | Call for abstracts opened |
| September 1, 2026 | Registration opened |
| December 1, 2026 | Abstract deadline, and deadline for pre-conference session proposals |
| Beginning of March 2027 | Abstract decisions sent to everyone |
| March 31, 2027 | Early bird registration closes |
| April 1 – June 12, 2027 | Regular registration |
| July 12, 2027 (Monday) | Pre-conference sessions, opening ceremony, welcome drinks |
| July 12–16, 2027 | AIESEP 2027 International Conference, Eindhoven |
Submission rules: two abstracts per person
Each person can be involved in a maximum of two abstracts. That limit counts everything: oral presentations, posters, symposium involvement, and the new formats described below. The hosts expect strong interest in the conference and want everyone to have the chance to present.
If you want to organize a symposium, line up your presenters before you submit. The submission system lets the symposium organizer add each contributor, and those contributors then upload their own abstracts. Remember that a symposium slot counts toward each presenter’s two-abstract limit.
In practice, this means you should plan your two submissions deliberately. You might pair your own oral or poster with a role in a colleague’s symposium, or use one slot on one of the new formats.
Session formats, including two new ones
The traditional formats (oral presentations, symposia, and posters) are all still available. What is new for 2027 are two formats built around the conference theme: Research to Practice Labs and Matchmaking Sessions. You can submit proposals for either of them, and they fall within the two-submission limit.
Research to Practice Labs (45 or 90 minutes)
Research results tend to travel internationally through scientific meetings, while practice-oriented innovations, tools, and materials often stay local to one area or country. Labs are meant to change that.
In a lab, you actively involve participants in experimenting with, testing, using, or analyzing a practical innovation, while explaining the theoretical and empirical foundations behind it. Examples the hosts offered include an assessment instrument or procedure, a feedback tool, an instructional model, a digital tool for PE practice, or an intervention. The goal is to guide participants through an experiential exploration of how it works.
One example came up just the day before our conversation, when Flemish colleagues showed Menno and Lars a digital support platform for pedagogical content knowledge for PE teachers. The hosts said that was a perfect fit: you can explain the theory, show the tool, and let people use it, interact, and discuss.
A few practical points:
- Labs take place during the main conference. They are not pre-conference sessions.
- You can submit as an individual or bring a group of scholars together.
- Space is flexible. If you submit a lab, the organizers will contact you to discuss what you need. With plenty of indoor and outdoor space and classrooms, they expect to be able to fit most requests, including sessions that need a gym.
Matchmaking Sessions (45 minutes)
Where labs bridge research and practice, matchmaking sessions bridge researchers to each other. In 45 minutes, you briefly introduce a new research idea, a project, a methodology you want to develop further, or a topic for a potential review article. Then most of the session is spontaneous knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas among participants.
The common thread is that you are looking for collaborators within AIESEP. You are welcome to use a specific activity format as long as the session is interactive and lets as many participants as possible engage.
This is an especially attractive format for early career scholars looking to build an international collaboration or network, but it can also work well for established researchers seeking new input or partners.
I love this format. Anyone who has been to AIESEP knows that much of the networking happens at coffee breaks and lunches, but if you are a PhD student or early career researcher, walking up to well-known scholars can be intimidating. A structured session gives senior scholars a reason to drop in on a topic that interests them, and it can link a fresh idea to a strong network.
Pre-conference sessions on Monday, July 12
Pre-conference proposals are due on the same day as abstracts, December 1, but they use a separate form. The whole Fontys building is dedicated to pre-conference sessions on the Monday before the main program, so there is room for a wide range of formats.
Sessions are typically two to four hours, but half-day or full-day formats are possible. The hosts mentioned workshops, special interest group events, networking events, master classes, and collaborative working sessions. Facilities range from the gym for practical workshops to the auditorium to smaller rooms for group work.
How to apply:
- Download the pre-conference form from the AIESEP 2027 website.
- Fill it in and email it to the conference’s contact address (see the contact section below).
- Wait for the organizers to get in touch. As with the labs, they will ask what you need and how your plans fit the building, and then try to give you a spot on the Monday program.
This route does not run through the regular abstract submission system, and I would not leave it until the last minute. Pre-conference sessions have also become a much bigger part of AIESEP in recent years. When I first attended, the pre-conference was mainly an early career researcher workshop, with TGfU holding one regularly. Now there are many more special interest groups and many more sessions.
The venue: a building designed for PE
Fontys is the largest university of applied sciences in the south of the Netherlands, with about 40,000 students and 31 faculties. The School of Sports Studies is one of them.
The main Fontys campus is in Eindhoven near the train station, where most visitors will arrive. The conference, however, will not be there. The School of Sports Studies is in the south of the city, in a green park next to a tennis club and a football (soccer) stadium, with outdoor facilities on site. It is about 10 minutes from the center, a small trip in exchange for a much nicer setting.
The building was completed in 2013 and designed with PE and sport in mind. It is spacious and transparent, with a lot of glass, and a main gymnasium sits in the middle of the building so you can look into it from above and below. Practical sessions will be held there.
Registration: open now, with meals included
Registration opened on September 1, 2026. Early bird registration runs through March 31, 2027, and regular registration runs from April 1 to June 12, 2027.
Your registration includes access to the conference, tea and coffee breaks, snacks, lunches, and entrance to the conference dinner party. The organizers are still finalizing the social program, and some activities may carry extra costs depending on what people choose to join.
This is worth highlighting for anyone new to AIESEP. Regulars take it for granted that coffee breaks, daily lunches, a welcome event, and a conference dinner are built into the fee. At many conferences in the US (for example), you can pay a similar rate and get no coffee, no lunch, and no social activities, just entry to the scientific program.
The social program: what is confirmed so far
The hosts are still planning the details and would not reveal much, but three pieces are already set:
- Monday afternoon: an opening ceremony after the pre-conference sessions, followed by welcome drinks at the faculty. What will be in the ceremony is still a secret.
- Thursday: a social program, with the conference ending a little earlier so people can choose what to join. Options are being finalized.
- Final evening: a conference dinner and party on the last day of the conference.
The dinner party is a highlight of every AIESEP conference. The research is the main reason to travel to Eindhoven, but it is a great way to close the week. We will have the hosts back on the podcast once the social program is announced.
Where to get more information
The conference website is the main source of information. For questions, email the general contact address contact@aiesep2027.org The hosts ask that you not write to their personal email addresses. They will answer as quickly as they can, though response times may slow as the conference gets closer.
Before December 1: a checklist
- Decide which two submissions you want to make (oral, poster, symposium, Research to Practice Lab, or Matchmaking Session)
- If organizing a symposium, confirm your presenters so you can add them in the submission system
- Submit your abstract(s) by December 1, 2026
- If proposing a pre-conference session, download the separate form from the conference website and send it in by December 1
- Register by March 31, 2027 for the early bird rate
- Watch for abstract decisions in early March 2027
Part 2 of this conversation will cover local culture and how to get to Eindhoven.
