The Economic Fitness & Complexity School invites submissions for a symposium bringing together researchers working on economic complexity, innovation and computational approaches to structural change and development.
Building on the Economic Fitness & Complexity School, the symposium will bring together social scientists and data scientists working at the intersection of economic complexity and artificial intelligence. It will provide a platform to present ongoing research and exchange ideas across disciplines while building connections between researchers, policymakers and practitioners.
The symposium will focus on how productive capabilities and technological change shape pathways of economic transformation and development. Particular attention will be given to the role of institutions and complex economic interactions in processes of structural change.
The Economic Fitness and Complexity framework is increasingly being used to study economic growth and industrial upgrading as well as innovation systems, scientific production and labour dynamics. The symposium welcomes both methodological and applied research that develops these approaches or uses them to address contemporary policy challenges.
Themes and Topics
Contributions may address topics including:
- Economic fitness and complexity measurement
- Productive capabilities and diversification
- Structural transformation and industrial policy
- Innovation systems and capability accumulation
- AI, digital transformation and technological upgrading
- Labour markets, skills and occupational change
- Regional and urban development
- Sustainability transitions and green industrial policy
- Network science and computational approaches
- Data-driven policymaking and governance
Submission Guidelines
Authors are invited to submit an extended abstract of 1,000–1,500 words, with a maximum of one figure or table.
Submissions should include the title, authors and affiliations. They should clearly set out the research question and methodology as well as the main findings and their relevance to the symposium.
Submissions from postgraduate students and early-career researchers are particularly encouraged.
Important Dates
- Submission deadline: 5 October 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 12 October 2026
- Registration deadline: 25 October 2026
- Symposium: 30 November–2 December 2026
Registration Fee
The registration fee is €130 for students and €180 for all other participants.
Venue
UNU-MERIT Maastricht, the Netherlands
Organisers
- Enrico Fermi Research Centre
- United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT)
- United Nations University – Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)
- National Research Council of Italy – Institute for Complex Systems
Contact
For submissions and enquiries: efcschool@merit.unu.edu
