FORUM CARPATICUM 2025

Registration is OPEN NOW! To register, please, visit this site.

Early-bird registration: 15 April 2025 – 15 June2025 (midnight CET time) - extended until 30th June

Regular registration: 16 June 2025 – 15 July 2025 (midnight CET time)

Participants attending and/or appearing in the Programme must register and pay through online system before the registration deadline. The registration online system will be open on 15 April 2025. Those not registered and paid by the registration deadline will be withdrawn from the conference.

Registration fees:

• Early-bird price – 150 EUR
• Standard price – 250 EUR
• One-day standard price – 100 EUR
• Price for students – 100 EUR
• Price for students for one-day conference attendance – 50 EUR
• Participants from marginalised communities and from outside of the EU (e.g. Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova) will be eligible to apply for a fee waiver on individual basis.

Siddharth Saxena

University of Cambridge
Wednesday, 10th of September

Topic of the keynote lecture:
Prof Siddharth Shanker Saxena is Director of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Jesus College & Principal Research Associate (Professor Rank), University of Cambridge. He is concurrently Vice-Rector for Research at British Management University in Tashkent & Honorary Professor of Kazakh British Technical University in Almaty. He trained as a physicist and holds a PhD. Degree in Experimental Physics from the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge. He further studied the history and anthropology of Central Asia and Eurasia.
Prof. Saxena has been involved in field-based research in Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia, Eastern and Central Europe and China. His work focus is, on the one side, on fundamental physics of magnetic and superconducting materials and in the creation of scientific and industrial technology platforms, while on the other hand, in studying social and economic development. He was awarded a medal for service to education in Kazakhstan and Presidential Medals by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and was made Honorary Professor by a number of institutions in Eurasia. He serves on science review committees of many European, American and Asian bodies and has created a number of technology start-ups. He serves on the advisory committee of the CAREC Institute and was appointed to the scientific advisory board of COP29 in Azerbaijan.

Gesa Geissler

Technische Universität Berlin
Tuesday, 9^th of September

Gesa Geißler is a Full Professor at Technische Universität Berlin, where she leads the Environmental Assessments Research Group. She holds a PhD from TU Berlin, where she examined innovations in environmental assessment and planning for renewable energy projects in Germany, Europe, and the United States, and she previously worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.

Her research and teaching focus on environmental assessments and environmental planning, with particular attention to the socio-environmental consequences of the energy transition, strategic planning, and conflict mitigation between renewable energy development and environmental resources. With her group she also explores participatory approaches, including research on community energy initiatives, especially in Central and Eastern Europe.

Prof. Geißler currently serves as Chair of the German Environmental Assessment Association (UVP-Gesellschaft e.V.) and as Deputy Director of the Institute of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at TU Berlin.

Ioanna Baskerville

Romanian Academy
Thursday, 11^th of September

Ioana Baskerville is a linguist and anthropologist (PhD), a senior researcher at the Romanian Academy, Iasi Branch and associate professor of cultural anthropology at the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi (Romania). She is the national focal point and leading expert for the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention in Romania, coordinated national nomination files for the UNESCO Representative List in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Romania, and other national projects for intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, working closely with local heritage communities and institutions. She conducted community-based studies on sustainable agricultural living heritage as part of research on mobile pastoralism in Romania and collaborates with experts and associations in extensive animal husbandry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Environment in Romania. She led the inventorying of transhumance in Romania and recently the second extension wave of the Transhumance UNESCO file involving 16 countries. She is an accredited facilitator of the UNESCO 2003 Convention.

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

London School of Economics and Political Sciences
Wednesday, 10^th of September

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose holds the Princesa de Asturias Chair and is a Professor of Economic Geography at the London School of Economics (LSE). He currently directs the Cañada Blanch Centre at LSE and has previously served as Head of the Department of Geography and Environment. He chaired the European Union’s High-Level Group on the Future of Cohesion Policy, which is responsible for shaping the EU’s Cohesion Policy beyond 2027. Additionally, Rodríguez-Pose has held distinguished positions in regional science, including President and Vice-President of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), as well as Vice-President and Secretary of the European Regional Science Association. His research covers regional growth and inequality, fiscal and political decentralisation, institutions, discontent and populism, innovation, migration, and development strategies. His work is highly influential, frequently informing policy decisions, and he regularly advises international organisations and governments. He is also widely cited in academic circles. For the last three years, he has been recognised as the top scientist globally in urban and regional studies by the Stanford ranking, which identifies the top 2% of scientists across all disciplines. He has also appeared on Clarivate’s Web of Science list of Highly Cited Researchers for the past five years. Among his many honours, Rodríguez-Pose received the 2018 ERSA Prize in Regional Science, considered the most prestigious accolade in the field. He also holds honorary doctorates from Utrecht University (Netherlands) and Jönköping University (Sweden).

Stefano Sala

University of Milan
Tuesday, 9th September

Stefano Sala is a research technologist and project manager at the Interdisciplinary Research Center for the Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas (Ge.S.Di.Mont.) active at UNIMONT - University of Milan, a centre dedicated to research, teaching and third mission activities dedicated to mountain areas in the hearth of Italian alps. He has gained experience on research projects for the implementation of climate change adaptation processes in mountain areas, with a specific focus on climate change adaptation, governance, policies and tourism issues. He has contributed to the study redacted by UNIMONT - “White Book on Mountain Areas” and published in May 2024: an interdisciplinary study commissioned by the Department for regional affairs and autonomy of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers. The study analises data concerning environmental, socio-economic and governance issues of mountains in Italy. He is the PM of the Horizon Europe – Mission Climate Change “MountResilience” project funded to support local communities in adaptation processes related to climate change risks.

• Short Version of the Draft Programme

Visas are the responsibility of the individual. Depending on the purpose of travel and your country of origin, different types of visas will apply. Enquire well in advance about entry regulations by consulting the embassy or consulate of Slovakia in your home country. The organisation team cannot offer any further advice on visas. Visa invitation letters will be supplied on request only when we have received the registration fee in full.

The conference will be held at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava.

ADDRESS OF THE VENUE

Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University

Mlynské luhy 4
821 05 Bratislava

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NHCEYP3bdkJuzJrf6

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

NOTE: Use the code when booking the accommodation to get a better deal.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Taxi: widespread use of apps like Bolt or Hopin
Buses no. 71, 72- stop ‘Brodná’, no. 42 stop ‘Radničné námestie’

For more information about the public transport in Bratislava, you can visit this website.

GETTING TO BRATISLAVA

By plane: there is a small airport in Bratislava, located 30 minutes away from the city centre by public transport- the bus no 61 operates between the airport and the train station located in the centre. Alternatively, Vienna International Airport is located 50-60 minutes by bus (RegioJet, SlovakLines, Flixbus) or train (oebb) from Bratislava.

By train or bus: well-connected with Vienna Hauptbahnhof and Vienna International Bus Terminal.

VISITING BRATISLAVA

If you wish to experience what Bratislava has to offer, explore the official website of the city of Bratislava, which features the attractions worth seeing as well as useful visitor information and the map of the city.

Kristína Rankovová, Conference Convener, kristina.rankovovafses.uniba.sk

Kristína Grejtáková, Conference Manager, kristina.grejtakovafses.uniba.sk

Jakub Csabay, Conference Co-Chair, jakub.csabayfses.uniba.sk

Andrea Figulová, Conference Co-Chair, andrea.figulovafses.uniba.sk

Rudolf Škovira, Conference Convener, rudolf.skovirafses.uniba.sk