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NIHR School for Social Care Research Annual Conference
September 16 - September 17
Conference theme: Collaboration, connection and community
We are delighted to confirm that the next NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) Annual Conference will be held in Bristol in September 2026.
Following on from last year’s conference in York, this conference will once again bring together researchers and a broad range of key partners, collaborators and people with lived/ living experience to share evidence and on-going research in social care practice. The conference provides a valuable opportunity to network and hear about leading social care research including SSCR’s commissioned studies and the broader NIHR programme offer.
Dates and venue
- Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September 2026
- We The Curious, One Millennium Square, Anchor Road, Bristol, BS1 5DB
- Venue website
Call for abstracts
Abstract submissions for consideration are welcomed from across the full breadth of social care research and eligibility to submit is not limited to researchers/ institutions who are members of the current phase of the School.
Abstracts from researchers at all career stages (including PhD students) are encouraged, as are submissions from across the Three Schools programmes where significant social care elements are evident. We especially welcome abstracts for oral presentations which – where appropriate – would be co-presented with public and/ or practice partners.
All submissions will be peer reviewed and selected for oral presentation (15 mins, plus time for Q&A), lightning talk (5 mins, max five slides, plus time for Q&A) or poster presentation.
How to submit your abstract for review
Abstracts should be submitted via the online abstract submission form.
If for any reason you cannot access or complete the online form, please download/ complete this Word version and submit it via email to sscr@york.ac.uk before the deadline.
What are the reviewers looking for?
Peer review will take account of:
- Quality and rigour
- Relevance to the conference title and theme
- Originality and creativity of the approach
- Stage of the research
- The impact (potential or realised) of the study on social care policy, practice and services
- The impact (potential or realised) on people accessing care services, their families and carers
Key dates
- Call for abstracts opens – 11 February 2026
- Call closes – 30 April 2026 (17:00 GMT)
- Acceptance notifications – w/c 1 June 2026
- Submission deadline for presentations/ posters, if abstract accepted: 31 July 2026
Programme and registration
The outline programme will be published along with the general registration link in March 2026.
This event is free to attend and places are limited so please save the dates in your diary and book early when the registration link is circulated to avoid disappointment.
To receive the registration link directly to your inbox when it goes live, please sign up to the SSCR mailing list.
Any questions? Please contact us at sscr@york.ac.uk and we’ll get back to you.
