13th World Complexity Science Academy Conference – Brussels

WCSA PROUDLY PRESENTS

Call for Papers and Panels

XIII CONFERENCE

Constructing Science based Policies beyond Political Noise

Dates: December 1 – 4 2026

Fondation Universitaire

Rue d’Egmont 11, 1000 Burxelles, Belgium

CONFERENCE VENUE ON SITE & ONLINE by ZOOM

PROLOGUE & ANNOUNCEMENTS

As the current Scientific Director of the 13^th World Complexity Science Academy (WCSA) Conference and on behalf of WCSA Governance, a European-based policy-modeling think-tank headquartered in Brussels and Bologna, I am delighted to launch the “2026 WCSA General Call for Papers and Panels” for our conference in Brussels and Hybrid (Online). The conference will take place from December 1 to 4, 2026. The conference is hereby titled:

Constructing Science-based Policies beyond political noise

SECTION ONE: I – XIII CONFERENCE STEERING COMMITTEE

Chairman of the conference:

Prof. Mónica Elivier Sánchez González

The Conference Scientific Board, in progress, is composed of the Conference Chairman, the entire Directive Scientific Board, https://www.wcsaglobal.org/governance/, and Susana Povosky, WCSA-LATAM.

SECTION ONE: II – ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE (OC)

Michael Selis
Cecilia Serafini
Lucas Pereira
Hannia Villalobos Aldama

SECTION TWO (II): THE WCSA CONFERENCE MANIFESTO

Since Luhmann’s Warum AGIL? When Parsons’ AGIL was falsified, it became clear that social systems have neither a head nor a “glue” to hold them together. Until Parsons the social system had a head (politics) and a glue ( the culture of the latency function, the L of AGIL) Luhman’s confutation shows there isn’t just an integrated system but rather an unification of specific systems each one being global, autopoietic self-referential and in a one sided selection towards the outer nvironment filtering complexity through an in /out process of construction of meaning.

Every system is global (for example, there is the Law System, but there are no law systems), and every system is self-referential through its own construction of meaning via the communication process. That’s why the political communication of the political system is the only communication in which politics is the head of the whole society. Still, this narrative is merely internal to the political system.

The Legal system, the Scientific system, the economic system, etc., have different self-referential communication codes, programs, and perspectives of thematization. Science has its own code and program focused on the construction of generalized, reliable, valid, and viable knowledge through research and its strategic application to technocratic and technological policy modeling and policy guidelines for policymaking.

Upgrading a famous quote by T. J. Lowi: Research determines policy, policy determines politics. Research and policy are two different weighing machines; politics is merely a voting one. The voting machine has no adequate power anymore, and it is expanding its self-reference to deny this to the voters. The science system and the Economic System, with their distinct yet sometimes interpenetrating shapes (such as technology), are the drivers of systemic evolution nowadays. The political system can become a protagonist, just shouting, crying, and yelling. However, it is still noise, not the construction of meaning, as the feature of political communication is the highest level of contradictory volatility, which no systemic observer can take seriously.

Nevertheless within the political systemic the level of irritation(in the meaning chosen by Luhman in his text, The Ecological Communication) is highly trying to impact, as outer noise, the other systems (science, law economics, religion etc ) and this attempt to influence is intrinsically a failure if the different systems do not find and do not need to find a specific “s“lf-referential key”” or accept the noise coming from the political system which is the sole system stating its own leadership.

The production of science is a complex process; the production of political headlines is not so complex, and it is based on the a priori denial of whatever is more complicated than we/they code, more or less, in a gorilla tribe. Complexity management is the first bifurcation at which politics cannot prevail over science. What is sustainable, healthy, energetically working, etc., can be defined only by science. Politics can vote for or against, but it explains whether the scientific discoveries meet public opinion consent or not; the (released or not) consent does not change the validity of the scientific discovery. If a non-science-based decision is made, problems will follow—from the political system’s point of view.

How is it possible to think about the production of science and scientific knowledge in the actual context? Why have science and scientific expertise been forced to express and define their importance as a necessary means of self-observation for modern society, even though we refer to ourselves as a central or peripheral condition in the political system debate? Specifically, as a way of explaining the complexity from which it is reproduced.

Questions to reflect on the way in which politics aspires to politicize, to break the functional differentiation of modernity, so that social functions – science, art, economy, law, education, religion, mass media, intimacy, and politics – respond to the ideology of the political moment of the different states defined as democratic.

The tensions and disputes over the definitions of public policies affecting the production of science and scientific knowledge, as well as the relations between governments in power and universities and scientific institutes, are at the core of the reflection proposed by this conference.

What are the positions of scientists and academics in addressing the imposition of public policies that prioritize the interests of ideologies in power? How can science be redefined epistemologically and decisionally, or if that is even possible?

We consider academic knowledge as a way of responding to society’s problems, given the complexity of its reproduction. From the perspective of scientific knowledge, we invite reflection on the production of science and its relationship with public policies that affect it.

Research determines policy and policy determines politics, which is why our conference privileges research-based policy and invests in relations with the economic system.

The emerging shapes of science and economics are the venues for strategic decision-making, weighing machines, politics, and the final step of dissemination. This is the way the threat politicized science or economics eliminated Research-Policy& business- Politics, the helix to produce high added value scientific knowledge, and this conference welcomes and privileges this end of paradigm.

SECTION THREE (III): WCSA HONORARY BOARD OF ADVISORS

Alexander Laszlo, President of the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science, Vienna, & Director of Research at the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research, WCSA Presidential Delegate Enrique Caceres-Nieto, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, WCSA Medalist for Systemic Research (3rd Edition) Lucio d’Alessandro, Rector of the University Suor Orsola Benincasa, Naples Paolo de Nardis, University La Sapienza, Rome, WCSA Medalist (4th Edition) Abram de Swaan, Distinguished Professor, University of Amsterdam, WCSA Medalist (4th Edition) Klaus Krippendorff, University of Pennsylvania, WCSA Medalist (2nd Edition) Ervin Laszlo, Club of Budapest, WCSA Medalist (1st Edition) Loet Leydesdorff, University of Amsterdam Felix Ortega, University of Salamanca Alexander Riegler, Free University of Brussels Dario Rodriguez Mansilla, Diego Portales University, Santiago Christopher Thornhill, University of Manchester, WCSA Medalist (5th Edition), EDGAR MORIN, WCSA MEDALIST (6th Edition), Victor Neuman, University of Timisoara.

SECTION FOUR (IV): HOW TO SUBMIT A PANEL PROPOSAL

Until 2026, Panel Proposal submissions will be considered for the 2026 WCSA Conference to be held in Brussels, and online from December 1-4, 2026. The deadline is May 15th, 2026.

The submission of the full panel proposal is the responsibility of the panel proponent. The panel proponent will be tasked with sending invitations to the authors (presenters), accepting all submitted panel abstracts, and facilitating the registration of presenters for the Conference. Conference paper proposals for any session must be submitted in English.

The ideal panel comprises five (5) to seven (7) accepted papers; nevertheless, exceptions may be considered for the Conference Program. Larger or smaller panels are subject to special consideration and may require approval.

Panel proponents may appoint a panel chair. The panel proponent may serve as the chair, co-chair, or a paper author on the panel.

Each panel will last approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours.

Panel Proposal Requirements:

A Panel Proposal should include:

Title of the panel
Short Abstract/Description of the Panel: about 500 words in length
Proponent Information: Name, affiliation, email address, WhatsApp number, profile picture, and short bio (maximum of 5 lines, format Times New Roman 12)
Chair Information: Indication of one (1) chair: Name, affiliation, email address, and WhatsApp number
List of Speakers: Five to seven (5-7) speakers, including their names, affiliations, email addresses, and WhatsApp numbers
Paper Abstracts: Title and abstract for each paper (minimum of 200, maximum of 400 words; please do not include references in the abstracts)

Any Panel Proposal should be submitted by email to the 2026 WCSA Conference Organizing Committee at wcsa13thconference@gmail.com as a .doc or .docx file named after the panel title. In the email subject line, please specify “2026 WCSA Conference: Panel Submission”.

Panel Proposals will be peer-reviewed before acceptance. On May 15th, 2026, notifications of acceptance of the Panel Proposal and instructions on how to become a WCSA member and register for the Conference were emailed to the panel proponent. Panel proponents are responsible for notifying all members of their panels of the results and instructions. If the panel proponent receives no communication by April 15th, 2026, the proposal has been rejected.

Important Notes:

Panel proponents and paper proponents (authors) do not need to be WCSA members to submit a panel or a paper/presentation proposal. However, all proponents must become WCSA members to register for the Conference. Conference attendees who are already WCSA members must ensure their dues are up to date to register. HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER/RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP HERE https://www.wcsaglobal.org/becoming-a-member/, including the membership fees, payment info, and methods.
By June 8th, 2026, panel proponents whose Panel Proposal is accepted must confirm their participation in the Conference. Conference registration requires completing the registration and paying the combined Membership and Conference fee for themselves and their panel members. Accepted panel proposals will only be included in the Conference Official Program after completing the registration and payment processes.
The panel proponents’ Conference fee may be waived only if all panel members register for the Conference and pay their dues by July 1st, 2026.

SECTION FIVE (V): HOW TO SUBMIT A PAPER PROPOSAL

Until May 1^st, 2026, single PAPER PROPOSAL submissions will be considered for the 2026 WCSA Intercontinental Conference to be held in Brussels and online from December 1- 4, 2026.

Single Paper Proposals may be accommodated in a specific panel or in a general Conference session. The updated list of particular panels will be available on the Conference Page. Paper proposals must be submitted in English. Each paper presentation will last approximately 15 minutes. A single paper can also be co-authored.

Paper Proposal Requirements:

A Paper Proposal should include:

Name, affiliation, email address, and WhatsApp number
Title of the paper
Paper abstract: Minimum of 200, maximum of 400 words (please do not include references in the abstracts)

Any Paper Proposal should be submitted by email to the 2026 WCSA Conference Organizing Committee at wcsa13thconference@gmail.com as a .doc or .docx file named after the paper title. In the email subject line, please specify “2026 WCSA Conference: Single Paper Submission”.

Paper proponents (authors) do not need to be WCSA members to submit a paper proposal. However, all proponents must become WCSA members to register for the Conference. Proponents who are already WCSA members must ensure their dues are up to date for Conference registration.

Review and Acceptance:

Paper Proposals will be peer-reviewed before acceptance. The acceptance of a single paper proposal in a specific panel is at the discretion of the panel proponent, while the acceptance in a general Conference session is at the discretion of the WCSA scientific board. Notification of acceptance will be sent to the corresponding Author of the abstract by June 28^th, 2026. Silence means rejection. To be included in the final program, the authors must pay their membership and Conference fees by July 31^st, 2026.

SECTION SIX (VI): CONFERENCE FEES

THE CONFERENCE FEES DO NOT INCLUDE THE MEMBERSHIP FEE. Thus, the accepted scholars should pay both the membership fee and the Conference fee.

In-Person Conference

Senior scholar/professional fee: € 260
Junior scholar/professional (under 30) fee: € 140

Virtual Conference

Senior scholar/professional fee: € 150
Junior scholar/professional (under 30) fee: € 70

Attendance at the Conference as Audience (if not Presidential Guests)

In-Person: € 50 (one-day), € 110 (full package Conference)
Virtual: € 25 (one-day), € 60 (full package Conference)

SECTION SEVEN (VII): SUBMISSION OF FULL PAPERS

By December 31^st, 2026, please submit your FULL PAPER if you wish to have your presentation considered for the Conference proceedings. Full papers will undergo double-masked peer review before publication.

SECTION EIGHT (VIII): THE WCSA CONFERENCES PROCEEDINGS

The WCSA conferences have a rich history of producing significant proceedings that contribute to the academic and practical understanding of global complexity. Previous Conference proceedings are available for reference here https://www.wcsaglobal.org/12th-conference/ Moreover, from the 12^th WCSA Florence-Curitiba Conference, two further publications appeared:

A special issue (1/26) of RTSA.Senior Guest Editor Andrè Parmo Folloni.
One collective book by World Complexity Science Academy Press, the MAPS book collection, is presented below:

Book series proposal: The World Complexity Science Academy Book Collection in Macro Political and Social Sciences (MAPS)

Editor(s) in chief (EIC):

Mónica Elivier Sánchez González and Andrea Pitasi

Scientific-Editorial Board (SEB) and Organizational Committee (OC)

SEB: Mónica Elivier Sánchez González and Andrea Pitasi

Rudy Aernoudt

Adele Bianco

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, ex officio as the 8th Edition WCSA Medalist

Norbert Csizmadia ex officio as 8th Edition WCSA Medalist

Enrico Caceres Nieto, ex officio as 3rd Edition WCSA Medalist

Francisco Del Canto Viterale

Abram De Swaan, ex officio as 5th Edition WCSA Medalist

Paolo De Nardis ex officio as 5th Edition WCSA Medalist

Eric Van Den Broele

Ervin Laszlo, ex officio as 1st Edition WCSA Medalist

Andrè Parmo Folloni

Lia Giancristofaro

Roberta Iannone

Laus Krippendorff + ( in memoriam) , ex officio as 2nd Edition WCSA Medalist

Laura Leonardi

Edgar Morin, ex officio as 6th Edition WCSA Medalist and WCSA Life Honorary President

Alfredo L. Spilzinger ex officio as 7th Edition WCSA Medalist

Cristopher Thornhill, ex officio as 4th Edition WCSA Medalist

OC Coordinator: Lucas Pereira Gomes with Alon Helled, Michael Selis, and Juanita del Carmen Mendoza Ornelas

D) Manifesto

The foundation of MAPS traces back to Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) and was further developed by thinkers born in the 1880s, such as P. Sorokin, J.A. Schumpeter, and A. Radcliffe-Brown, whose interpretation of social anthropology as comparative sociology was pivotal to MAPS’s evolution. Contributors like S. Eisenstadt, Norbert Elias, Talcott Parsons, Niklas Luhmann, J. Goudsblom, I. Horowitz, J.C. Alexander, and J. Goldthorpe, among others, offered significant contributions from various paradigms, enriching the multidimensional toolkit MAPS now utilizes to understand, explain, and manage the primary global challenges of our time.

E) Peer-reviewed book series

A scoring table, generally totaling 100 points, will be developed, divided among 7–8 criteria, including theoretical logic, methodology, techniques, relevance of the topic, and accuracy of notes and references. Two reviewers will review each proposal; if the results are contradictory, a third reviewer will be consulted. Books with chapters in multiple languages are not accepted, though bilingual books are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The spirit and goal is to provide a high-quality book collection, unifying accurate scientific peer review for academic quality and the most advanced high-tech/high-touch organizational business model to offer flexible and lean organizational processes in book design, production, promotion, and distribution, connecting global availability of the catalogue and the on-demand local printing wherever the reader /purchaser is based.

F) Languages

MAPS accepts books in English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Portuguese. Further languages may be considered if reviewers are available.

G) Publisher

WCSA publishing/editorial; European ISBN.

H) Book proposal format

Prospective authors should submit proposals as follows:

1) Author(s) Name(s) and Affiliation(s)

2) Book Title (and subtitles, if applicable)

3) Table of Contents

4) An extended abstract of approximately 1500 words

5) Brief Description of the Market (focus, targets, competitors)

6) Writing Style (specialized, educational, or popular science)

7) Book Language(s)

8) (Optional) Sample Chapter

9) Timeline (Is this a proposal only? Are some chapters ready, or is it entirely written and prepared for peer review? Expected submission date?)

10) Brief Author Bio(s) (5–10 lines per Author, with optional color photo for back cover)

11) Author Plan (Is the book financially supported by grants, scholarships, donations, or bulk buyers?)

I) Yearly publishing plan

MAPS aims to publish 2–3 books annually, though this target is flexible.

L) Scientific proposal

Style correction
Double-masked peer review
International referees
World Complexity Science Academy is an international organization based in Bologna, Italy; Brussels, Belgium; and Guanajuato, Mexico.
The Author retains her rights.
This book will be the second Author of the collection, in The World Complexity Science Academy Book Collection in Macro Political and Social Sciences (MAPS)
Cover design
ISBN registration
Digital publication
Publication on Amazon in the publisher’s account

M) Technological support for books

Books can be published in print, digital, or both formats, primarily through Amazon KDP.

N ) Submission Deadline

It is an open call, no deadline

O) How to submit a book proposal

O1) Using the format that was stated in section H (book proposal format)

O2) Create the proposal in DOC and in PdF

Email to wcsapress@gmail.com

O4) Since the proposal submission proposal email, silence after 60 days means rejection

O5) In case of interest, the Author (s) will be contacted, and further steps will be agreed upon between the Author(s) and WCSA Press

P) List of the Published Titles:

Historicidades de la violencia: Reflexiones sociohistóricas, Mónica Elivier Sánchez González y Andrea Pitasi (coordinadores), -1.ª edición-, World Complexity Science Academy Press, 2025, 267 pp. ISBN: 978-969-699-286-8.
Vida social del tomate. Entre nuevos y viejos mundos, Lia Giancristofaro, 1.ª edición, World Complexity Science Academy Press, 2025, 80 pp. ISBN: 978-969-699-287-5.

SECTION NINE (IX): WCSA MEDAL AWARDS, 9th Edition

The 2026 WCSA Conference will also host the 9^th Edition of the WCSA Medal Awards for Systemic Research. Check the CALL FOR NOMINATIONS here: https://www.wcsaglobal.org/wcsa-medal-awards/

Previous medalists:

Ervin Laszlo, President of the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science, Vienna, & Director of Research at the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research, WCSA Presidential Delegate as chair of the WCSA HONORARY BOARD OF WCSA ADVISORS, WCSA Medalist (1st Edition)
Klaus Krippendorff, University of Pennsylvania, WCSA Medalist (2nd Edition)
Edith Fabó, WCSA Medalist (3rd Edition)
Enrique Cáceres-Nieto, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, WCSA Medalist for Systemic Research (3rd Edition)
Abram de Swaan, Distinguished Professor, University of Amsterdam, WCSA Medalist (4th Edition)
Natalia Brasil Dib, WCSA Medalist (4th Edition)
Christopher Thornhill, University of Manchester, WCSA Medalist (5th Edition)
Edgar Morin, WCSA Medalist (6th Edition)
Jozef Lernout, WCSA Medalist (7^th Edition)
Alfredo Leonidas Spilzinger, WCSA Medalist (7^th Edition)
Fernando Henrique Cardoso (8^th Edition)
Norbert Csizmadia (8th Edition)
Pablo Fudim (8^th Edition)

SECTION TEN (X): CONFERENCE PROGRAMME – (COMING SOON)

SECTION ELEVEN (XI): INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WCSA 13th CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS

1.- General Rules

1.1 Dress code: you do not need to be extremely elegant, but some touch of class is welcome: classic-casual, reasonable, and adequate.

1.2 If you connect only, the dress code does not change.

1.3 Find an adequate location from which to connect, providing good quality standards, lighting, quiet, and no further potentially bothersome matters.

1.4 Double-check your technological tools at least the day before your speech in case you need changes or implementations.

1.4 Fair Play, always

2.- Addendum for Panel Chairs

2.1 Carefully read the whole Conference program and your panel in particular

2.2 Choose the best ways to warm up your panelists some days before the Conference to have a more effective session and to double-check if they all confirm. If a panelist drops out, immediately inform the Coordinator of the Organizational Committee so the panelist is not removed from the Conference program.

2.3 Rely on the timing scheduled for your panel in the program. Do not exceed it.

2.4 Consider an average of 15 minutes per speaker plus 15 minutes, in the last quarter of the panel—NO question and answer between each presentation.

2.5 In case of dropouts, please divide their 15 minutes by the number of other speakers. Imagine 5 speakers (without the dropout), 15 minutes/5 = 3; thus, every speaker would gain 3 minutes.

2.6 The panel chair can either provide an introduction to the panel or also serve as a panel speaker if already designed and planned in the program; the panel chair simply moderates, leaving the floor speaker with the floor.

2.7 Every panel chair must coordinate the timing, double-check the public and speakers, both in person and online, keeping in mind the hybrid.

2.8 After the Conference, the panel chairs become the key contact person for the Conference director to set the post-conference publication agenda.

2.9 If your panel includes keynote speakers,s consider their different timings, giving 45 minutes. If a keynote speaker drops out (disaster!), split their 45 minutes among the other panel speakers.

2.10 The panel chair has the power and the responsibility to interrupt and silence a speaker who is overwhelming/exceeding their schedule and /or who is showing unfair, aggressive, disrespectful behaviors or attitudes.

3.- Addendum for Speakers

3.1 Read the instructions for panel chairs very carefully and support the chair of your panel so that you both become part of the organizational process.

4.- Addendum for Keynote Speakers

4.1 Read the instructions for panel chairs very carefully and support the chair of your panel so that you both become organizational process facilitators.

5.- Addendum for Medalists

5.1 Read the instructions for panel chairs very carefully and support the chair of your panel so that you become organizational process facilitators.

SECTION TWELVE (XII): CONFERENCE PARTNERS (IN PROGRESS)

SECTION THIRTEEN (XIII): PHOTO GALLERY

Along it comes, after the Conference, of course