Past Summits
2024
30–31 May · Birkbeck, University of London
Organisers
University of Greenwich & University of Vienna
Associate Professor, Lead of Centre for Mental HealthNetwork Founder
Recap
We just completed the inaugural summit of the new international Contact Research Network - thanks to the amazing colleagues who spent the last 2 days with us in London at Birkbeck!
Our conversations highlighted some priorities and opportunities for future research:
Contact interventions can promote understanding in schools (Lindsey), at work (Libby) and in conflict situations (Orkun), and reduce political polarisation (Michèle).
Contact in everyday life may also promote understanding, yet we need to further explore how to create successful interactions (Stefania, Deborah & Patrick).
There are promising opportunities to use new technologies to promote contact and better intergroup relations - from VR to chatbots (Lukas).
We were particularly excited to also hear from early career researchers who will help shape the future of our research field (Jie, Zackary, Diana, Emine and Ditte).
We struck up various new collaborations and can't wait to see them play out - and to have further contact researchers join us on the journey ahead.
2025
2–3 June · Mary O’Brien Room, Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford
Organisers
Keynote Speaker
Keynote lecture: Social cohesion through positive and negative intergroup contact: Retracing the generative and stressful journey of minority academic dissent
Recap
We had a fantastic day at this year's ICRN Summit, held at the University of Oxford.
A huge thank you to Shelley McKeown Jones for hosting us, and to Stefania Paolini, who delivered a brilliant keynote address, with Sylvie Graf offering insightful reflections as discussant. The event featured 24 engaging presentations, as well as vibrant networking and idea exchange throughout the day.
Key highlights:
• 33 in-person and 23 online participants
• A special session focused on shaping the ICRN’s vision, mission, and future activities
• Some sessions, including the keynote, were recorded and will be shared once finalised
We were also pleased to welcome Stefania Paolini as our new Chair. We warmly thank Michèle Denise Birtel for her dedicated leadership over the past year.
During the meeting, Stefania (Paolini), Lukas (Wallrich) and Rita (Guerra), in their roles as network chairs and secretary, suggested a blueprint for the ICRN network’s governance and constitution moving forward, anchored on the guiding principles of ‘diversity of people’, ‘diversity of ideas’, ‘respectful and equitable cooperation’, and ‘high ethical standards’. The Oxford meeting acted as a kickstart to the conversation about these themes and the future of the network, which we hope to progress with in the remainder of the year, involving all members of the network irrespective of their attendance of the last Summit. So watch this space and remain engaged in upcoming consultation efforts.
2026
5–7 July · FernUniversität Campus Centre, Karlsruhe, Germany
Organisers
Keynote Speaker
Prof. Cara McInnis
Professor, Acadia University
Keynote lecture: Art Imitates Life: Reflexive Reflections on My Intergroup Contact Era
Contributors
Stefania Paolini, Lukas Wallrich, Libby Drury, Molly Adams, Rita Guerra, Jie Huang, Shelley McKeown Jones, Oliver Christ, Mathias Kauff, Sarina Schäfer, Jil Ullenboom, Lydia Tschekorsky Orloff, and Sebastian Emrys Kalkuhl.
Recap
We had our third annual ICRN Summit this July, and it really was a wonderful few days. From July 5th–7th, we gathered at the FernUniversität Campus Centre in Karlsruhe, Germany. 53 researchers joined us in person and 20 more joined online, coming together from across the field to share ideas, data, and a lot of coffee.
The Summit opened with an optional mentoring session, where more experienced researchers offered guidance and support to students and early-career members, and everyone had a chance to connect one-on-one before the formal programme began. Over the three days, we hosted 24 research presentations covering everything from predictors of contact and contact willingness to contact dynamics over time and the effects of contact on outcomes beyond prejudice. We were lucky to have Cara McInnis deliver this year's keynote lecture, "Art Imitates Life: Reflexive Reflections on My Intergroup Contact Era," which set a thoughtful tone for the rest of the Summit. Slides from presenters who agreed to share are available on OSF.
Alongside the formal talks, the Summit featured a poster session, open unconferencing discussions where participants shaped the agenda in real time, and open collaboration space for building new partnerships and research ideas. As always, the goal wasn't just to present finished work, but to spark the kind of conversations that lead to it.
This year, we also introduced our first-ever Early Career Researcher Awards. Matilde Tassinari won Best Blitz Presentation, with Mamoru Sakura as runner-up. Zaya Da Silva won Best Poster, and Aaron Lauterbach won Best Oral Presentation, with Marta Sih Wei Macaluso as runner-up. Congratulations to all five for such strong work!
Beyond the research, the Summit made plenty of room for connecting outside the sessions too. On the first evening, we headed to dinner together, and on the second day we swapped the conference room for a picnic in the Castle Gardens. We also introduced something new this year: Contact Bingo, a game we developed ourselves to get people talking, laughing, and making new connections across the group.
None of this happens without a lot of work behind the scenes. A special thank you to this year's organisers, Emine Bilgen, Maria-Therese Friehs, and Patrick Kotzur, for putting the Summit together, and to the wider committee and everyone who contributed along the way.
A big thank-you to Mark Rubin for sharing a lovely Bluesky thread capturing the atmosphere of the Summit — check it out here.
The Summit continues to grow each year, and we're already looking forward to seeing where the ICRN community takes it next.
