Call for Extended Abstracts

Conference scope: All topics related to the sustainable development of multinational enterprises are welcome.

2026 thematic focus: Multinational Enterprises, Sustainability and Responsibility in Times of Crisis.

Submissions do not need to address crisis contexts. Authors may submit either to a 2026 Special Focus track or to a General MESD track.

20th Anniversary Edition · 2006–2026

A conference looking both back and forward

To mark twenty years of the MESD International Conference series, MESD'26 welcomes contributions across the full spectrum of research on multinational enterprises and sustainable development. The anniversary edition combines this broad scientific tradition with a special 2026 focus on sustainability and responsibility in times of crisis.

Contributions do not need to address crisis situations to be considered for MESD'26.

The MESD'26 International Conference invites 1,500-word extended abstracts on the sustainable development of multinational enterprises. The 2026 edition gives particular attention to its thematic focus while remaining open to the full range of MESD topics.

Submissions open: 15 August 2026 · Extended abstract deadline: 15 October 2026 · Final notifications: by 30 October 2026
Conference: Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December 2026 · ICN Business School - Berlin Campus, Alt-Moabit 96, 10559 Berlin, Germany

Conference scope and 2026 focus

MESD'26 brings together scholars, practitioners and policymakers concerned with the sustainable development of multinational enterprises. The special 2026 focus explores strategic responses, ethical dilemmas, institutional pressures and the potential for organizational and systemic transformation in times of crisis. The conference simultaneously maintains the broad MESD scope that has characterized the series across its different editions.

Two complementary families of tracks

Special Focus

SF1-SF5

For contributions in which crisis conditions, pressures or responses are central.

SF1 - Multinational Enterprises and Global Crises
SF2 - Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility under Pressure
SF3 - Governance, Regulation and Institutional Pressures
SF4 - Innovation, Resilience and Business Model Transformation
SF5 - Discourses, Practices and Critical Perspectives

General MESD

G1-G8

For contributions across the wider MESD field, whether or not a crisis context is involved.

G1 - MNE Strategy and Sustainable Development
G2 - Global Value Chains, Operations and Sustainable Supply Chains
G3 - Innovation, Technology and Sustainable Business Models
G4 - Corporate Responsibility, ESG, Governance and Sustainable Finance
G5 - People, Society and Sustainable Organizations
G6 - Climate, Environment and Natural Resources
G7 - SDGs, Public Policy and International Partnerships
G8 - Open and Interdisciplinary MESD Track

Detailed descriptions and indicative topics for every track are available on the Theme & Tracks page.

Submission requirements

Submissions must be written in English.
Each submission must identify one conference track: either a Special Focus track (SF1-SF5) or a General MESD track (G1-G8).
Extended abstracts should contain no more than 1,500 words.
They should include the title, author information, keywords, research context, research questions, methodology or approach, findings or expected insights, contribution, limitations and references in APA 7th edition style.
Submissions must be original and must not have been previously published, accepted or presented elsewhere.
Research in progress is welcome.
At least one author of each accepted extended abstract must register for and attend the conference.

Submit an extended abstract Download the CFP (PDF)View detailed tracks