Annual Conferences

Explore Our Annual Conferences

See what we’ve been up to in past years and get a preview of our upcoming annual conference.

2023 — First Annual Conference

The first ELIPro Annual Conference marked the launch of our international community, bringing together educators, linguists, and researchers for the first time under the ELIPro umbrella. Discussions centered on building networks, setting collaborative research goals, and defining ELIPro’s future directions in education and internationalisation.

2024 — Second Annual Conference: Global Voices, Local Impact

The 2024 conference, themed Global Voices, Local Impact, explored how global discourses in education intersect with local practices. Sessions focused on multilingual classrooms, inclusive policy design, and the evolving role of English and other languages in globalised education systems.

2025 — Third Annual Conference: Transforming Education, Transforming Lives

The third annual conference was held in partnership with the EMI Oxford Research Group’s 6th EMI Symposium under the theme Transforming Education, Transforming Lives. The event brought together scholars, educators, and practitioners from around the world to explore how English-Medium Instruction (EMI) shapes teaching, learning, and equity in multilingual contexts. Over two days, participants engaged in plenary sessions, panels, and workshops addressing inclusivity, policy, and pedagogical innovation in EMI.

Plenary Speakers

Dr Ikuya Aizawa (University of Nottingham, UK)
Plenary title: “Comparing Learning Outcomes in English- and Japanese-Medium Instruction”
His plenary compared student outcomes in English- and Japanese-medium instruction, linking language of instruction to educational equity and Japan’s internationalisation policies.

Dr Ali Fuad Selvi (University of Alabama, USA)
Plenary title: “English Medium Instruction as a Tool for Internationalisation in Cyprus”
His plenary analysed EMI’s role in reshaping higher education in Cyprus, highlighting its functions as a tool for internationalisation, economic growth, and soft power.

Dr Mona Nishizaki (née Syrbe) (University of Genova, Italy)
Plenary title: “Global Englishes and the Evolution of Language Curricula in Germany”
Her plenary traced shifts in German language curricula through a Global Englishes lens, questioned persistent linguistic standards, and proposed a plurimodel of communicative competence.

Dr Rafael de Souza Timmermann (Federal University of Pará, Brazil)
Plenary title: “English Medium Instruction and Internationalization in Brazil”
His plenary examined how Brazilian universities could develop equitable EMI policies that balanced internationalisation goals with linguistic diversity and inclusion.

Panel Speakers

Prof David Lasagabaster (University of the Basque Country)
Dr Julia Reckermann (University of Münster, Germany)
Dr Paolo Delogu (University of Glasgow, UK)
Dr Rowland Imperial (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)
Dr Samantha Curle (University of Bath, UK)
Dr Nicola Galloway (University of Glasgow, UK)

Emerging Researcher Award

We warmly thank Oxford EMI for presenting the Emerging Researcher Award to Osanka Rathnasiri for her paper “Language Ideologies in EMI at a Sri Lankan State University: A Case Study from the University of British Columbia.” Her research exemplified the new directions and diverse voices shaping the future of EMI scholarship.

Congratulations to all who presented and participated — this year’s symposium was a tremendous success! The next EMI Symposium, the 7th EMI Symposium, will take place in 2027.

4th Annual ELIPro Conference

Multilingual Futures: Language, Identity & Educational Policy Across Borders
in partnership with the 12th International Conference Building Cultural Bridges

Hosted by: SDU University – Faculty of Education and Humanities in partnership with KIMEP University & Kazakh Ablai Khan University

Online Conference Day 9 October 2026

In-Person Conference Days 15 – 16 October 15–16, 2026

Confirmed Speakers

Plenary Speakers

Prof. Sender Dovchin

Prof. Sender Dovchin
Senior Principal Research Fellow, Curtin University (Australia).
Plenary Title: Languaging: Playfulness and Precarity

Professor Sender Dovchin is a Senior Principal Research Fellow and ARC Fellow at Curtin University in Perth, whose work focuses on linguistic racism and the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse youth in Australia. Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, she is internationally recognised as a leading scholar in sociolinguistics and applied linguistics, with extensive publications and multiple competitive research grants.

Prof. Sarah Hopkyns

Prof. Sarah Hopkyns
Assistant Professor, University of St Andrews and University College London.
Plenary Title: From Quantified Selves to Collective Strength: Decentring Anglocentric Research Cultures for Multilingual and Multicultural Impact and Inclusion

Sarah Hopkyns is an Assistant Professor at the University of St Andrews and University College London, where she is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of the St Andrews Journal of International and Language Education (SAJILE) and Deputy Director of the Centre for International and Language Education Research (CILTER). Her research interests include global Englishes, language and identity, belonging, language policy, translingual practice, linguistic ethnography, linguistic landscapes, and English-medium instruction (EMI). She has published widely and is author of The Impact of Global English on Cultural Identities in the UAE (Routledge, 2020) and Decoloniality in Multilingual University Spaces (Cambridge University Press, 2026), and co-editor of Linguistic Identities in the Arab Gulf States (Routledge, 2022).

Prof. Heath Rose

Prof. Heath Rose
Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Oxford.
Plenary Title: The Effects of English Medium Education on Language and Content Learning: Taking Stock of the Research Evidence

Heath Rose is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford, specialising in language teaching and language learning research. He is Director for People at the Department and Vice-Principal of Linacre College. His research interests include self-regulation and language learner strategies, Global Englishes, English as an international language, and English Medium Instruction. He has published widely in journals including Higher Education, Language Policy, Applied Linguistics, ELT Journal, TESOL Quarterly, System, and Modern Language Journal. He is the author of books on Global Englishes, including Introducing Global Englishes (Routledge) and Global Englishes for Language Teaching (Cambridge), and co-editor of the Cambridge Elements in Language Teaching series. He coordinates the English Medium Instruction Research Group and the wider EMI Oxford Research Network.

Online Speakers

Dr. Gabriela Meier

Dr. Gabriela Meier — Associate Professor in Language Education at the University of Exeter (UK). Her work focuses on multilingualism, socialisation, and social cohesion in linguistically diverse educational contexts, including vocational education and training (VET).

Prof. Ute Smit

Prof. Ute Smit — Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Vienna. Her work as an applied linguist focuses on English in educational contexts, teacher education, and real-world language use across Austria, Europe, and South Africa.

Prof. Julia Hüttner

Prof. Julia Hüttner — Professor of English Language Education at the University of Vienna. Her research focuses on the learning and teaching of English in instructed settings, with particular attention to EMI, CLIL, teacher cognition and development, ESP, video-based teacher learning, and inclusive ELT with focus on neurodiversity.

Registration

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Conference Fees and Payment

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Participants Early bird registration Standard fee
International* With presentation: 80 USD With presentation: 110 USD
Without presentation: 25 USD Without presentation: 35 USD
Kazakhstan With presentation: 10 000 KZT With presentation: 15 000 KZT
Without presentation: 8 000 KZT Without presentation: 10 000 KZT
CIS (СНГ)* With presentation: 40 USD With presentation: 60 USD
Without presentation: — Without presentation: —
Virtual Delegate With presentation: 8 000 KZT / 25 USD With presentation: 10 000 KZT / 35 USD
Without presentation: 8 000 KZT / 25 USD Without presentation: 10 000 KZT / 35 USD

* ELIPRO Partners and SDU Staff receive a 20% discount. SDU University Students receive a 50% discount.

Important Dates

  • Call for Abstracts: January 15, 2026
  • Submission Deadline: ongoing submissions
  • Notification of Outcomes: rolling basis
  • Registration for Speakers: June 15 – September 15, 2026
  • General Registration: June 15 – October 1, 2026
  • Scheduled Programme: September 20, 2026

Meet the Host

Learn more about SDU University and its academic community.