About HLCONF — A Higher Education and Adult Education Conference
The International Conference on Higher Education and Lifelong Learning (HLCONF) will be held in Paris, France, on 10–12 June 2027 at the Novotel Paris 14 Porte d'Orléans. Presenters can take part in person or present live online, and listeners can attend in Paris without submitting a paper.
HLCONF starts from a simple observation: people now learn across their whole lives, yet research on universities and research on adult learners are often discussed in separate places. This conference brings those communities together. It is a forum for higher education scholarship and, equally, an adult education conference for those who study how adults return to learning, develop professionally and gain recognised qualifications later in life.
The timing matters. Institutions are redesigning programmes for part-time, flexible and digital study. Employers and governments are investing in reskilling, short courses and micro-credentials. Questions of access, quality and recognition now affect every stage of education after school. These are research questions as much as policy questions, and they benefit from evidence gathered across countries and education systems.
Our Vision
Education systems in which every person can keep learning, and where decisions about higher and adult education are informed by sound research.
Our Mission
To provide a carefully reviewed international forum where research on higher education and lifelong learning is presented, discussed and published.
Who Should Attend
Researchers and academics
in higher education, adult education and educational studies
Educators and practitioners
in universities, colleges, adult learning centres and training organisations
Doctoral and master's students
researching education after school
Policymakers and institutional leaders
responsible for higher education, skills or adult learning
Professionals in industry and professional bodies
involved in workforce development and continuing education
General attendees
who want to follow current research without presenting
Academic Scope of This Adult Learning and Continuing Education Conference
HLCONF welcomes theoretical, empirical, methodological and practice-based research. Its scope covers teaching and learning in universities and colleges, institutional leadership and policy, and the wider landscape of post-school and adult provision. Researchers who usually attend a continuing education conference will find research on professional development, workplace learning and the recognition of prior learning. Those who follow an adult learning conference will find work on learner motivation, adult pedagogy and community education. Interdisciplinary and comparative studies are particularly welcome.
As an adult education conference as well as a higher education forum, HLCONF is equally open to researchers based in universities and to those working in adult learning centres, training organisations, professional bodies and public agencies. Practice-based studies, evaluations of programmes and policy analyses are considered alongside empirical and theoretical papers, provided they are rigorous and clearly connected to the conference themes. Research from every region is welcome, including studies of education systems that are rarely represented in international literature.
Key areas include:
- Higher Education Policy, Governance and Leadership
- Teaching, Learning and Curriculum
- Lifelong, Adult and Continuing Learning
- Flexible Learning, Credentials and Recognition
- Artificial Intelligence and Digital Education
- Assessment, Quality Assurance and Academic Standards
- Access, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Student Experience, Success and Wellbeing
- Academic Work and Professional Development
- Skills, Employability and the Future of Work
- Internationalisation and Global Higher Education
- Partnerships, Community Engagement and Social Mission
- Sustainability and the Future of Higher Education
- Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange
Quality and Research Ethics
HLCONF is committed to a transparent and fair academic process:
Double-blind peer review.
Reviewers do not see author identities, and authors do not see reviewer identities.
Similarity screening.
Submissions are checked with Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate) before review.
Clear criteria.
Work is assessed on relevance to the conference themes, originality, methodology, clarity and contribution to the field.
Research ethics.
Studies involving human participants, including students and adult learners, should have appropriate ethical approval and informed consent.
Inclusion.
The conference welcomes researchers from every country, discipline and career stage, and offers live virtual presentations for those who cannot travel.
How You Can Take Part
Oral presentation
present your research in person at the venue in Paris.
Poster presentation
display your research as a poster at the venue and discuss it with attendees.
Virtual presentation
present your research live online.
Listener
attend the conference in Paris without presenting a paper.
Standard presentation allocation for oral and virtual presentations is 15 minutes. Your exact slot and Q&A arrangements are sent with your presenter instructions.
Attend the Conference
Accepted presenters
Once your abstract has been accepted, register to confirm your participation and presentation.
Listeners
Register to attend the conference in Paris without submitting a paper. Choose Listener as your registration type.
Registration does not replace peer review: a presentation is confirmed only for an accepted abstract with a completed registration.
Preparing a Submission?
Submit your abstract first. After peer review, accepted authors register to present in Paris or online.