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The HEAL National Research Network is hosting its annual conference from 3-6 November 2025, building on the resounding success of its first four conferences in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. #HEAL2025, with the theme of ‘Weaving Diverse Knowledges into Climate Action for Better Health’,will provide a dynamic, inclusive and decentralised platform for diverse research, policy and practice communities within the HEAL Network to come together sharing knowledge, evidence and ideas. Over four days, HEAL 2025 will deliver opportunities to discuss the leading health, climate and environmental challenges we face in Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and internationally. We will discuss how the HEAL Network is addressing these challenges, shaping innovative research to support Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and helping to translate research into responsible policy practices such as more sustainable healthcare and climate-resilient communities. In line with HEAL’s core commitment to supporting and elevating Australian First Nations and grassroot leadership and knowledges, we will be highlighting inspiring case studies from communities who are on the frontlines of climate and environmental change. The hybrid conference will be delivered online nationally and internationally, and at in-person at eight regional nodes across Australia, providing multiple avenues for delegates to participate and connect with each other.Please register here to attend (no registration fees).   Call for AbstractsAbstract submissions for e-posters and oral presentations that address the HEAL 2025 research themes close on 11:59pm AEST, Sunday 7th September 2025. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories Best E-Poster Presentation, Best Oral Presentation and Best Indigenous Project. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this four-day hybrid conference exploring the urgent health, climate, and environmental challenges facing Australia, the Asia-Pacific region, and the world. 

As democracies face multiple threats, from deepening polarisation and rising extremism to the spread of mis- and disinformation, the concept of democratic resilience has gained renewed urgency. Yet questions remain: What does democratic resilience truly entail? And how can it support broader efforts to renew democracy in the face of these challenges?This conference aims to deepen and expand the conversation around democratic resilience by bringing together an international community of scholars and practitioners. We invite contributions that explore innovative theoretical and empirical approaches as well as effective practical strategies for confronting the critical challenges facing democracies today. Topics of interest include--but are not limited to--declining trust in democratic institutions, the resurgence of far-right and anti-democratic actors, various forms of polarisation, violent extremism, and the role of political institutions, democratic innovations, civil society, social movements, and grassroots initiatives in advancing a more resilient democracy.We welcome theoretical, empirical, and practice-oriented papers that engage critically with the concepts of democratic resilience and democratic renewal, including how these are assessed and implemented across diverse contexts. Submissions should clearly identify the specific threat or challenge being addressed and demonstrate how the work contributes to current scholarship and debates on democratic resilience and/or innovation.Please submit an abstract of up to 200 words, along with a short author bio of up to 200 words by 8 August 2025 to Dr Emily Foley (emily.foley@canberra.edu.au).Successful applicants will be notified by 22 August 2025.