Share your work. Shape the conversation.
The Harm Reduction International Conference is built by its community. Around 80% of the programme is selected through this open call for abstracts, making your submission central to the conversations that will take place in Belfast.
Abstract submission is now closed! We received a record 1550 abstracts - thank you to all those who submitted!
We received submissions from across the full spectrum of harm reduction, including research, policy, advocacy, service delivery, community organising, lived and living experience, education, arts and culture, and innovative practice.
Whether you are presenting the findings of a major research study, sharing lessons from a grassroots project, challenging conventional thinking, or creating space for dialogue, we can't wait to learn from you.
What's next?
The last half of October and beginning of November are dedicated to abstract peer review. The Online Review Committee (ORC) is a global group of 250 people who will review your abstracts - each abstract will be reviewed four times, by four different reviewers.
After this stage is the Programme Committee - three days of online meetings during which our 60-strong committee, made up of harm reductionists from across the world, will come together to build the programme.
Key Dates
The HR27 call for abstracts has now closed!
9 October 2026: Abstract submission closed
October 2026: Online Review Committee review abstracts
November 2026: Programme Committee gathers to consider abstracts and build programme
By 31 December 2026: Abstract outcomes communicated; scholarship outcomes communicated
15 January 2027: Early bird rate ends
28 February 2027: Deadline to pay registration fee for speakers to be included in the programme - and programme released!
Post-Submission
All abstracts are peer reviewed by HRI's Programme Committees, international panels representing diverse professional backgrounds, lived and living experience, and geographic regions.
Reviewers score submissions for relevance, quality, originality and potential contribution. These scores, alongside programme balance, topic coverage and speaker diversity, shape the final programme.
Acceptance and registration are separate steps: if accepted, you will still need to register and pay the applicable fee to be included in the final programme. If you plan to apply for a scholarship, or will need funding or a visa to attend, we encourage you to start this process as early as possible, as it can take several months.
If your abstract is accepted, we will contact you in February 2027 with your presentation schedule. As it isn't possible to accommodate requests for specific time slots, please plan to be available for the full duration of the conference.
If a presenting author is unable to attend, a substitution can be arranged with an original co-author who is not already presenting elsewhere at the conference; you will need to contact us before 28 February 2027 to arrange this.
To make sure you receive our emails, please add conference@hri.global to your safe senders list.
Questions? Contact the conference team at conference@hri.global.