Programme Committee Chair Invitation

Aleksandar Baucal

President of the ECP 2027 Scientific Committee

We are living in a historical moment in which established wisdoms and orthodoxies, even those of the recent past, appear increasingly fragile and even misleading. The contemporary world is shaped by a confluence of profound and interrelated challenges: accelerating climate change driven by human activity; declining trust in democratic institutions; shifting dynamics of globalization and “slowbalization”; rapid technological transformation; armed, hybrid, and autonomous conflicts; large-scale migration; growing social polarization and cultural conflict; the pervasive influence of social media; unresolved issues of data protection and digital privacy; and widening economic inequalities. Together, these processes are reshaping human experience in ways that are complex, often contradictory, and difficult to anticipate.

While such social and cultural transformations pose fundamental questions for all scientific disciplines, they profoundly challenge psychological sciences. As a field dedicated to understanding human thought, emotion, behaviour, and social relations, psychology is uniquely positioned to contribute to making sense of these transformations, to anticipate their consequences, and to support individuals, communities, institutions and societies in navigating uncertain futures. In this context, psychology is increasingly challenged to move beyond its traditional roles as an explanatory and applied science and to engage more explicitly as a World making science, the one that actively participates in shaping more humane, just, and sustainable futures.

Against this backdrop, and fully aware that the world of 2027 may differ in important ways from that of today, the European Congress of Psychology 2027 (ECP 2027) is conceived as a space for collective reflection and critical dialogue. The ECP 2027 aims to examine psychological research in terms of its scientific achievements, conceptual and methodological limitations, and societal impact, while also opening discussion on its future directions. Central to this goal is the creation of meaningful dialogue across psychological diverse subfields in a joint exploration of new forms of integration of existing knowledge and encouraging the development of innovative theoretical, methodological, and practical approaches. Such dialogue is essential if psychology is to remain both scientifically robust and socially relevant in times of rapid change and deep uncertainty.

Therefore, we warmly invite our colleagues, researchers and practitioners alike, from all areas of psychology to contribute to ECP 2027. Held in September 2027 in Belgrade, Serbia, and guided by the theme Psychology: Responding to the challenges of technology and humanity, we hope the Congress will serve as a meaningful forum for professional exchange and dialogue.

See you in Belgrade.