6th Biannual Conference of the Western Balkans Evaluation Network organized by Evaluation Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
“Strengthening Evaluation Frameworks: Development, Policy, and Practice”
Thursday 16 – Saturday 18 October 2025
School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo; Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Western Balkan Evaluation Network (WBEN) and the Evaluation Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHEVAL), invites paper submissions. Over the years, the conference has proven to be a key event for connecting evaluators, clients and users of evaluation results in the Balkans and beyond!
Conference Goal
The Conference aims to serve as a pivotal platform for fostering connections among evaluators, clients, and users of evaluation results. It seeks to bring together evaluation practitioners, policymakers, donors, and academic institutions from the Balkans, Europe and beyond to:
- Share knowledge and best practices in evaluation.
- Discuss emerging trends and challenges in the field.
- Build and strengthen networks for future collaboration.
- Foster international cooperation in evaluation.
Furthermore, the Conference aspires to advance the field of monitoring and evaluation by addressing regional challenges, promoting professionalization, and encouraging collaboration among national evaluation societies. It will also explore innovative methodologies, sectoral evaluations, and the future of evaluation practices, ensuring impactful contributions to sustainable development and evidence-based decision-making.
The Conference is expected to receive significant media coverage.
Conference Themes
Submissions should align with one or more of the following themes:
- Evaluation Methodology, the use of technology in evaluation
- Sectoral Evaluations, such as: Evidence-driven decision-making, participatory approaches, education, workforce development, health, social protection, regional, and local development, and sustainable development. Regulatory impact assessments within policy cycle. Ex Ante Evaluation of Development Interventions: infrastructural projects and distributional impacts
- Key issues of the organization and work of evaluation communities in the region, including the professionalization of the evaluation profession. Fostering collaboration among national evaluation networks. Future of Evaluation: Trends, opportunities, and networks
- Monitoring and Evaluation of the SDGs: Regional strategies, achievements, and challenges
- Development of national evaluation capacities in public administration.
Submissions
The conference is open to both practitioners and academics. Therefore, we invite submissions under two distinct tracks: the Practitioners Track and the Academic Track.
We encourage contributors to select the track that best aligns with the nature of their work. Both tracks will feature dedicated sessions and provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Practitioners Track
The Practitioners Track welcomes proposals for presentations and papers that offer practical insights, case studies, and applied solutions based on professional experience. Accepted submissions to the Practitioners Track will be published in the Book of Abstracts.
Academic Track
This track is intended for original research, theoretical frameworks, and empirical studies related to the conference theme. Proposals for papers and full papers upon acceptance of proposals submitted to the Academic Track will undergo a double-blind peer review process and will be published in the Book of Abstracts and Conference Proceedings.
Full papers accepted for the conference are eligible to be considered for publication in the international peer-reviewed academic journals: The South East European Journal of Economics and Business and Croatian and Comparative Public Administration.
Important Dates
| Milestone | Deadline | |
| Call for Papers Open | January 25, 2025 | |
| Abstract Submission Deadline (both tracks) | March 15, 2025 | |
| Notification of Abstract Acceptance (both tracks) | March 30, 2025 | |
| Preliminary Program of the Conference | April 10, 2025 | |
| Paper Submission Deadline (only for Academic Track) | July 15, 2025 | |
| Notification of Paper Acceptance (only for Academic Track) | August 20, 2025 | |
| Full Program of the Conference | August 25, 2025 | |
| Early Registration Deadline | September 1, 2025 | |
| Final Registration Deadline | October 10, 2025 |
Submission Guidelines:
A template for abstract formatting is available in Appendix of this call.
- Please send your abstract (300 to 500 words) three to five keywords in A4 format, MS Word. If you are submitting to the Practitioners Track, please include a web link to the full paper, report, blog, or media release (if available), as well as a link to the author's presentation (e.g., LinkedIn, personal website, etc.).
- All abstracts must be submitted in English and/or one of the languages from the WB region (including key words).
- Abstract should outline the purpose of research, the approach used, major results and relevance to conference themes.
- Please do not include reference citations in the abstract.
- Title font: Gill Sans MT (14 pt), Bold, Capital letters.
- The body of the abstract should be written in Gill Sans MT, font size 11 pt.
The detailed instructions for full paper formatting will be available on our website at https://www.elval.org/en/.
Please make your submission via email to both WBEN at wben@gmail.com and BHEVAL at edit@elval.org.
Conference venue
School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo, Trg oslobođenja – Alija Izetbegović 1, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Organizing committee
Rijad Kovac, PhD, BHEVAL Evaluation Society in B&H
Nijaz Avdukic, MA, BHEVAL Evaluation Society in B&H
Amila Pilav-Velic, PhD, School of Economics and Business, University of Sarajevo Vlatko Danilov, MA, MEN Macedonian Evaluation Network
Program committee
Bojan Radej, MA, Slovenia
Marijana Sumpor, PhD, Croatia
Jasmina Okičić, PhD, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aida Pilav, PhD, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vedran Đulabić, PhD, Croatia
Liljana Alceva, PhD, Macedonia
Mihajlo Djukic, PhD Serbia
Contact
- Organizing committee, BHEVAL info@elval.org
- Program committee, WBEN wben@gmail.com and BHEVAL edit@elval.org with the subject inquiries
Registration Fees
Category
Regular Participant
Early Bird up to 1st Sep 2025
€ 150
Regular
€200
Gratis for WBEN Volunteers, Special Guests, and Invited speakers. The organizer will offer a limited number of complimentary conference passes (gratis) to support participants with limited financial means who can justify their interest, particularly representatives of government and voluntary civil organizations. Send request to info@elval.org by the early bird registration deadline.
- Fees include access to all sessions, conference materials, coffee breaks, social events.
Payment instructions are provided on the web: www.elval.org or additional info on info@elval.org. We look forward to your contributions to this vital discourse on strengthening evaluation frameworks in the Balkans and beyond!
Appendix
First Author1, Second Author2 and Third Author3
- Author’s Department, Institute, Organisation, Country
(E-mail: firstauthor@xxx.xx; ORCID: https://orcid.org/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)
- Author’s Organisation, Department, Institute, Country
(E-mail: secondauthor@xxx.xx; ORCID: https://orcid.org/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)
- Author’s Department, Institute, Organisation, Country
(E-mail: thirdauthor@xxx.xx; ORCID: https://orcid.org/XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)
THE TITLE OF THE PAPER
Abstract
Please send your abstract (300 to 500 words) with maximum three keywords in A4 format, MS Word. If you are submitting to the Practitioners Track, please include a web link to the full paper, report, blog, or media release (if available), as well as a link to the author's presentation (e.g., LinkedIn, personal website, etc.). All abstracts must be submitted in English and/or one of the regional languages (including key words). Abstract should outline the purpose of research, the approach used, major results and relevance to conference themes.
Keywords: keyword 1, keyword 2, keyword 3
____________________________
INSTRUCTION FOR PAYMENT IN BAM CURRENCY
Udruženje evaluatora u Bosni i Hercegovini
Marka Marulica 2C, Sarajevo 71000, Bosna i Hercegivna
info@elval.org
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PDV: 201828650009;
KM BANKOVNI RAČUN
Naziv primaoca: Udruženje evaluatora u BiH
Broj računa: 1413065320032670
INSTRUCTION FOR PAYMENT IN EUR CURRENCY
Evaluation Society in Bosnia & Hercegovina
Address: Marka Marulica 2C, Sarajevo 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovin
info@elval.org
ID: 4201828650009;
VAT: 201828650009;
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