Workshop Director Guidelines

1. Acceptance

• By submitting a workshop proposal, prospective directors accept the contents of this entire document.
• Please note that some rules have changed from the previous editions of the Gulf Research Meeting (GRM), so if an applicant has already acted as a director in previous years, (s)he is kindly asked to go carefully through these guidelines again.

2. Scope

• This document describes the application and selection process and the role of the workshop directors from the moment their workshop proposal has been accepted until the publication of all the papers of their workshop (jointly in edited volumes or special issues of academic journals or individually in academic journals or as working papers).

1. GRM objectives

While preparing a workshop proposal, it is essential to take the objectives of GRM into account:

• Advance knowledge and understanding of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) and their adjacent neighbors (Iran, Iraq, and Yemen) constituting the wider Gulf region.
• Focus on Gulf societies and culture, economies, politics, international relations, defense and security, energy, sustainable development, and environment.
• Inform policymakers by suggesting possible policy options and making recommendations for addressing national, regional, and global challenges.
• Encourage the participation of scholars, especially from the Gulf, whether male, female, junior, or senior, to present their research and benefit from the experience of other scholars in their field.
• Connect scholars and experts, favoring cooperation, developing joint projects, and expanding and reinforcing networks.
• Publish high-quality academic research papers that contribute to the field of Gulf studies jointly in edited volumes or special issues of academic journals or individually in academic journals or as working papers.

2. GRM structure

GRM has a different structure from most academic meetings:

• GRM is an annual meeting of between 10 and 14 workshops which take place in parallel.
• Workshops meet for two full days and participants are requested to actively participate in all sessions.
• Workshop topics are selected on a competitive basis through a Call for Workshops.
• GRC may include workshops emanating from its programs.
• Workshops generally have approximately 16 participants who are selected on a competitive basis through a Call for Papers. All participants are requested to submit an original paper written for a particular workshop.
• Papers should follow precise guidelines and be submitted by the indicated deadline. Failing to follow the guidelines and/or meet the deadline may result in the withdrawal of the invitation to participate.
• Papers will be distributed among workshop participants in advance of the meeting and presented and discussed during the workshop.
• Authors will be requested to submit revised versions of their papers approximately 2 months after the meeting.
• Workshop directors are required to plan with book publishers or journal editors to publish all or a selection of the papers of their workshop and they are required to review the papers at various stages and ultimately submit them to the journal or the publisher.
• Publishable papers that cannot be included in the edited volume or the special issue of a journal, are expected to be published individually in academic journals or as working papers.
• GRM welcomes scholars from all nationalities on the condition that they respect the opinions of all participants.

3. Eligibility and preferences

Eligibility

• Number of directors per workshop: exactly 2 (no exceptions will be made - those who would have acted as additional directors can be accommodated among the workshop participants).
• Workshop directors should have demonstrable expertise on the workshop topic (as evidenced by their CV and publications).
• Workshop directors should complement each other in terms of expertise.
• Workshop directors should be affiliated with different institutions.
• Workshop directors should be affiliated with institutions in different countries.
• Workshop directors of all levels of seniority are eligible. Junior applicants should be complemented by a more senior scholar.

Preferences

• Workshop proposals should preferably include at least one female director.
• One workshop director should preferably be employed by a Gulf institution (i.e., based in the Gulf).
• One workshop director should preferably be a Gulf national.
• Workshop directors should preferably not have directed a workshop at the 15th GRM of 2025.

4. GRC staff and workshop directors

1. GRC sets the terms of participation and the deadlines and ultimately reserves the unappealable right to withdraw the invitation to direct a workshop or present a paper to make sure that all conditions for participation are equal to all directors and participants.
2. GRC staff assists workshop directors and participants throughout the process from application to the workshop through to the publication of the papers.
3. GRC staff monitors whether deadlines are observed and whether papers meet the formal GRM requirements in terms of size and format.
4. Workshop directors propose the selection of participants on their quality and relevance for their workshop.
5. Workshop directors are expected to establish and maintain communication with their selected participants during the period leading up to the meeting and afterward leading up to the paper publication.
6. Workshop directors review the papers submitted by the participants and provide them with feedback.
7. Workshop directors advise which papers are not academically strong enough to be included in the workshop.
8. Workshop directors seek agreements for joint publications with publishers or editors but must keep GRC informed of all developments. In the case of an edited volume, GRC needs to be part of the agreement.

1. Timetable 16th GRM

• 6 August 2025 – Call for Workshop published.
• 29 September 2025 – Deadline for workshop proposal submission (late applications are accepted).
• 3 November 2025 – Applicants informed (accepted, rejected).
• 10 November 2025 – Call for Papers published.
• 5 January 2026 – Deadline for paper proposal submission (late applications are accepted).
• 19 January 2026 – Selection made by workshop directors.
• 26 January 2026 – Applicants informed (selected, alternate, rejected).
• 5 February 2026 – Deadline for confirmation of selected participants/alternates.
• 31 May 2026 – Deadline for paper submission.
• 14 June 2026 – Deadline for revised paper submission – participation cut-off date.
• 9 July 2026 – Workshop schedule/agenda published.
• 21-23 July 2026 – 16th GRM.
• 23 July 2026 – Deadline for directors to indicate which papers would be published and where.
• 21 September 2026 – Deadline submission of final versions of papers.
• 30 September 2026 – Submission of materials to publisher/editor.

2. Topics

Proposals with a focus on Gulf societies and culture, economies, politics, international relations, defense and security, energy, sustainable development, and environment are welcomed.

For GRM 2026, GRC welcomes in particular proposals on the following topics:

GCC Foreign Policy and International Relations

• EU-GCC Partnership
• GCC and Asia: Is the GCC turning East?
• GCC-Sub-Saharan Africa relations
• GCC and the wider Middle East
• Multilateralism and GCC Foreign Policy
• The role of Gulf states in mediating conflict and crisis

GCC Security

• National defense industrialization and military doctrine in the GCC states
• Nuclear energy and non-proliferation
• Evolving threat perceptions and strategic doctrines in the Gulf

GCC Environment

• Advancing environmental sustainability in the Gulf: Strategies and Innovations
• Gulf Climate Diplomacy

GCC Economics

• The Gulf States' economic development and competition
• The Future of gas in the Gulf: Opportunities and challenges
• The logistics sector in the Gulf
• Agriculture and food security in the Gulf

GCC Societies

• The changing role of women in Gulf societies, economies, and politics
• GCC youth: Developing the workforce

The Gulf Labour Market, Migration, and Population (GLMM) program organizes a workshop entitled "The Future of GCC Migration: Perspectives of Origin and Destination countries". Those who plan to submit a proposal on a similar topic are advised to submit an abstract before developing a full application.

1. Proposal submission

Workshop proposals should:

• Be submitted by the deadline: 29 September 2025 (late applications may be accepted at the discretion of GRC).
• Be submitted using the online Workshop Application Form.

2. Clarifications and inquiries

• Prospective applicants should first consult the FAQs for any questions they may have.
• If questions remain, they can contact GRC at grm@grc.net or a member of the GRM organizing team.

3. Proposal review

• Proposals are checked as soon as they are received.
• Applicants may be asked to provide additional information if needed.
• Incomplete application forms may be rejected at the discretion of GRC.
• Reviews will be conducted by GRC senior research staff and external reviewers.

4. Workshop selection criteria

There are three sets of selection criteria:

a. The proposal

• Overall quality of the proposal.
• Fit with the topics suggested by the GRC.
• No (close) overlap with any GRC-sponsored workshop.
• Relevance for understanding the contemporary Gulf region.
• Contribution it makes to the field of Gulf-related studies.
• Topics that are comparative in nature (i.e., focusing on more than one Gulf state).
• Clarity of the solicited papers.
• Publication plan for all papers (jointly/individually) and its feasibility.
• Potential to attract at least 30 applicants and select 20 strong ones and a few alternates.
• Potential for institutional cooperation and/or external funding.

b. The directors

• Expertise on the proposed topic.
• Complementarity of directors in terms of expertise.
• Inclusion of Gulf-based academic/expert applicants.
• Inclusion of a Gulf national.
• Inclusion of a female scholar.
• New directors (as opposed to returning directors).
• Track record of producing joint publications.

c. The overall program

• Having shortlisted the workshop proposals on the above-mentioned selection criteria, GRC will seek to define a program with a differentiated set of workshops.
• GRC will have to avoid selecting workshops that are too similar, thus risking competition in their search for participants and maximizing the diversity of topics.

1. Call for papers

• The Call for Papers will be published by 10 November 2025 with a deadline of 5 January 2026.
• The contents of the Call for Papers will be extracted from the workshop proposal as approved by GRC.
• Paper applicants are asked to provide their CV along with an abstract of 500 to 750 words on their proposed paper which should fit closely with the workshop objectives, as written by the directors.

2. Getting applicants

• GRC publicizes the Call for Papers for all GRM 2026 workshops as widely as possible.
• Workshop directors are required to also publicize the Call for Papers through their networks.
• The workshops receiving the highest number of quality applications are those in which the workshop directors participate actively in soliciting submissions through their networks and directly invite people whom they know will make strong deliveries (these persons should still formally apply). Directors should not entirely reproduce their existing networks in the workshop but also bring in scholars they do not know who apply through the call for papers.
• Generally, workshops should receive at least 30 applications, and possibly more, as there will inevitably be weak proposals; proposals that do not fit in the workshop; and proposals on (almost) identical topics from which directors will choose one. Ultimately, directors need all slots of their joint publication covered while having to reject some applicants.
• Directors will be asked to select exactly 20 strong participants whose proposed paper fits well in the workshop and are likely to submit their proposed paper by 31 May 2026 and meet the GRM paper requirements.
• Directors are also asked to select one or more alternates who could replace selected participants who withdraw. Alternates should be as strong as the selected participants and, irrespective of the date on which they are asked to replace participants, will also have to submit their paper by the 31 May 2026 deadline and meet the GRM paper requirements.
• In GRC's experience approximately 10% of the selected participants will not manage to submit by the 31 May 2026 deadline or will submit a paper that cannot be accepted.
• In addition, in GRC's experience, between early June and mid-July another 10% of the participants will withdraw because they are unable to obtain a visa or because of other personal reasons.
• Hence, the initial number of selected participants of 20 is likely to drop to approx. 16.
• Workshops for which fewer than 20 paper proposals are received by the 5 January 2026 deadline or are unable to select 20 strong participants by 18 January 2026, may be cancelled by GRC.
• Workshop directors will be able to monitor the applications received in real-time, for their workshops through the GRM online system.

3. Paper proposal selection and preparation

• Directors are urged to review the paper proposals as soon as they are received.
• By 19 January 2026, directors should communicate their selection of exactly 20 applicants to GRC and as many suitable alternates as possible who meet the selection criteria.
• Those selected as participants will be informed by GRC not later than 26 January 2026 and will be asked to confirm their participation no later than 5 February 2026.
• Those selected as alternates will also be informed by GRC not later than 23 January 2026, asking whether they are willing to stand by.
• Starting 6 February 2026, after consultation with the directors, GRC will invite alternates for selected participants who did not confirm by 5 February 2026. Alternates will be given 10 days to confirm. If necessary to reach the threshold of 20 participants, additional alternates will be invited on the condition that they commit to submitting their paper by the 31 May 2026 deadline.
• All participants (including alternates) will have to submit a paper that matches the requirements by 31 May 2026.
• Throughout the paper writing process, directors are asked to maintain regular contact with the selected paper presenters and guide them through the writing of their paper, enhancing the chances that the paper submitted by the 31 May 2026 deadline meets the paper guideline requirements.
• Participants who do not submit a paper by the 31 May 2026 deadline or whose submitted paper does not meet the requirements may be disinvited from GRM 2026.

4. Paper requirements