Transport professionals, researchers and academics are invited to submit abstracts for the Scottish Transport Applications and Research (STAR) Conference 2027, which will return next year under the theme Navigating Change: People, Technology and the Future of Transport.

CIHT are supporting the conference, which is returning for the first time since 2022 and will take place at Glasgow Caledonian University on Wednesday 12 May 2027.

The call is open to anyone with knowledge, research, practical experience or new thinking that can contribute to the future of transport in Scotland. Submissions are welcomed from across the profession, with early career professionals particularly encouraged to take part.

Abstracts can cover any aspect of transport innovation or research. Areas of particular interest include but this list is not exhaustive:

Creating Better Transport for People and Places

• Transport poverty and inclusion
• Healthy streets and place-making
• Public transport
• Integrated and seamless journeys

Influencing Travel Choices and Social Outcomes

• Behaviour change
• Managing social change
• Transport decarbonisation

Governance, Technology and Decision-Making

• Transport governance
• Artificial intelligence, human judgement and accountability

Planning for Scotland's Future

• Resilient planning for an uncertain future
• Resilience and climate change
• Lessons from changes in Scotland's transport sector

The Programme Committee also welcomes thought pieces, emerging research and case studies, including work that draws connections between transport and related fields.

Share your ideas with the profession

STAR provides a multidisciplinary forum for critical thinking, debate and the exchange of evidence and ideas. It brings together professionals from local and central government, the private sector and academia to explore how transport policy and practice should evolve.

Selected contributors will be invited to develop and present their papers at the conference in May 2027.

Abstracts must be no more than 300 words and should explain:

• the proposed content of the paper
• the project, research or experience on which it is based
• the stage the work has reached
• the outcomes, results or lessons that will be available when the paper is presented.

Submissions will be assessed on their originality and innovation, relevance to Scotland’s transport agenda, the strength of their outcomes and lessons, and the robustness of the supporting analysis, research or project delivery. 

Submit an abstract

To request more information including how to submit an extract, please contact e: communications@ciht.org.uk

The deadline for submissions is Monday 30 November 2026.

More information about the STAR Conference 2027 will be available shortly on the CIHT website.