The 10th CIRIEC International Research Conference on Social Economy will take place from 27 to 29 October 2025 in Bordeaux, France, under the theme “SSE’s role in the socio-ecological transition”. Hosted at Sciences Po Bordeaux, this event represents a key platform for academics, researchers, and professionals seeking to explore the impact and contributions of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) to major contemporary challenges.
The registration deadline for the Conference is 26 September, which also marks the closing date for the submission of communications accepted by the organisers.
This 10th edition, whose provisional programme is already available, is a significant milestone as it marks a decade of academic and professional collaboration on the study and promotion of Social Economy, with academic participants from more than 50 countries. CIRIEC scientific conferences have become a global reference point, providing a key space to debate the challenges and opportunities of the sector in highly dynamic and evolving contexts.
Over the years, the CIRIEC-International Conference has helped to consolidate the concept of Social Economy and its recognition as the “third pillar” of the economy, alongside the traditional public sector and the more purely capitalist private sector, with the capacity to meet the needs of millions of people while balancing social, environmental, and economic objectives.
On this occasion, the Bordeaux Conference will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to analyse how the SSE can contribute to the socio-ecological transition—a critical transformation towards a fairer, greener, and more inclusive economy. The Conference will also foster debate on the role of the SSE as a driver of change, aiming at sustainable development that leaves no one behind. The relevance of this approach is amplified in the context of growing climate and social crises, where the SSE is increasingly seen as an essential pillar for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Global Social Economy Forum
Following the Conference, from 29 to 31 October, Bordeaux will also host the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF). This event, under the theme “SSE, a Condition for a Just Transition Towards Resilient Territories and the Well-Being of Citizens”, is expected to gather around 4,000 participants from five continents, including representatives of local and national governments, institutions, networks, federations, and SSE stakeholders.
This major international gathering takes place every two years and will be held in France for the first time, following previous editions in Seoul, Montreal, Bilbao, Mexico City, and Dakar.
The objective of the Forum is to share ideas and practices that could make SSE “the norm shaping the economy of tomorrow, prioritising human factors and collective projects over capital, and defining a proximity-based, long-term economy”.
As in every edition of the GSEF, the Forum will conclude with a final declaration summarising the political commitments made, which will be translated into a roadmap for the next two years.
Both the CIRIEC Scientific Conference and the GSEF Forum are part of a dense and decisive global agenda, just a few days before the Second World Summit on Social Development (Doha, 4–6 November 2025), which will bring together Heads of State and Government to accelerate the implementation of a new global social contract.
