Call for Papers – Bridging Translational Gaps for Enhancing Human Well-Becoming – AHFE HSSE, Istanbul July 2026

Why does it take so long for research results to impact service practice?

Excited to announce the 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧 for our session “𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙂𝙖𝙥𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜“ at the 17th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) 2026, held in Istanbul and online, July 20-24!

Translational gaps between scientific discoveries and applied service innovations pose significant social and economic challenges. This session, part of the 13th Conference Track on The Human Side of Service Engineering, invites contributions exploring how the 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 (𝙏𝙎𝙍𝘿𝙈) can systematically accelerate progress from scientific discovery to impactful service innovation.

Key topics include bridging translational gaps, like “innovation-to-implementation gaps“ between advanced technologies, e.g. AI and organizational practices; “socioeconomic and skill gaps“; gaps between knowledge and action as obstacles in aligning research, design and engineering; modeling technology adoption and service ecosystems, and harnessing technology for public good in line with the UN SDGs.

Key deadlines:
◦             Abstracts (500 words): December 5, 2025
◦             Full papers: February 1, 2026

Accepted papers will be published in open access AHFE 2026 proceedings. Flexible hybrid participation: in-person or remote.

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙎𝙍𝘿𝙈 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝘾𝙛𝙋 and the link in the comments. Full AHFE HSSE submission details and session guidelines.  Please circulate to colleagues interested in advancing research and practice in service design!

For questions, reach out to session co-chairs Dr. Christine Leitner (CEPA, London) or Prof. Dr. Markus Warg (Institut für Service Design, Hamburg). Looking forward to your submissions and an inspiring exchange on bridging translational gaps!

Session Co-Chairs:
Dr. Leitner: christine.leitner@cepanet.eu
Prof. Dr. Warg: markus.warg@ifsd.hamburg

Acknowledgements to other session planning committee participants: Jim Spohrer, Tilo Böhmann, Christine Leitner, Luca Carrubbo, Volker Gruhn, Peter Weiß, Dr. Jens Neuhüttler, Marc-Alexander Burmeister, Dr., Institut für Service Design – IfSD.Hamburg, and International Society of Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP).

Learn more about the TSRDM Initiative here.

Read Markus Warg post on LinkedIn to like and share.