2026 Washington, D.C. Conference

"Industry, Innovation, & Policy in Uncertain Times"

 ISA 2026 Annual Conference

June 3-5, 2026 | Washington, D.C.

Join us at the Industry Studies Association (ISA) Annual Conference, to be held at George Washington University this year.

ISA’s annual conference provides a premier forum for sharing industry studies research with fellow scholars, industry leaders, and policy makers; stimulating dialogue on emerging industry challenges and opportunities; and fostering new collaborations. We welcome research from all disciplines that incorporate an industry focus, and we view the conference’s multidisciplinary character as one of its greatest strengths.

ISA is particularly interested in submissions that offer deep observation and insight into a specific industry, compare dynamics across multiple industries, or demonstrate how knowledge gained from one industry can illuminate patterns or practices in others. We welcome field-based, qualitative, quantitative, model-based, and mixed-methods research.

Conference Location

The 2026 conference will take place at George Washington University, located at the heart of the United States’ decision-making apparatus—steps from the White House, Congress, federal agencies, and many policy institutions shaping national and global affairs.

GW is also embedded in the broader Washington, D.C. innovation ecosystem, home to rapidly expanding clusters in cybersecurity, defense and aerospace innovation, data and AI ventures, global development, and healthcare policy. This unique confluence of policy, industry, and innovation provides an exceptional environment for industry-focused scholarship.

2026 Conference Theme

Industry, Innovation, and Policy in Uncertain Times
The theme Industry, Innovation, and Policy in Uncertain Times reflects the profound transformation reshaping industries across the globe. Firms today operate in an environment defined by technological disruption, geopolitical realignment, supply chain fragility, climate imperatives, and accelerating shifts in labor markets and organizational forms. Innovation remains essential, but it increasingly unfolds within a policy landscape that is more active, contested, and consequential than at any point in recent decades.

For scholars in industry studies, these uncertainties are not simply challenges—they represent fertile ground for new theorizing, new empirical insights, and new collaborations. The 2026 conference theme highlights the importance of understanding how industry dynamics evolve under uncertainty and how innovation and policy interact to shape competitive outcomes, social welfare, and long-term industrial resilience.