International Association for Coptic Studies (IACS)
13th International Congress of Coptic Studies
Göttingen, 27 July – 1 Aug 2026
(Third Circular, February 10, 2026)
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NEWS AND ANNOUCEMENTS • 15 travel grants for residents of Egypt (s. below # 3) |
The Organising Committee is pleased to welcome you to the 13th International Congress of Coptic Studies in Göttingen. The congress is organised jointly by the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony (Digital Edition of the Coptic Old Testament) and the University of Göttingen (Institute for Egyptology and Coptic Studies), under the patronage and in close cooperation with the International Association of Coptic Studies.
The congress will take place from Monday, July 27 to Saturday, August 1, 2026 at the main campus site of the University of Göttingen. All information about the congress will be available on the following website: https://iccs13.com. All questions or requests concerning the congress etc. should be directed to the following email address: coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de.
1. Venues
The inaugural morning session of the congress, on Monday, July 27, will take place in the 19th century Aula (festal hall) of the University in the city centre.
The plenary sessions, the panels, and the individual papers will all be presented in the Central Lecture Building (Zentrales Hörsaalgebäude, ZHG) on the main Campus of the University. The Campus area is in walkable distance from all locations in the city centre of Göttingen.[1] In the ZHG, two large lecture theatres and four lecture halls will host all sessions of the congress. The plenary sessions will be held in the lecture theatres, and the parallel sessions of the panels etc. will be allocated to any of the available spaces.
2. Registration
Registration for the conference is still open, please visit the Congress website through this link. During the registration process participants will be informed about the payment procedure for the applicable fees. We apologise that it is current University policy to allow bank transfers as the only possible payment option.
| We were able to obtain an exemption only for residents of Egypt, who will be able to pay their fees in cash upon arrival in Göttingen. |
A higher fee will apply to participants registering later than March 31, 2026. We are grateful for your timely registration to facilitate the organisation of the programme and the social events. In particular, we kindly request that participants not residing in Egypt pay their registration fee promptly after registering, because our administration is unable to complete the registration process without receipt of payment.
The registration fees are as follows:[2]
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Congress Registration |
Late Registration |
Congress Dinner |
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IACS Members |
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Regular |
€ 175 |
€ 225 |
€ 50 |
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Reduced[3] |
€ 100 |
€ 150 |
€ 50 |
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Non–IACS Members |
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Regular |
€ 225 |
€ 275 |
€ 50 |
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Reduced |
€ 125 |
€ 175 |
€ 50 |
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Residents of Egypt |
€ 75 |
€ 125 |
€ 50 |
Congress registration fees are set as low as possible to allow for a separate booking of the congress dinner. For sustainability reasons, the dinner will be optional. The cost will be the same for all categories and is not included in the registration fee.
| We remind residents of non-EU countries, especially if needing a visa to travel to Germany, to register as soon as possible as there may be delays and obstacles in the visa application process due to ongoing political instability. Contributors will receive a letter of acceptance for their papers and posters by the end of February. Do let us know if there is anything else the Congress Committee or the IACS Board can do to support your visa application. |
3. Travel Grants (NEW)
We are very pleased to announce that we will be able to offer 15 travel grants of 750 Euros each to scholars and students residing in Egypt. They are entitled to apply for such a grant, if their contribution to the congress has been accepted by the Congress Committee. The process to send out acceptance letters will be completed by the end of February. The Board of the IACS will review the applications and decide upon the awarding of the grants. The organisers are very grateful to the following donors:
- The members of the St Shenouda the Archimandrite Coptic Society for offering 3.000 EUR.
- The Brigitte und Martin Krause Stiftung (Münster) for offering 7.500 EUR.
- A private donor for offering 750 EUR dedicated to the memory of Professor Martin Tamcke (1955-2024) and his outstanding contribution to the study of Oriental Christianity as well as to ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.
We officially invite scholars and students residing in Egypt to submit their applications for a travel grant to the Congress Committee by March 10, 2026 using the official congress email address: coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de. Each application should be accompanied by the title and an abstract of the paper/contribution if not already submitted, a letter of motivation, and a short CV outlining the applicant’s academic career and affiliation. If participants are unable to travel to the congress the grants will be transferred to another applicant. We advise grant applicants needing to go through the visa process to apply for a visa as soon as possible after their contribution has been accepted and, for all eventualities, to book refundable accommodation and travel.
4. Accommodation – Recommended Hotels
We remind you urgently to book your accommodation as soon as possible, especially if you want to stay in the historic town centre, which has limited hotel capacities. As German students occupy their dormitories year-round, we are unable to offer dormitory accommodation for students or non-students. If you encounter difficulties with booking accommodation directly with the hotel of your choice, you may wish to consult a travel agency or an online portal. Unfortunately, the organisers are unable to individually book accommodation for participants.
Hotels in Göttingen:
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Romantik Hotel Gebhards **** |
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Goethe-Allee 22-23 (0.3 km distance from the station; old town)
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Hotel Stadt Hannover *** |
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Goethe-Allee 21 (0.4 km distance from the station; old town)
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G-Hotel **** |
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Bahnhofsallee 1a (0.4 km distance from the station)
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Hotel Freigeist „Innenstadt“ **** |
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Berliner Straße 30 (0.4 km distance from the station)
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Box-Hotel |
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Weender Landstraße 3-5 (0.6 km distance from the station)
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B&B Hotel *** |
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Maschmühlenweg 19-21 (0.7 km distance from the station)
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Holiday Inn Express *** |
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Carl-Zeiss-Straße 1 (0.7 km distance from the station) https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/de/de/gottingen/zeugt/hoteldetail
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Leine-Hotel *** |
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Groner Landstraße 55 (0.9 km distance from the station)
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Hotel Central *** |
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Jüdenstraße 12 (1.0 km distance from the station; old town)
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Hotel Freigeist „Nordstadt“ **** |
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Weender Landstraße 100 (1.6 km distance from the station)
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Eden Hotel **** |
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Reinhäuser Landstraße 22a (1.9 km distance from the station)
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Hotel Novostar *** |
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Kasseler Landstraße 25d (2.0 km distance from the station) |
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Park Inn by Radisson **** |
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Kasseler Landstraße 25c (2.1 km distance from the station)
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Parkhotel Ropeter **** |
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Kasseler Landstraße 45 (2.3 km distance from the station)
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Jugendherberge Göttingen |
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(Please note: Youth Hostel Association membership required) |
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Hotel Astoria *** |
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Hannoversche Straße 51/53 (2.4 km distance from the station)
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Best Western Hotel **** |
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Hermann-Rein-Straße 2 (2.5 km distance from the station) https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotels-in-goettingen/best-western-hotel-am-papenberg/propertyCode.95275.html
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Adesso Hotel *** |
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Kasseler Landstraße 118-120 (2.7 km distance from the station) |
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Hotel Rennschuh *** |
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Kasseler Landstraße 93 (2.8 km distance from the station) |
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The following hotels have reserved a special room allocation under the keyword “Coptic Congress 2026”: Hotel Astoria, B&B Hotel, Hotel Stadt Hannover, Leine Hotel, and Hotel Rennschuh. Participants wishing to avail themselves of this offer should use the following link: https://s.gwdg.de/UawlWI. Please note that the preset dates (26.7.-1.8.26) can be changed, and arrival and departure dates as well as occupancy (e.g. single or double) can be adjusted individually. |
5. Provisional Programme
The Congress will be officially inaugurated on Monday, July 27, with the morning session in the Aula building.
5.1 On-Site Registration
On-site registration for the participants will be available both on Sunday, July, 26 and on Monday, July 27.
On Sunday, July 26, early registration will be available from 2 pm to 8 pm in the building of the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Geiststrasse 10, very close to the train station.
On Monday, July 27, registration will be open from 7:30 am to 12 noon in the Emmy-Noether-Saal of the University, Wilhelmsplatz 4, just across the square of the Aula building.
From 12 noon onwards, registration will be available in the ZHG near the lecture theatres.
5.2 Plenary Sessions
The 13 plenary papers will be given from Tuesday to Friday in the morning sessions of each day (9:00–10:30 or 11:00) in one of the large lecture theatres. The following plenary papers have been confirmed:
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Archaeology in Christian Egypt (2022–2026) |
Ina Eichner |
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Coptic Bible (2016–2026) |
Frank Feder |
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Coptic History and Historiography (2016–2026) |
Mary Farag |
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Gnosticism and Manichaeism in Egypt (2016–2026) |
Eric Crégheur |
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Coptic Linguistics (2022-2026) |
Ivan Miroshnikov |
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Christian Art in Egypt and Museology (2022–2026) |
Dobrochna Zielińska |
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Coptic Literature (2022–2026) |
Hugo Lundhaug |
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Copto-Arabic Studies (2022–2026) |
Perrine Pilette |
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Monasticism in Egypt (2022–2026) |
Paul Dilley |
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Coptic Papyrology (2022–2026) |
Esther Garel |
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Copts in Modern Egyptian History (2022–2026) |
Nelly van Doorn-Harder |
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Ethiopic Literary Production Related to Christian Egyptian Culture (2012–2026) |
Martina Ambu |
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Coptology and Digital Humanities |
Caroline T. Schroeder |
5.3 Panels, Papers, and Posters
For organisational reasons, the deadline for the submission of proposals for papers and posters has been extended until March 31, 2026. Both the individual papers and the panels will be divided into 6 parallel sessions, typically running from mid-morning (11:00 am) until the evening.
Exceptions are:
- Monday: sessions start after the lunch break (14:00).
- Wednesday: sessions will only take place before lunch (until 13:00), with the afternoon reserved for cultural activities (exhibition visits and guided tours through Göttingen)
Each paper is allotted a time slot of no more than 20 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for discussion and questions. The panel conveners are responsible for the quality and the content of the individual contributions to be presented in their panel. The organising committee will review the proposals for individual papers outside the panels. The organising committee will send out letters of acceptance to every individual paper accepted and to panel participants. Panel participants should have already received a confirmation from their respective panel conveners regarding the actual status of their submissions. The organising committee reserves the right to decline any paper.
Posters (A0 format) are recommended for the presentation of work in progress, research tools, and similar topics. A dedicated space will be available near the main lecture theatres. Participants who for unforeseen reasons find themselves unable to bring their posters to the congress should email coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de by June 30, 2026 at the latest. The organisers can in exceptional cases provide assistance with the printing, however, participants will incur printing costs.
Short abstracts (ca. 200 words) for panel contributions, individual short papers, and posters need to be sent to: coptic-congress-2026@uni-goettingen.de before December 31, 2025. Participants who wish to give a short paper, or to present a poster will be able to indicate this during the online registration process in the menu Contribution Type. Papers can be presented in English, German, or French. The congress committee reserves the right to decline any paper or poster proposal in light of time and capacity constraints.
6. Sustainability Policy
The aim of the conference is to be as sustainable as possible. Various measures are planned to avoid general and food waste as much as possible, including:
the use of reusable cups, plates and cutlery
- the provision of tap water (which in Göttingen comes from the Harz mountains and is of excellent quality)
- a separate registration for the congress dinner for better advance planning of the catering
6. Social and Cultural Events
All participants are invited to a reception on Tuesday, July 28 (at the historic city hall of Göttingen) and a conference dinner on Thursday, July 30 (individual registration and separate payment are required) as well as to conference related exhibitions and a guided city tour.
In the afternoon of Wednesday, July 29, several activities are offered.
The State and University Library will provide the opportunity to visit a showcase of Coptic and Coptic-Arabic manuscripts (in particular the ones bought in Egypt by Heinrich Brugsch in 1878). Pre-registration on the congress website is required, in order to provide enough timeslots for the visits. Participants wishing to study individual manuscripts throughout the congress should make an appointment with the library staff by writing to: hsd@sub.uni-goettingen.de.
- Students from the Institute of Egyptology and Coptic Studies will curate an exhibition on the history of scholarship in Göttingen, which can be visited in the Kulturwissenschaftliches Zentrum (KWZ) near the congress venue (no registration required)
- Students will also offer guided tours through the historical centre of Göttingen, showing, among other landmarks, the houses of the late 18th/early 19th cent. scholars working on the decipherment of the hieroglyphs (registration during the congress)
After the congress, participants may wish to visit the Egyptian and Coptic collections of nearby German museums. The closest museums with extensive collections of Egyptian and Coptic artefacts are in Hannover and Hildesheim (25-35 mins on the high-speed train, 75 mins on the local train). The museums of Berlin are a train ride of about 2:20 hrs away. Public transport is best organised through the Deutsche Bahn website or app. Participants may also wish to visit the Coptic Monastery nearest to Göttingen, residence of H.E. Metropolitan Damian. The congress organisers will offer assistance with the logistics of these visits.
8. Timeline
| First circular | January 30, 2025 |
| Second circular, registration opening and call for papers | June 25, 2025 |
| Deadline for panel submission | March 31, 2026 (Extended) |
| Deadline for abstract/poster submission | March 31, 2026 (Extended) |
| Third circular | February 10, 2026 |
| Regular registration closure | March 31, 2026 |
| Fourth circular and congress programme | April 2026 |
| Fifth and last circular | Early July 2026 |
| IACS Congress | July 27 – August 1, 2026 |
Organising Committee
Heike Behlmer, Carolina Kolze, and Orell Witthuhn
(Georg–August–Universität Göttingen)
Frank Feder (Congress Secretary), Leila Hyde, Theresa Kohl, Malte Rosenau, and Ernst Völker (Niedersächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen)
| We are greatly saddened to announce that our much-loved colleague and friend Andreas Effland unexpectedly passed away on January 26, 2026. On the organisation of this congress, as on all of his other projects, Andreas worked with professionalism, dedication, and creativity. He set an example to all of us – calm in challenge, generous in spirit, and endlessly supportive. Andreas will be terribly missed, and our hearts go out to his family. |
[1] For orientation this interactive map can be used: https://lageplan.uni-goettingen.de
[2] Registration fees can also be found in the menu “Fees” in the online registration form.
[3] Reduced fees apply to students and accompanying persons.
