We are delighted to announce that the Royal University of Bhutan in partnership with the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in Canberra and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will organize the third edition of the Australia - Bhutan Research Conference (ABRC) on the theme “Bridging Knowledge, Innovation and Policy: Harnessing the Power of Research”, scheduled from 3 to 5 December 2025 in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Building on the momentum of the first Conference held at the University of Sydney in 2023 and the second at Edith Cowan University in Perth in 2024, the ABRC is evolving into a meaningful platform for recognizing the growing body of research by Bhutanese scholars in Australia and beyond, while deepening academic and cultural linkages between Bhutan and Australia.

The Conference will aim to bring together Bhutanese Higher Degree Research (HDR) students and academics in Australia and abroad with scholars, policymakers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and institutions from Bhutan, Australia and around the world. It will invite them to explore pressing national and global issues through the Conference’s thematic areas ranging from innovation in higher education and digital mindfulness to ecology, GNH-driven economic futures and STEM for societal impact.

This year’s Conference in Bhutan will be especially meaningful as it will also commemorate the 70th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck, whose visionary leadership continues to inspire Bhutan’s unique development path of Gross National Happiness.

We, once again, encourage all interested scholars to register and participate in the Conference, and contribute to building a dynamic and transnational research community committed to mutual learning, global engagement and finding solutions to common challenges.