Are you a researcher, academic expert, advocate, or practitioner working on beneficial ownership transparency (BOT)? Submit your work for the Research symposium: Evidence and impact of beneficial ownership transparency.
Hosted by Open Ownership, the World Bank Group’s Beneficial Ownership Transparency Thematic Working Group (BOT TWG), and the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex, this symposium aims to support evidence-based policymaking and advocacy of BOT.
The Goal: The symposium seeks to share and promote novel empirical research related to the policy design, effective implementation, use, and impact measurement of BOT for legal vehicles and assets, helping to deepen our collective understanding of the field.
Key Details
– Date: 26 to 27 February 2026.
– Location: Hybrid – in person at the University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom, or remotely.
– Deadline for Submissions: 23:59 GMT, 16 November 2025.
Themes of Interest
Submissions focusing on published research, works in progress, and planned research across the following three main themes are welcome:
1. Policy design and implementation: Exploring how policy drivers make BOT reforms for legal vehicles effective in practice, and the roles of stakeholders like governments, civil society, and the private sector.
2. Impact measurement and data use: Addressing how BOT information is used inside and outside of government, and measuring impacts in areas such as public procurement, taxation, anti-corruption, and illicit financial flows.
3. Beneficial ownership transparency of assets and horizon issues: Investigating legal and technical mechanisms for increased BOT of assets and exploring challenges for tracking ownership across borders.
Submission Guidelines & Funding
Submissions should include the title and an abstract (max. 300 words), author details, institutional affiliations, and an indication of whether the authors plan to attend in person (preferable) or remotely.
Selected submissions will help shape the agenda and be featured in a published summary report.
Funding: A small number of bursaries are available to support travel and accommodation costs for selected presenters, particularly early career researchers (e.g., PhD students or post-docs), and those from historically underrepresented groups.
How to Apply: Please submit your application by the deadline to research@openownership.org with the subject line “”Research Symposium Submission””.
Join us in advancing the boundaries of the current BOT paradigm!
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