Dear Doctoral Candidates,

It is an honor to welcome you to the 8th International Doctoral Conference, which will take place from November 18 to 20, 2026, at the San Francisco Cultural Complex in Cáceres. This conference is held within the framework of the 30th International Nursing Research Conference, organized by the Nursing and Healthcare Services Research Unit (Investén-isciii) of the Carlos III Health Institute, with the valuable collaboration of the Health and Social Services Department of the Government of Extremadura and the Extremadura Health Service.

This edition is particularly significant as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Research Unit for Nursing Care and Health Services (Investén-isciii), whose trajectory has been decisive in strengthening the research culture, promoting methodological excellence, and fostering the transfer of knowledge into clinical practice and health policies. This meeting is much more than an academic event: it is a space where generations of researchers who share a commitment to advancing knowledge in healthcare come together.

The city of Cáceres, which hosts this meeting, is celebrating this year the 40th anniversary of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage City. Within this context, the San Francisco Cultural Complex, a historic monumental site, represents the symbolic and historical value of traditional forms of community care and support for the most vulnerable, provides a particularly fitting setting.

The program for this conference has been carefully designed to offer a stimulating and collaborative environment where doctoral research projects can be presented, debated, and enriched by the critical and constructive perspectives of experts in the field, as well as by fellow doctoral candidates. The goal is not only to showcase progress but also to share challenges, innovative methodologies, and transformative perspectives that nurture a science of care with a humanistic, inclusive, and socially committed purpose.

We invite you to make the most of every moment of this experience—not just in the academic sessions but also in the informal spaces where bold ideas, unexpected collaborations, and friendships that last a lifetime can emerge.

Thank you for your presence and for contributing, with your work, enthusiasm, and critical thinking, to strengthening a diverse, interdisciplinary, and committed research community dedicated to collective well-being.

Welcome to the 8th International Doctoral Students’ Workshop.

May this meeting be a significant milestone in your academic journeys!

Francisco Javier Iruzubieta Barragán.
President of the Scientific Committee of the 8th International Doctoral Students’ Workshop.