Innovation Festival 2025

CIfA is delighted to confirm that our sixth festival celebrating innovation, research and development in archaeology will be held online from 6 - 10 October 2025!

Early bird discounts are available through 14 September 2025. Delegates who book early get a 20% discount (automatically applied).

Register now so you don't miss out, a single registration gets access to the full week's sessions including any recordings to view after the event has finished.

Our programme is not yet ready for publication, but this year's festival will include:

• AI and its use in practice (with Information Management Group)
• student paper session (with Early Careers Group)
• post-excavation storytelling
• climate change
• sampling strategies
• science-based archaeology
• drone work
• hybrid working

CIfA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will also be held during the festival, but requires separate registration. Please click here to register.

The historic environment is rich and diverse benefiting from a wide variety of specialisms. Collaborations spanning academic, community-led and developer-funded archaeological research provide fascinating insights to our collective past often with the help of new/adapted ‘innovative’ approaches.

The Innovation Festival will provide the opportunity to showcase and celebrate the research, development, and innovation in practice being undertaken across the historic environment sector, whilst tabling for wider discussion some of the identified barriers and challenges to implementing innovation in archaeological research. This week-long virtual festival will comprise a mix of short sessions each day including presentations, workshops, opportunities for open discussion, CPD and knowledge transfer.

One day bookings

This year for this first time we will offer attendees the option to register for only one day's sessions during the festival. This will be based on a single day of the week, not two half-day sessions.

Student member rate

Registered CIfA student members will have an automatic 50% discount applied to their registration. If this discount is not showing, ensure you have logged into your student account.

Group booking

We have a discount available for group bookings, book 3 places, get 1 free. Email conference (at) archaeologists.net to access this offer.

Bursaries

There are bursaries available for individuals when the cost of registering to attend would otherwise be prohibitive. Please email conference (at) archaeologists.net for further information.