ACONA January Bootcamp 2026 Focuses on Arms Control and Technological Innovation

From January 26 to 30, 2026, PRIF, the Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre and The Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) at the Harvard Belfer Center are hosting the second bootcamp as part of the Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA). Across seven time zones, 16 fellows and renowned experts will discuss their policy analyses on current crises and challenges in international security policy and arms control. Topics include weapons proliferation crises and regional security, strategic stability in a tripolar nuclear world, new approaches to multilateral verification and risk reduction through the responsible use of AI. The training also includes multi-day immersive negotiation simulations and a high-profile panel on new technologies.

PRIF, which is represented on the ACONA Executive Board by Christopher Daase, is primarily responsible for organizing the event with Sascha Hach as chair, Malte Göttsche as moderator of the technology panel and Timothée Hillier-Davis and Jan Quosdorf in the program and negotiation training team.

The one-year fellowship program includes three intensive one-week boot camps and teamwork in multilateral research groups. The third boot camp and the final conference will take place in the Icelandic capital Reykjavík from May 18 to 22, 2026. During the events, the fellows, who come from different geopolitical zones of influence, will learn from international experts from academia and practice. Lectures, negotiation simulations and discussion rounds impart knowledge of relevant historical case studies, technical knowledge and negotiation techniques in the field of security policy and arms control. At a time of upheaval in security policy, ACONA prepares the next generation of security and arms control negotiators to meet current and future challenges.