The first International Conference on Adoption Research (ICAR) was organized by Hal Grotevant in 1999 in Minneapolis, USA, with its 25^th anniversary celebrated in the same city on the occasion of ICAR8, organized by Dana Johnson in 2024. Between those two meetings, six others took place:

• ICAR2 in Norwich, England, organized by Beth Neil in 2006;
• ICAR3 in Leiden, The Netherlands, organized by Femmie Juffer in 2010;
• ICAR4 in Bilbao, Spain, organized by Jesús Palacios in 2013;
• ICAR5 in Auckland, New Zealand, organized by Rhoda Scherman in 2016;
• ICAR6 in Montreal, Canada, organized by Geneviève Pagé in 2018;
• ICAR7 in Milan, Italy, organized by Rosa Rosnati in 2021.

Always inspired by the goal of bringing together adoption researchers from around the world, each of the ICARs had its own more specific themes and objectives. This will also be the case at ICAR9, which will be held in the city of Porto, Portugal, in 2026. In this case, “The Changing Landscape of Adoption: Research and Practice” invites adoption researchers from around the world to contribute their latest work that reflects the many changes taking place in adoption knowledge and practice.

The spirit of internationalism, multidisciplinarity, cooperation, scientific rigour and commitment to the well-being of those involved in adoption, as well as to the improvement of professional practices, will be present at ICAR9 as it has been at all previous ones. The best and most recent knowledge generated around the changing adoption landscape and its implications for practice will be present at ICAR9 in Porto, Portugal, and we look forward to your participation and contributions!