The DRC Summer School project was initiated by IDM (Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe) and International House Pécs in 2003 to promote regional
co-operation among young social scientists. Its general aim is the establishment of a network of young scientists who deal with the issue of regional co-operation as Central European perspective,
and thus the institutionalisation of the Summer School for the future.
Each year, the DRC Summer School is hosted by a different university and therefore offers a variety of settings. We are looking for young BA, MA and PhD level scientist from Social, Human and Political Sciences, who are interested in the
region, have scientific records or intend to have deeper knowledge about the Danube Region.
18th DRC Summer School on Regional Cooperation
"Transformation of post-war Europe:
Challenging universities and research in
the Danube Region?"
16–22 July 2023, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Fill in the application form by clicking on the button below!
General Topics of the Summer School:
Democratic recovery in wartime Europe
The nature of populist, illiberal, autocratic and stabilocratic regimes has become exposed in recent months as Europe mobilized its efforts to support Ukraine. The ongoing conflict continues to reveal democratic shortcomings and anti-democratic tendencies in some European countries. Against the backdrop of military operations and trench warfare, conflict of values and different understandings of governance and societies enter the front line of political discourse across Europe. In addition to scrutinizing concrete examples of democratic backsliding, we take a look at the ways in which political unity and democratic solidarity in Europe can be achieved through education.
Inclusion and diversity in times of war
The devastating war in Ukraine has forced a large number of people to leave their homes and find refuge in other European countries. Although many of them have been traumatized by their brutal displacement, they have been engaged in a slow process of rebuilding their lives in the host countries. We examine how host societies establish smooth integration of fleeing Ukrainians and explore how these societies accept the diversity of the newcomers by allowing them to exert their agency and actively participate in their new environment instead of being seen as passive and muted recipients of external help.
Digital is taking over – threat or opportunity?
The social transformation of our age is significantly shaped by the digital transition and technological innovation. All-encompassing changes affect private lives as well as public processes. The impact of digitalization is also highly evident in the field of higher education, particularly the Covid-19 pandemic gave momentum to the virtual relocation. We investigate what areas of research require our attention to unlock the full potential of technological advancements and how does digital conversion and artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, impact education and its future.
Towards European strategic autonomy
The Russian invasion of Ukraine not only destroyed the security architecture in Europe, but also exposed the sensitive areas of European strategic sovereignty. Strong energy subordination to nonrenewable resources, dependencies in the supply chains and their disruptions or insufficient technological innovations are just some of the existing limitations of emerging strategic autonomy of Europe. We take a look at the role of universities in the efforts in achieving European sovereignty and what research is still needed to bring about green and independence transformation of the European continent.
THE APPLICATION PROCESS CLOSES ON THE 31ST OF MAY