The Summer School 2022 started with welcome remarks from Prof. Zdravko Kačič, DRC President and Rector of University of Maribor, and from Prof. Volodymyr Smolanka, Rector of Uzhhorod National University. The following opening speeches by Mag. Sebastian Schäffer, DRC Secretary General and IDM Managing Director, and Dr. Zoltán Vörös, Assistant Professor at University of Pécs, then set the tone for the whole week in Vienna: "We might come from different regions, borders still exist, but we can be great friends and colleagues and work together."

We are very delighted that Professor Shalini Randeria, President and Rector of the Central European University (CEU) honoured us by her presence as keynote speaker on Monday, 11th July 2022 on the issue of "Embattled Universities: Academic Freedom and Democratic Backsliding". Her input on establishing and dismanteling of democratic institutions as well as on the case of the CEU as a university in exile in Central and Eastern Europe constituted an excellent foundation for the upcoming debates and discussions.

The organizers Sebastian Schäffer, Daniel Martínek and Zoltán Vörös with Prof. Shalini Randeria, President and Rector of CEU.

During the lectures the participants had the opportunity to hear amongst others about career opportunities for youth in academia, student agency in higher education, as well as knowledge sharing in education, university in the time of war or illiberal science policy posing a threat to academic freedom.

In the workshop sessions the participants, on the one hand, had the opportunity to familiarize with Podcast production. Podcasts nowadays can be seen as channels which bring science closer to the public and which have become popular among research institutions. Supported by IDM Research Associate Emma Hontebeyrie and Assistant Editor Melanie Jaindl, the Summer School participants defined and recorded the most burning issues, analyzed the main challenges and chances with regards to the four thematic areas and also envisioned solutions to tackle these challenges. Together with off-the-cuff interviews, the content produced will be part of the next IDM Podcast - Central Europe Explained season!

On the other hand, the participants very actively took part in the feedback sessions on the DRC Strategic Foresight project and engaged in fruitful discussions on the project's topics of University Autonomy and Governance, Science and Learning in Digital Era, Scientific Research for European Decision-Making and employability of students/early-stage researchers. By integrating the Strategic Foresighters into the 17th DRC Summer School, an inspiring exchange between the participating university students, young scientists and early-stage researchers was created. Thereby, new perspectives und inspirations were gathered. Besides, the participants of the Strategic Foresight Project received personal feedback on their current writings by Enora Bennetot Pruvot. 

However, the DRC Summer School focuses not only on the research activities, but also on better understanding of the region where the event takes place. For this reason, a field trip to the picturesque Wachau valley in Lower Austria, including a boat cruise and a visit of a traditional Heuriger, was organized. The participants did not only have the chance to get to know each other better, but also to discover the Austrian cuisine.

On Friday, a guided city tour of Vienna - in order to learn more about the historical buildings and longstanding connections of the Austrian capital - and the ensuing farewell dinner were also part of the programme. By all these occasions, there was a friendly environment among the participants, encouraging the exchange of ideas and already promoting future collaboration between the young researchers.

A special thanks to all our supporters: