The Europaeum Ideas Programme
The Europaeum’s Ideas Programme of events and activities (formerly, the Core Programme) provides a range of mainly in-person opportunities for postgraduate students from member universities to explore issues at the intersection of scholarship and policy-making.
Around eight to ten Ideas Programme events are organised by the Europaeum each year, rotating among the network’s member universities. These include Winter, Spring, and Summer Schools in different cities, as well as an annual Brussels Policy Seminar (the Autumn School) designed to help students understand the EU political system in depth.
The Europaeum’s Ideas Programme events are usually offered at no cost to participants and aim to involve students actively in proceedings by, for example, presenting papers or chairing sessions. Participants also hear from a range of keynote speakers and panellists, as they share perspectives and gain insights into intellectual and policy issues.
The Ideas Programme events are usually residential, usually lasting three or four days, with between 12 and 45 students participating in each event. Any Master’s or doctoral student from any member university of the Europaeum may apply. Calls for applications are posted on the Europaeum website and advertised within member universities. Selection is by a rigorous applications process.
The 2026 Ideas Programme included events on Media & Courage (in Lisbon), Scandal & Corruption (CEU, Vienna), Transatlantic Futures (Oxford), Space Technology (Helsinki), Creativity & Innovation (Jagiellonian, Krakow), Leadership (Berlin), and Decolonising the Past (Munich).
The 2027 Ideas Programme includes events on Media & Dignity (Lisbon), The Individual in the Age of AI (Barcelona), The Politics of Play (Geneva), Leadership (Leiden), and Europe’s Innovation Gap (Brussels) — with more events to be announced soon!
Forthcoming events
Currently accepting applications
The Brussels Policy Seminar (Autumn School)
Brussels
29 September – 1 October 2026 Deadline for Applications 15 July
Technology Forum
University of Helsinki
19–20 October 2026
“Space Governance: A Fragile Frontier” Deadline for Applications 31 July
Europaeum Winter Workshop in Media and Communication Studies, part of the Lisbon Winter School UCP, 12-15 January 2027 “Media and Dignity” Deadline for Applications 10 September
Coming Soon
The Europaeum Winter School
Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona 18–20 January 2027
“The Individual in the Age of AI”
The Europaeum Law Review
Università degli studi di Padova, 17–18 March 2027
Theme TBA
The Europaeum Spring School
University of Oxford, 12–14 April 2027
Theme TBA
Estoril Political Forum
UCP, Lisbon, June 2026
Theme TBA
The Europaeum Summer School
Graduate Institute, Geneva, July 2027
“The Politics of Play”
The Europaeum Leadership Challenge
University of Leiden (Hague Campus), September 2027
The Brussels Policy Seminar
Brussels, 25–27 October 2027
“Europe’s Innovation Gap”
Forthcoming and no longer accepting applications
The Europaeum Summer School
Jagiellonian University, Krákow, 7-9 July 2026
“Creativity & Innovation”
The Europaeum History & Classics Seminar
LMU, Munich 15-17 September 2026
“Decolonising Europe’s Past”
Past Events
Europaeum Winter Workshop in Media and Communication Studies, part of the Lisbon Winter School UCP, 6-9 January 2026 “Media and Courage”
The Europaeum Winter School
Central European University (CEU), 27-29 January 2026
“Scandal and Corruption”
CEPS Ideas Lab
Brussels
3-4 March 2026
The Europaeum Spring School
University of Oxford, 13-15 April 2026
“Transatlantic Futures”
The Europaeum Leadership Challenge
Freie Universität, Berlin
18–19 May 2026
Estoril Political Forum
UCP, Lisbon
1–3 June 2026
“Independence in an interdependent world”
Apply to a Europaeum Event
Events & Activities Archive
The Spring School
The Europaeum Spring School usually takes place in Oxford in April and brings together inspiring speakers and students from the network to discuss topical issues in International Relations and geopolitical affairs. 2025’s focus was on “Resistance and Resilience” and 2026’s is on “Transatlantic Futures“.
The Summer School
The Europaeum Summer School is a three-day annual flagship event for graduates to debate current issues in the broad field of policy and culture. It usually takes place at one of the member universities, with a theme initiated by a particular local expertise or academic strength. 2026’s Summer School on “Creativity & Innovation” tales place at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
The Winter School
The Winter School historically arose from initiatives by member institutions who wanted to draw on a particular local strength or academic focus but it now takes place at the end of January based around a theme in Political Economy, Economics, and Institutions. The 2026 Europaeum Winter School took place at the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna.
The Brussels Policy Seminar
The Europaeum’s annual Policy Seminar in Brussels, takes place each autumn and gives students an important chance to get to know the EU institutions. Recent themes have included “The Impact of Elections” (2024), “Strategic Autonomy” (2025), and “Europe under Pressure” (2026).
Other Ideas Programme Events
In addition to the Spring, Summer, and Winter Schools, and the Brussels Policy Seminar, the Europaeum Ideas Programme also puts on a range of other rotating events, including a Classics Colloquium and a History Seminar; a Law Review, Leadership Challenge, and a Technology Forum; a Media & Communications Workshop (part of the Lisbon Winter School in Media Studies) and a “Special Debate” at the Estoril Political Forum. In 2026 the Europaeum also participated the Centre for European Policy Studies Ideas Lab in Brussels.
The Europaeum Scholars Programme
Ideas Programme events can be a gateway for those considering applying to our flagship programme, the Europaeum Scholars Programme – a two-year policy and leadership course for a select few of the brightest doctoral students within the Europaeum network. Taken alongside a doctorate, it has eight modules, including seminars with leading academics and practitioners, professional skills training, and significant team activity (multidisciplinary groups work on how to “make Europe a better place”).
Read more about the Europaeum Scholars’ Programme.
MA Programmes
MA Programmes, awarded by member universities under the Europaeum flag, give students the opportunity to spend study time at different universities during their enrolment. These are exciting international opportunities which are unique to the Europaeum and foster the sense of a connected Europe.
Bursaries & Exchanges
The Europaeum has supported a small number of exchanges every year, with the generous help and cooperation of selected member universities and external donors. This scheme is currently suspended pending an assessment review.
Testimonials
What event participants said about their experience when replying to an anonymous feedback form: