- primarily for scholars from Eastern Europe -
Academic mobility is seen as a driver of academic innovation, international networking and personal career development. But how does this mobility change in times of political, economic or social crises?
The seminar focuses on the question of how KAAD scholars from Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe shape their academic path when conditions such as political instability, economic uncertainty or social tensions make mobility more difficult – and what long-term consequences this has for the region's higher education landscape and the return prospects of students and researchers.
The seminar looks at the areas of tension in international mobility, located between emigration and return, between individual careers and social responsibility. The focus is on the concepts of brain drain and brain circulation, which describe both the loss of skilled workers and the productive return and networking of internationally experienced academics. Particular attention is paid to alumni associations, which act as networks of individual and institutional strengthening and can promote knowledge circulation and mutual support in their own country.
By combining theoretical principles with concrete case studies from the region, the seminar aims to create a space for exchange and reflection. The aim is to pool experiences and develop perspectives on how academic mobility can be maintained and shaped productively even in times of crisis. It should become clear that international networking not only opens up personal opportunities, but can also contribute to the stabilization and further development of academic and social structures – even or especially in times of crisis.
