Research Without Borders: Opportunities and Challenges for Young Researchers from Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe

Today, international research and mobility are among the key prerequisites for scientific innovation, intercultural understanding, and personal career development. However, young researchers from Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe in particular face multifaceted barriers. These include political, economic, and social crises; a research landscape that is often underfunded, with limited digital infrastructure and difficult access to scholarly literature; as well as restrictive visa regulations and travel restrictions. Furthermore, exclusion from academic networks hinders active participation in global scholarly exchange. 

The KAAD Alumni Conference in Dilijan will examine how young researchers are coping with these challenges and what opportunities are opening up for them even under difficult conditions. In particular, the conference will highlight the role of alumni networks and institutional support, as well as strategies to counteract the brain drain while simultaneously strengthening brain circulation as a dynamic concept of scientific cooperation.

Special attention is given to the role of alumni networks, which—beyond formal structures—facilitate orientation, professional exchange, and institutional ties. The conference examines how such networks can contribute to stabilizing regional communities of practice and what forms of support are necessary to open up long-term prospects for early-career researchers.

The goal of the conference is to develop sustainable approaches to strengthening academic cooperation across national borders, as well as to build resilient alumni and peer networks that facilitate knowledge transfer and mutual support in a challenging environment.