New Deadline: 1 March, 2026
Early-stage researchers (ESR) from all ENGAGE.EU partner universities are invited to present their own research and receive feedback from peers and established scholars from various disciplines.
Extend your own international academic network, engage with researchers in an interdisciplinary setting, and discuss socially relevant topics!
Workshop programme
- Present your working paper in 20 minutes and receive feedback from peers and established scholars in the subsequent discussion, led by the track moderator.
- Respond to at least one other presenter by providing feedback to their paper and presentation. Before the event, you will be assigned a paper to respond to.
Mock Hiring
- Preparing for the job market? If you are in your final year or have already completed your PhD, you can opt for a hiring conference simulation as part of the workshop. You will present your job market paper and have a one-on-one interview with an experienced professor.
Skills Sessions: Participatory Research, Research Ethics and more
- Learn hands-on how to do participatory research, find out about research integrity’s grey areas and exchange perspectives with other early-stage researchers on the topics that matter to you.
Apply to one of these interdisciplinary tracks
Health and Inequality
Health and socio-economic inequality are interrelated – but how, and why? Chronic non-communicable diseases are a case in point: conditions not spread by infectious agents but shaped by lifestyles, environments, and social determinants. This track examines the interconnectedness of health and inequalities, be it from an individual, social, cultural, organisational or transnational perspective.
Chairs: Jutta Mata (University of Mannheim, Health Psychology), Catarina Goulão (Université Toulouse Capitole, Health Economy)
Technological innovations: effects on organisations and societies
Since the 1990s, the popularisation of the internet has transformed many aspects of the ways we interact with technology and with each other. Deep technology innovations, like the recent advent of generative AI and the prospect of artificial general intelligence, impact almost every aspect of human life.
Chairs: Margret Keuper (University of Mannheim, Machine Learning), Florian Stahl (University of Mannheim, Quantitative Marketing and Consumer Analytics), Philipp Kellmeyer (Unversity of Mannheim, Responsible AI and Digital Health), Nikolai Dentchev (University of National and World Economy, Social Entrepreneurship)
Migration, demographic change and urbanisation: impact on societies and organisations
A range of factors has brought migration, urbanisation and demographic change to the centre of some public and academic debates. In many high-income countries, population pyramids are becoming increasingly top-heavy, reflecting rapid population ageing. Sustaining productivity and economic stability therefore depends, in part, on integrating younger workers—many of them migrants—who can contribute to the labour force and support social systems. At the same time, increased migration from lower- to higher-income countries and from rural areas to the cities brings complex socioeconomic and cultural consequences.
Chairs: Maria Rita Testa (Luiss University, Political Science, Demography), Henning Hillmann (University of Mannheim, Economic Sociology), Davud Rostam Afschar (University of Mannheim, Accounting)
Degrowth and decarbonisation
This track addresses two long-standing and intertwined economic paradigms: economic growth and carbon-based production. While the reduction of CO2 emissions has become a key policy goal to many state and industrial actors alike, degrowth and post-growth models remain relatively marginal perspectives often criticised for being unrealistic and potentially harmful. This track aims to discuss practices, models, theories and case studies that focus on post-/degrowth, decarbonisation or the relationship between the two, at a time when decarbonisation is being challenged internationally.
Chairs: Moritz Fleischmann (University of Mannheim, Operations Management), Ulrich Wagner (University of Mannheim, Environmental Economics), Frank Wiengarten (Esade Business School, Operations, Innovation and Technology Management).
Pre-application information meeting and contact points
An online information meeting will be held on 11 February 2026, 12:00 CET/13:00 EET. This session will outline the Call for Applications and address any questions about the process and your stay. Click here to join the meeting!
Additionally, feel free to send any related questions to engage@uni-mannheim.de
Funding
If your application is approved, your travel to and from Mannheim and your accommodation will be (partially) funded by the ENGAGE.EU Office at your home university. Additional costs for academic and cultural events during your research stay will be covered by the University of Mannheim.
Follow this link for more information and access to the application form.