European ideas for tomorrow
2023 Netias Business Meeting in Konstanz
On 10-12 October 2023, the European Institutes for Advanced Study met in Konstanz for the annual meeting of Netias (Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study) to foster cooperation between institutions. Netias was created in 2004 to stimulate a dialogue on IAS practices and possible forms of cooperation. Across the network, more than 500 researchers are hosted each year for up to one full academic year.
Three new IAS directors introduced themselves to the Netias members: Andreas Roepstorff (Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies), Balázs Trencsényi (Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University) and Vincent Renner (Collegium de Lyon). Two other new directors were introduced by their representatives: Lesley McAra (Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh) and Jens Stoye (Executive Director at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Bielefeld).
The participants also discussed new and ongoing Netias projects. The funding programme CAT (Constructive Advanced Thinking), which will become a Netias flagship initiative, has now been running for almost five years with the goal of scouting for and hosting young talented researchers. The discussion focused on how to best prepare CAT group visits.
In addition, various working groups on “Assessing Applications”, “Global Diversity” and “Arts & Science”, which is considering a possible exchange for art fellows, presented themselves to the assembly.
Olivier Bouin introduced the UBIAS network (University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study), of which he is the lead coordinator. UBIAS comprises 46 members on five continents. The network focuses on three main topics: interdisciplinarity, diversity and early career researchers. Two main actions were discussed: the topic of the year and the Intercontinental Academy in the form of two 10-day interdisciplinary brainstorming sessions, bringing together high-level and emerging scholars on a specific theme.
Camilla Serck-Hanssen presented the informal NORDIAS network (all the Nordic Institutes for Advanced Studies), composed of IAS in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. NORDIAS was initiated after a series of workshops to promote cooperation between Nordic institutes and to develop joint research activities. It encourages the exchange of information, including the results of research collaboration, joint conferences, seminars and workshops of mutual interest as well as the exchange of fellows and staff, joint funding applications and any other activities viewed to be mutually beneficial.
A new informal group of German IAS was also introduced. It has convened a few times with the aim of discussing topics such as attracting scholars from the Global South as well as financial and technical questions. It is also working on a memorandum to raise the visibility of the German IAS’ profiles.
The 10-member association of Institutes for Advanced Study around the globe was introduced by Christina Garsten. They operate without a governing body. On their last meeting in Amsterdam, important issues such as academic freedom and democracy, diversity and fellows in difficult geopolitical positions were addressed.
Time for culture and history
After a walk in the historical city centre on 11 October, Research Fellow and historian Gruia Badescu gave a compelling public talk in the Konzil council building on “Making sense of urban destruction: Architecture, memory, and repair”. His talk addressed the aftermath of urban destruction in wartime, focusing on processes of reconstruction and reparative measures after war and dictatorships. It explored a variety of ways to engage with urban destruction, from post-war reconstruction which aims to problematise the past to memorial acts connected with the violence of authoritarian regimes. Drawing from research in European, Middle Eastern and Latin American cities, it also traced how the reshaping of cities is connected by circulations of ideas and practices. Bridging the dimensions of urban transformations and memory, it thus interrogated how cities grapple with their often traumatic pasts and imagine their futures.
The 2024 Netias Directors Meeting was held in Oslo in October. The Zukunftskolleg has been a member of Netias since June 2018. The network brings together 26 Institutes for Advanced Study across Europe.