News 2026

Intense discussions in working groups, prominent public events and valuable opportunities for exchange were offered at the two-day networking event "Doing Democracy: Connecting Academia and Civil Society Across Borders" on 23 and 24 April 2026 in Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. The event was organised by the Viadrina and the Social Science Institute of the SWPS University of Warsaw as part of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA).

As part of the EU-funded PROSPER project, Viadrina and its strategic partner Panthéon-Sorbonne / Paris 1 visited two key partner institutions in Kenya: the University of Eldoret and the Open University of Kenya in the emerging technology centre Konza Technopolis. The aim of the trip, at the end of March/beginning of April 2026, was to deepen cooperation in the field of digital higher education and at the same time to strengthen the area of international relations in order to further develop future international cooperation.

Chornobyl was a major technological project that was part of Soviet power politics - and ultimately paved the way for Ukraine's independence by triggering protests. Forty years after the reactor accident on 26th of april 1986, the fear of a nuclear catastrophe due to the Russian full-scale invasion has taken on a new meaning. An interview with historian Klaus Gestwa.

On this evening, the foyer is as full as it was when the old canteen was still open: more than 400 guests have come to experience the opening of the Viadrina Coworking Space on 15 April 2026. The atmosphere is full of expectation and curiosity. "The first good news is: the coworking space is finally completed. The second good news is that I'm the last speaker before we get started," says the visibly cheerful Minister of Science of the State of Brandenburg, Dr Manja Schüle, as she welcomes everyone. Together with Viadrina President Prof Dr Eduard Mühle and the student representative on the Presidential Board, Jendrik Fabisch, she cuts the blue ribbon. This marks the official opening of the new learning, work and meeting place.

What is the significance of labour in times of the platform economy, financial markets and social change? Former SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert (now Head of Taxation, Distribution and Lobbying at finanzwende e.V.) discussed this topic together with Viadrina economist Prof. Dr Jana Costas at the Viadrina Debate on 15 April 2026 to kick off the summer semester. The discussion with the audience centred on the questions of how working environments are changing, why traditional promises of advancement are becoming fragile - and who benefits from change.

Viadrina's coworking space will be officially opened on 15 April. After five years of construction and a number of structural challenges, the campus will have one more innovative learning, working and meeting space. Shortly before the opening, Peggy Walter from Viadrina's Technical Building and Construction Management tells us about the special features of the building, its future use and where traces of history can be discovered.

Julia Szuleta is studying German and Polish Law at Viadrina and is actively involved in several initiatives. In this interview, she talks about her work with the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), and as a staff member at the Equal Opportunity Division. Her advice to all future students: “Take every opportunity that comes your way.”

Students have summarised the results from the seminar "From Borders to Bridges" by guest lecturer Dr Naum Trajanovski at the Viadrina in an exhibition. The posters will be on display on the first floor of the Gräfin-Dönhoff-Building from 30 March to 30 April 2026. They illustrate how the sociologist from the University of Warsaw and his students have researched the interstate relations in Europe and lines of conflict in the politics of remembrance. For student Camille Poli, exploring the German-Polish Doppelstadt Frankfurt (Oder)-Słubice was particularly interesting.

How can intangible cultural heritage be protected? And what happens to churches, for example, if their original meaning is lost? Administrative law expert Dr Clizia Franceschini is researching such questions in the INHERENT project (Intangible Religious Heritage and Religious Groups in national, european and global contexts) - including the example of Brandenburg. She is working at the Viadrina for three years as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. On 24 and 25 March 2026, she brought together experts from Europe, North America, Australia and Latin America at an online workshop.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, the whole country has been at war. How do current restrictions, for example on parliament and the media, determine post-war democracy? Anastasia Rodi is researching this as part of the PhD programme of the Competence Network for Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies (KIU). She talks about her dissertation project "Demining Democracy" in an interview.

Natalie Freiin von Beust was awarded the Joseph T. McLaughlin Original Student Article Award on 12 February 2026 for her final thesis on the opportunities and risks of third-party financing in international arbitration proceedings. The International Centre for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) honoured the Viadrina graduate at its annual conference in San Diego. Natalie von Beust studied Mediation and Conflict Management at Viadrina from 2023 to 2025. She is now a litigation lawyer and dispute resolution expert in Nuremberg.

Prof. Dr Václav Štětka was appointed Professor of Digital Political Communication at the European New School of Digital Studies (ENS) at Viadrina on 10 February 2026. The communication scientist and sociologist researches the connection between a changing information environment and the rise of illiberalism and populism, particularly in Eastern Central Europe. In this interview, he also talks about what Western democracies should learn from experiences made in countries such as Hungary.

She studied and did an internship in South Africa, taught German in India and coordinated the programme work of the Goethe-Institut in Central Eastern Europe in the Czech Republic - today Luisa Rath-John manages the Goethe-Institut in Los Angeles. She explains why studying Cultural Studies has opened up the world to her and what challenges she is mastering in Los Angeles far away from the film sets. She also gives current students advise for an international career.

Since 2014, Dagmara Jajeśniak-Quast has been Professor of Interdisciplinary Polish Studies at the European University Viadrina’s Faculty of Business Administration and Economics. She also serves as Chair of the Viadrina Center of Polish and Ukrainian Studies (VCPU). But her connection to Viadrina goes back to its very beginnings: she was among the first students to enroll when the university was re-founded in 1992. In this interview, she talks about those pioneering years, her personal journey across borders, and the future of Viadrina as one of Germany’s most international universities.