.svg)
From 28 to 30 August 2026, the OpenEU Summer School 2026 will take place at Spui University Campus in The Hague, the Netherlands. This international event will bring together PhD students and researchers from different European countries.
During the Summer School, participants will have the opportunity to present their research, exchange ideas, build professional networks with fellow doctoral researchers, and actively contribute to the development of the OpenEU academic community.
Research thrives through collaboration, which is why the event will place a special focus on early-career researchers, their work, and the diverse perspectives they bring to the international academic community.
The OpenEU Summer School 2026 will also be attended by Bella Dubovika, a PhD candidate from Daugavpils University, who will present her research topic: “How do young educated people imagine their future when they grow up in a region facing long-term socio-economic challenges?”
This question is at the heart of the research, exploring how educated young adults in Sicily perceive their future and how factors such as identity, resilience, institutional trust, and migration aspirations shape these expectations. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-method design, the project gives voice to young people while contributing valuable insights for both academia and policy and discussions on regional development.
At the OpenEU Summer School, Bella is looking forward to exchanging ideas on mixed-methods research, interdisciplinary approaches to studying complex social phenomena and to build collaborations that extend beyond her doctoral studies. Most of all, she is excited to be part of an international PhD community, because learning from researchers with diverse academic backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives will have a great impact on her development as an independent researcher.
What shapes the way young people envision their future? Join the conversation in the comments and stay tuned as we introduce more members of our international OpenEU PhD community.
OpenEU, the pan-European open university, brings together eight leading European open and distance universities and two on-campus universities engaged in digital transformation to become the European Universities Initiative’s main asset for accessing, using, and exploring digital education knowledge and knowhow in the EHEA.
More about the project: www.openeu.eu
