EFA24 Programme
These are some of the highlights of the EFA24. The programme and list of contributors will be updated continuously. We look forward to seeing you in Alpbach!
Speakers Selection
Miroslav Lajcak
Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz
Luisa Neubauer
Martin Kocher
Karoline Edtstadler
Joschka Fischer
Samir Saran
Anton Zeilinger
Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu
Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller
Cristina Gherasimov
Mario Nava
James O'Brien
Pascal Lamy
Peter Bosek
Norbert Totschnig
Rainer Blatt
Kirsten Dunlop
Anja Meierkord
Michael Kofman
Hina Rabbani Khar
Joseph E. Stiglitz
Werner Stengg
Beate Meinl-Reisinger
Andreas Dombret
Carl Bildt
José Manuel Barroso
Yemi Osinbajo
Alma Zadić
Gordan Grlić Radman
Programme 2024
Saturday, 17. August
Early morning
Euregio Young Researcher Award 2024
Six finalists from different scientific disciplines will present their high-level research work on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). Those who have impressed the jury, consisting of researchers from the Euregio and jury president Ulrike Tappeiner, with their work and presentation will be honoured at the award ceremony in the evening. Information about the finalists and their research projects can be found on the Euregio website (click here: Euregio-JungforscherInnenpreis | Europaregion Euregio - Tirol - Südtirol - Trentino).
08:30
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13:00
Euregio Young Researcher Award 2024
Euregio Innovation Award 2024
During the Euregio Days, enterprises from the Euregio region Tyrol/South Tyrol/Trentino; will present their innovative products, processes and services concerning the field of artificial intelligence. The best projects are selected by a top-level jury led by Josef Margreiter and will be awarded at the evening event. Information about the finalists and their research projects can be found on the Euregio website (click here: Euregio-Innovationspreis | Europaregion Euregio - Tirol - Südtirol - Trentino).
08:30
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13:00
Euregio Innovation Award 2024
Sunday, 18. August
Morning
Holy Mass
09:00
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09:45
Holy Mass
Traditional reception with the Alpbach rifle company and the Alpbach federal music band
10:00
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11:00
Traditional reception with the Alpbach rifle company and the Alpbach federal music band
Tyrol Day 2024: Euregio Summit on Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a fascinating and omnipresent topic.What possibilities does AI offer and what impact is it already having on our daily lives? What are the opportunities for the Euregio and its municipalities? What ethical and moral questions need to be considered? The Euregio Summit of the Tyrol Day 2024 provides answers!link to the programme: 20240715_Einladung_Tiroltag_invito_Giornata_del_Tirolo_2024_neu.pdf (europaregion.info)
11:00
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12:30
Tyrol Day 2024: Euregio Summit on Artificial Intelligence
Afternoon
EFA Loggia 2.0: Opening
The architecture studio "Studio Calas" and the apprentices of the Tyrolean Vocational School for Wood Engineering Absam worked together to create the new EFA Loggia 2.0. The European Forum Alpbach invites you to the official opening! //INFO: In case of bad weather this session will take place in CCA Liechtenstein Saal.
14:30
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15:00
EFA Loggia 2.0: Opening
Picnic: Europe after the elections
15:00
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16:30
Picnic: Europe after the elections
Evening
Welcome of Scholarship Holders
The European Forum Alpbach 2024 kick-off for scholarship holders and participants of the Alpbach Seminars: Meet your peers, see an art performance and inform yourself about everything you need to know to successfully navigate through the days ahead.
18:00
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19:30
Welcome of Scholarship Holders
EFA24 Welcoming Party
Your first evening at the EFA24, will be celebrated with an Opening Party at the local soccer ground with Food and Drinks. INFO: You can only get food and drinks with vouchers. They will be distributed at the CCA. First come first served.
20:00
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23:00
EFA24 Welcoming Party
Monday, 19. August
Noon
Road to Alpbach
Road to Alpbach is a photography and art community project. The aim is to bring together scholarship holders and other participants. This is to highlight the incredible diversity of people that the European Forum Alpbach brings together every year.
12:30
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14:30
Road to Alpbach
Open Your Mind: Share your EFA story
In this session scholarship holders are invited to co-author a book on the EFA24 annual theme: They will be guided to write their story on the Alpbach Seminars, their personal Moment of Truth and other reflections. For more information, click here.
13:30
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14:30
Open Your Mind: Share your EFA story
Food for Thought
“Food for Thought” takes the form of an open space following the concept of a “Speaker’s Corner”, where anyone is invited to suggest a topic of their choice and facilitate a discussion on it. Anyone – seminar chairs, distinguished visitors, scholarship holders, villagers, EFA staff and others – can host a presentation. We look forward to lively discussions!//INFO: Please inform the responsible EFA team member in the morning of the day you’re planning to speak.
13:30
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14:30
Food for Thought
Tuesday, 20. August
Noon
Open Your Mind: Inhabit the Future
In an election campaign the EFA24 invites participants to vote on an optimistic, long-term vision of the future, reclaiming their power of imagination and taking a first step towards a better tomorrow. Join this session and get involved.
13:30
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14:30
Open Your Mind: Inhabit the Future
Food for Thought
“Food for Thought” takes the form of an open space following the concept of a “Speaker’s Corner”, where anyone is invited to suggest a topic of their choice and facilitate a discussion on it. Anyone – seminar chairs, distinguished visitors, scholarship holders, villagers, EFA staff and others – can host a presentation. We look forward to lively discussions!//INFO: Please inform the responsible EFA team member in the morning of the day you’re planning to speak.
13:30
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14:30
Food for Thought
Evening
Euregio Talent Forum
Discover new career opportunities and connect with top companies at the Euregio Talent Forum. This event provides a unique platform for all EFA attendees to easily network with leading businesses from the European region Tyrol-South-Tyrol-Trentino. Don’t miss out on this chance to explore exciting professional challenges and advance your career!
19:30
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21:30
Euregio Talent Forum
FANC Speed Friending
Welcome to Alpbach: This is your chance to meet new people and make lifelong friends! This event offers the perfect opportunity to engage in a series of short, exciting conversations. Each round lasts just a few minutes, giving you the chance to make a memorable first impression and discover common interests.
20:00
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22:00
FANC Speed Friending
Wednesday, 21. August
Noon
Food for Thought
“Food for Thought” takes the form of an open space following the concept of a “Speaker’s Corner”, where anyone is invited to suggest a topic of their choice and facilitate a discussion on it. Anyone – seminar chairs, distinguished visitors, scholarship holders, villagers, EFA staff and others – can host a presentation. We look forward to lively discussions!//INFO: Please inform the responsible EFA team member in the morning of the day you’re planning to speak.
13:30
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14:30
Food for Thought
Open Your Mind: Managing Yourself: How to Keep Focused in Stressful Situations.
In this practical exercise participants will learn, based on their own capabilities, methods of how to concentrate on the important issues when it is needed most and despite times of manifold distraction.
13:30
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14:30
Open Your Mind: Managing Yourself: How to Keep Focused in Stressful Situations.
Thursday, 22. August
Noon
Open Your Mind: Meditations for our Moment of Truth – Part 1
Mindfulness and compassion are often associated with wellbeing, but they can also support our sense-making and skillful action in the world. In this session, we will explore practices for resilience in challenging times and aid the process of learning and discernment.
13:30
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14:30
Open Your Mind: Meditations for our Moment of Truth – Part 1
Food for Thought
“Food for Thought” takes the form of an open space following the concept of a “Speaker’s Corner”, where anyone is invited to suggest a topic of their choice and facilitate a discussion on it. Anyone – seminar chairs, distinguished visitors, scholarship holders, villagers, EFA staff and others – can host a presentation. We look forward to lively discussions!//INFO: Please inform the responsible EFA team member in the morning of the day you’re planning to speak.
13:30
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14:30
Food for Thought
Evening
“First time Kosovo/Serbia” by Idro Seferi Filmscreening/Talk
There is always a first time, the first time to visit a country, to get to know some of its citizens — and when these are usually portrayed as enemies, the reality can be a positive shock: They have similar concerns and dreams like you!
18:30
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21:30
“First time Kosovo/Serbia” by Idro Seferi Filmscreening/Talk
+2
Dem
Mission: Unaccomplished
We would like to invite all participants to share and celebrate their stories of “failure” and talk about their personal experiences. The goal is to question the dominant narratives of success and to embrace imperfection. Join us and share your stories. INFO: This is a safe space – the EFA Code of Conduct needs to be respected.
20:00
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22:00
Mission: Unaccomplished
Friday, 23. August
Morning
Morning Seminars
The Alpbach Seminars aim to provide scientific knowledge, arts and personal skill development tools to young scholarship holders from all over the world. In the morning seminars, the focus will be on scientific insights and cutting-edge knowledge presented in an interactive, tangible, and entrepreneurial manner, encouraging critical reflection. These seminars will be structured around the four thematic tracks of the European Forum Alpbach offering hands-on experiences through simulations, best practices, and case studies. The scientific seminars are hosted by Seminar Chairs who excel in diverse scientific disciplines.
09:00
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12:30
Morning Seminars
Seminar
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Labs are 1.5-day facilitated working session with a closed and well-selected group of 30 participants that has a joint purpose with the goal that this group, first, becomes a community of action, and second, finds answers to a larger, cross-cutting problem. The EFA24 Labs | European Forum Alpbach
09:00
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12:30
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Anything Goes? Truth and Progress in Science and Society
Discuss provocative ideas and challenge conventional views on truth and scientific change in a free society. Are the ideas of truth and reason able to navigate us through the sea of alternatives and contradicting information? Is there one truth or many? Is there a crisis of knowledge? How real is reality? Can relativism explain different cultures and societies? What determines the quest for knowledge in science: “Trial and Error” or “Anything Goes”?
09:00
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12:30
Anything Goes? Truth and Progress in Science and Society
+1
Seminar
Noon
Open Your Mind: Meditations for our Moment of Truth – Part 2
Mindfulness and compassion are often associated with wellbeing, but they can also support our sense-making and skillful action in the world. In this session, we will explore practices for resilience in challenging times and aid the process of learning and discernment.
13:30
-
14:30
Open Your Mind: Meditations for our Moment of Truth – Part 2
Being With... Empathy Through Relationships
Join a workshop on how to be with yourself, and develop empathy in relationships. Limited spots available! With: Lucy Skilbeck is a director and dramaturg with many years of experience in actor training. She also advises major international performance sports coaching organisations and clubs like Bayer Leverkusen about performance and teamwork.
13:30
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14:30
Being With... Empathy Through Relationships
Afternoon
Afternoon Seminars
The Alpbach Seminars aim to provide scientific knowledge, arts and personal skill development tools to young scholarship holders from all over the world. The afternoon seminars revolve around arts and (personal) skill development. The arts seminars will be highly participative and creative and showcase a rich tapestry of experiences to render complex topics, both emotionally and intellectually accessible. The skill-based seminars are facilitated by practitioners with real-world expertise, who employ innovative methods to enhance participants’ skills preparing them for the challenges of the contemporary landscape.
15:00
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18:00
Afternoon Seminars
Seminar
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Labs are 1.5-day facilitated working session with a closed and well-selected group of 30 participants that has a joint purpose with the goal that this group, first, becomes a community of action, and second, finds answers to a larger, cross-cutting problem. The EFA24 Labs | European Forum Alpbach
15:00
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18:00
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Evening
Alpbach Seminars - Closing
Join the European Forum Alpbach 2024 Alpbach Seminars closing ceremony! A group of young talents from all over the world celebrates the successful completion of the Alpbach Seminars, shares insights into their learnings and takeaways, and gives inspiring art performances.
19:00
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20:00
Alpbach Seminars - Closing
Open Air Concert Alpbach Brass Band
On Fridays during the summer months, the Alpbach brass band hosts their open-air concert on the village square. All Alpbach residents as well as national and international guests are cordially invited!
20:00
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20:30
Open Air Concert Alpbach Brass Band
Saturday, 24. August
Morning
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Labs are 1.5-day facilitated working session with a closed and well-selected group of 30 participants that has a joint purpose with the goal that this group, first, becomes a community of action, and second, finds answers to a larger, cross-cutting problem. The EFA24 Labs | European Forum Alpbach
09:00
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12:30
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Alpbach IDEAS Kick-Off
Join us for the Alpbach IDEAS programme 2024/25! Alpbach IDEAS is a one-year journey that bridges the gap between theory, and offers a space to experiment, learn and co-create ideas for a more democratic and sustainable Europe to aspiring changemakers and innovators. Learn more about the programme and participation at Alpbach IDEAS 2024/2025.
10:00
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12:00
Alpbach IDEAS Kick-Off
Noon
EFA Connects: Lunch Tables
If you don’t feel like having lunch by yourself or if you are interested in meeting fellow EFA participants, why not join one of the EFA Connects lunch tables! Strike up a conversation and make new contacts. The tables are not hosted, so you are on your own. How about a question about the best Kaiserschmarren in Alpbach or recommendations for the afternoon programme? EFA Connects lunch tables are located in the Erste Lounge in the CCA café and in the restaurants Jakober and Berghof, and are marked by little EFA flags.
12:00
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14:00
EFA Connects: Lunch Tables
WoW* Connects: A Networking Hour for Women*
As part of the EFA World of Women* initiative, EFA is taking extra efforts to encourage female* contributors, both in programming and participation. Every day, from the Europe in the World Days to the Austria in Europe Days, two dedicated hours will be hosted by women* engaged in EFA’s broader network, which offers the opportunity to connect, reflect, and take action. // INFO: To ensure a focused and engaging experience, we won't be providing any catering. Participants are, however, free to order lunch and beverages at their own cost. //
12:00
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14:00
WoW* Connects: A Networking Hour for Women*
International Bazar
No place captures the idea of a global village quite like Alpbach during EFA. With the International Bazar we will further distil this rich tapestry of cultures into a thick spirit, for all to come and sample. Join us as the countries represented at Alpbach show off the very best of their homelands at individual booths. Whether through food, music, or art, we invite you to a journey around the globe without the need to catch a plane.INFO: Please feel warmly invited to attend the International Bazar in your traditional clothing. The EFA Code of Conduct needs to be respected.
13:00
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16:00
International Bazar
Evening
FANC Seminar Closing Party
The Seminar Days are over! We celebrate the closing of the first week at the European Forum Alpbach with a traditional Festhütten Party in Inneralpbach. Join us for an unforgettable night. //INFO: Please bring enough cash to pay for your food and drinks. No card payment.The EFA Code of Conduct must be respected.
22:00
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02:30
FANC Seminar Closing Party
Be(e) Together – An Invitation from ERSTE Foundation
To round off the opening of the Europe in the World Days, ERSTE Foundation invites you to an evening of music, culinary and installation interventions in the heart of Alpbach. Opening a space for people to communicate, and to celebrate togetherness.We start the evening at the big table - the place where what belongs together comes together: a 15-metre-long table in the heart of Alpbach. Bread, butter, pickled vegetables from chefs and other heroes. And honey from all over Europe.
18:30
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20:30
Be(e) Together – An Invitation from ERSTE Foundation
Be(e) Together in Concert – Alicia Edelweiß
In the Alpbach parish church, we dive deep into the world of sound and ambience. After an introductory concert played by Benny Omerzell on the church’s own organ, we give the stage to Alicia Edelweiß. The Viennese singer and songwriter gracefully crosses the genre borders between pop and folk and creates a poetical atmosphere. An evening to share what is important and to celebrate together!
20:30
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21:30
Be(e) Together in Concert – Alicia Edelweiß
Sunday, 25. August
Early morning
Morning Sports: Functional Fitness
Start the day with a boost of energy! The trainers of the Austrian Armed Forces will get you sweating with military functional fitness on the forecourt of the CCA - an ideal way to recover from stress and prevent burnout or illness.
07:00
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08:00
Morning Sports: Functional Fitness
Morning Briefing - Talk with the President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu
Our Morning Briefings provide you with a daily overview of the most important news and insights from EFA24. Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President of the Republic of Kosovo, speaks with Ö1. Start your Alpbach day well-informed with this engaging conversation!
08:00
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08:50
Morning Briefing - Talk with the President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu
+1
Morning
Let's Talk to Each Other: Impulses in a Speechless World
In a world of rapid change, fragmentation and polarisation mark society and politics. Although contemporary challenges require close international cooperation, the willingness and ability to engage in dialogue are dwindling. Democracy is under pressure, alternatives are appearing and Europe has to explain itself. How can defence policy support a stable space for discussions? //INFO: Bring hiking shoes and water. In case of bad weather, shuttles will bring you to the location
09:00
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12:00
Let's Talk to Each Other: Impulses in a Speechless World
+2
Sec
Is Economic Inequality Inevitable?
Since the 1980s, wealth and income inequality has started to rise again in many countries. While some, such as the US, have seen a significant increase in inequality, others, such as Sweden, have maintained relatively stable levels. Explore the reasons for these divergent trends: What are the roots of inequality and which policies can make a real difference? //INFO: This session will be translated by Wordly. If you would like to listen to the translation, please bring headphones suitable for your device.
09:00
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10:30
Is Economic Inequality Inevitable?
+5
Dem
Fin
Winds of Radical Change in European Politics?
European politics is witnessing unprecedented shifts, challenging established structures and giving rise to new movements. This two-part debate will initially investigate whether a radical change in the European political landscape has in fact occurred, dissecting election results and the driving forces behind them. We will then discuss the broader implications, whether there will be a radical change in the trajectory of Europe and Europe's role in the world. //INFO: This session will be translated by Wordly. If you would like to listen to the translation, please bring headphones suitable for your device.
09:00
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12:00
Winds of Radical Change in European Politics?
+6
Dem
Risky Business: Europe's Economic (In-)Security
The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have shown Europe’s dependencies in critical areas. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about “de-risking”: mitigating risks and limiting strategic dependencies. However, it’s still not clear what this would mean for Europe. How much de-risking is necessary to safeguard Europe’s economic security and when does de-risking itself become a risk to the economy? //INFO: Bring hiking shoes and water. In case of heavy rain, the session is going to take place on the upper floor of the elementary school.
09:00
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12:00
Risky Business: Europe's Economic (In-)Security
+4
Fin
Sec
The Geopolitics of Enlargement: A Way to Safeguard the European Space
The EU Enlargement is increasingly seen as an effective foreign policy tool to diminish the influence of external powers in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans. Reframing European integration as a strategy to provide security for the neighbourhoods, as well as make EU Member States safer, will certainly strengthen the EU’s standing as a geopolitical actor - for example through a sustainable peace settlement for Ukraine and sound security arrangements for Moldova.
09:00
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10:30
The Geopolitics of Enlargement: A Way to Safeguard the European Space
+4
Sec
No Nature, No Business
All human economic activities rely on natural resources and ecosystems. Yet, the state of nature and biodiversity is critical all around the globe. Hear different concepts and strategies about how businesses can integrate nature and biodiversity goals into corporate strategies. It is explored how to achieve long-term prosperity and economic resilience, by becoming not only climate-neutral but climate-positive. //INFO: Bring hiking shoes and sufficient water. In case of heavy rain, the session is going to take place on the upper floor of the elementary school.
09:00
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12:00
No Nature, No Business
+4
Cli
Fin
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