Mar 30, 2026
Preparatory meeting and training in Albania for the 19th PhD Summer School "Education & Technology"
Group picture at the project meeting in Tirana
In March, Prof. Dr. Eric Schoop, Nelli Ukhova, Mattis Altmann and Johanna Spirling from the TUD Dresden University of Technology traveled to the EPOKA University in Tirana (Albania) to prepare the upcoming 19th PhD Summer School "Education & Technology" together with local partners.
Projekttreffen Hy-PER in Tirana
The one-week meeting served both to prepare the content of the summer school and to conduct a training programme for around 30 teachers from EPOKA University and members of the Brain Nest Institute, a civil society organization in Albania. The focus was on the joint development of concepts for hybrid doctoral formats and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in doctoral student training.
The activities build on the successful implementation of the 18th PhD Summer School "Education & Technology", which took place at EPOKA University in July 2025 and brought together 30 international doctoral students and around 20 supervisors from Europe, Asia and South America.
Hy-PER: Strengthening international doctoral formats
The preparations are part of the Hy-PER (Hybrid PhD Education and Research) project, which is coordinated by Mattis Altmann at the TUD Dresden University of Technology from the Center for Open Digital Innovation and Participation (CODIP).
Hy-PER is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the "Higher Education Dialogue with the Western Balkans" program and aims to strengthen academic exchange between TU Dresden and EPOKA University, build capacity for international and hybrid doctoral programs and develop new digital teaching and learning formats in doctoral student education.
A central component of the project is the joint conception and testing of hybrid summer school formats that combine face-to-face and online formats and enable international collaboration.
Scholarships for international doctoral students
As part of the project, scholarships will also be awarded to students and supervisors at EPOKA University. A total of eight one-week stays (four for doctoral students and four for supervisors) and two one-month research stays at TU Dresden are available. These enable participants to gain international experience and get to know hybrid doctoral formats in practice.
Hybrid PhD Summer School 2026 in Dresden
The 19th PhD Summer School "Education & Technology" will take place from September 14-18, 2026 at TU Dresden and will be held both on site in Dresden and online.
The event brings together international doctoral candidates and supervisors and continues the long-standing tradition of international scientific cooperation that has characterized the E&T doctoral programme for many years.
The preparatory meeting in Tirana impressively demonstrates how international cooperation, digital innovation and scientific exchange can work together to develop new forms of international doctoral training.
Funding information:
The Hy-PER (Hybrid PhD Education and Research) project is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) as part of the "Higher Education Dialogue with the Western Balkans" funding program. The aim of the program is to strengthen academic exchange and sustainable cooperation between German universities and partner institutions in the Western Balkans.