International PhD Summer School Combines Digital Education and International Collaboration

How can international collaboration, digital transformation, and doctoral education be combined across borders? These were the questions addressed at the 19th International PhD Summer School “Education & Technology”, which took place in Dresden from September 14 to 18, 2026.

The Summer School was jointly organized by the Center for Open Digital Innovation and Participation (CODIP) at the TUD Dresden University of Technology and the Internationale Hochschule (IU). International researchers and doctoral students gathered for workshops, research presentations, and discussions on current approaches and developments in digital and hybrid education.

Key topics included perspectives on education in a hybrid world, the promotion of cognitive and non-cognitive skills through digital platforms, and the use of AI-powered chatbots to support educators in developing teaching formats. In addition, the doctoral candidates presented their research in poster sessions as part of the GeNeMe conference.

The Summer School was a highlight of the “Hybrid PhD Education and Research” (Hy-PER) project, a bilateral collaboration between TU Dresden and EPOKA University in Albania. The DAAD-funded project is coordinated at CODIP by Dr. Mattis Altmann. The project further develops approaches to hybrid doctoral education and aims, among other things, to strengthen the exchange between academia and civil society in the Western Balkans.

© Johanna Spirling

Another component of Hy-PER was a public panel discussion that took place as part of the Summer School. The discussion focused on the role of civil society in the further development of higher education, international cooperation, and the developing future skills. Discussions also addressed how universities, local governments, and civil society stakeholders can work together to create sustainable structures for knowledge and skills development.

The Summer School builds on a collaboration between TUD and EPOKA University that has developed over several years. A recent article in the DAADeuroletter provides a more detailed insight into the development of this partnership and its activities to date: https://www.daadeuroletter.de/mit-austausch-auf-dem-weg-in-die-eu/

The Hy-PER project is funded by the DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst through the funding program “Hochschuldialog mit den Ländern des westlichen Balkans”.