S.T.A.R.S.

Minorities under Siege: Postcolonial and Decolonial Perspectives
2026-06-25 17:15 - 19:15 (Europe/Rome) | Eurac Research – Auditorium
“Minorities under siege: postcolonial and decolonial perspectives” is the topic of this year’s Annual Minority Rights Lecture.
The lecture will be delivered by Mohammad Shahabuddin, Professor of International Law and Human Rights at Birmingham Law School. He is renowned for his postcolonial approach particularly in regard to minority issues, ethnicity and nationalism.
The lecture will be held as part of this year’s edition of the IPSA Research CommitteesColloquium “Minorities under siege? Plural Societies Facing Plural Challenges,” hosted by Eurac Research’s Institute for Minority Rights and the Center for Autonomy Experience.

Program
5.15-7.15 p.m.
Welcome address: Andrea Carlà, Institute for Minority Rights, Eurac Research
Speaker: Mohammad Shahabuddin, Birmingham Law School
Moderator: Timofey Agarin, Queen’s University Belfast
The UN estimates that 10 to 20 percent of the world’s population belong to minorities, which means that according to the OHCHR, UN Guide for Minorities, a vast number of people are in need of special measures for the protection of their rights. Minorities, even as a large portion of global population, are exposed to risks in which they often experience intense political, economic, and cultural pressure exerted by dominant majorities in their own states.
The Annual Minority Rights lecture examines the proposition of minorities under siege through postcolonial, economic, and conceptual lenses. Together, these three dimensions highlight how postcoloniality, as a phenomenon, transcends postcolonial states and continues to shape majority-minority relations on a global scale.
This is especially evident in the very conceptualization of the minority as a manifestation of hegemonic power relations. Viewed in this way, the postcolonial siege of the minority provides a useful normative framework for understanding the precarious position of minorities even within advanced Western democracies.
Against this backdrop, the lecture also offers insights on how contemporary discourses on minority rights might be decolonized.
Language: English
Event website: https://www.eurac.edu/en/events/institute-for-minority-rights/minorities-under-siege-postcolonial-and-decolonial-perspectives

Common Frames: People, Planet, Bikes
2026-07-01 - 2026-07-07 | UNIBZ, E3.20 Universitätsplatz 1 - piazza Università, 1, Bolzano - Bozen, South Tyrol, Italy
While Bolzano ranks as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Italy, the daily reality of traffic, air pollution, and road safety highlights how much work is still left to do.
The Competence Centre for Sustainability and the Faculty of Design and Art of unibz present “Common Frames”, an unconference exploring how bicycles can inspire more sustainable, social, and imaginative public spaces. Through an exhibition, short movie screenings, hands-on repair, and collective futuring sessions, the event brings together designers, artists, researchers, activists, citizens and cyclists to experiment with low-tech, open-source tools for ecological care and urban transformation.
While Bolzano ranks as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Italy, the daily reality of traffic, air pollution, and road safety highlights how much work is still left to do. A truly fair mobility transition is urgent, and cycling offers real solutions for public health, air quality, and social connection. The event asks a critical question regarding what role scientific and research institutions should play in promoting soft mobility. Universities are well positioned to develop and test ways of living together, yet there is still a noticeable gap in strong mobility management. By looking closely at unibz and its partner organizations, the unconference examines what can be improved in mobility offers for both their own communities and the wider city.
‚Common Frames‘ kicks off with a seven-day Art and Design Exhibition stretching across the university corridor. This showcase brings together bike-related works from students, researchers, designers, artists, and producers, featuring sculpture and graphic design, product concepts and stories from bike culture. The cultural exploration deepens with a dedicated opening event featuring a book presentation about the life of an influential figure in the Italian bike industry, followed by a curated selection of short films about cycling.
Moving from inspiration to action, the unconference hosts a futuring workshop ‚Bike to the Future‘. The session begins with short keynote talks highlighting real-world examples of soft mobility concepts. The participatory workshop brings stakeholders and citizens together to discuss and develop future scenarios. Define how research institutions can take a proactive lead in local bike mobility. Finally, visitors are invited to learn practical, everyday skills through a DIY Bike Repair Workshop. This open session invites everyone to bring their bikes, learn basic maintenance, share tools, and gain the skills to care for their bicycles autonomously. By joining ‚Common Frames‘, participants will help build new networks, share practical knowledge, and shape forward-thinking mobility concepts.
Event website: https://www.unibz.it/en/events/common-frames-people-planet-bikes

ReNoN Project Workshop 2026
2026-07-10 08:00 - 17:30 | UNIBZ – B1.1.01 – NOI Techpark, via Volta-Voltastrasse 13/A, Bolzano/Bozen, South Tyrol, 39100, Italy
Powering the future through smarter, connected energy systems—discover how integrated networks can accelerate Europe’s path to climate neutrality
The ReNON Workshop 2026 aims to explore advanced methodologies, planning strategies and optimization tools supporting the transition towards decarbonized and resilient energy systems.
Achieving the European carbon neutrality targets by 2050 requires a profound transformation of traditionally independent infrastructures such as electricity grids, district heating networks, water systems, transportation and energy storage. In this context, the ReNON project introduces the “Network of Networks” paradigm, promoting the coordinated integration of multi-energy systems and the active involvement of prosumers and energy communities.
Event website: ReNoN Project Workshop 2026 / Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Brixner Philosophietage 2026
2026-08-31 - 2026-09-01 | Phil.-Theol. Hochschule Brixen, Seminarplatz 4, Piazza del Seminario 4, Brixen, Bressanone, Bozen, 39042, Italy
Die Brixner Philosophietage beleuchten ökologische, soziale und ökonomische Entwicklungen im alpinen Raum aus philosophischer und ethischer Perspektive.
Sie richten sich an ein breiteres Publikum und möchten die gesellschaftspolitische Diskussion bereichern.

Tourismus im Spannungsfeld zwischen Genuss und Belastung der Natur Perspektiven für einen verantwortungsvollen und nachhaltigen Tourismus

Program: Flyer_PhilosophieTage_einzeln.pdf
Anmeldung: https://form.jotform.com/261513707588363
Website der Veranstaltung: Brixner Philosophietage | PTH Brixen

Colloquium Platform Biodiversity South Tyrol - Dal campo all’ algoritmo: innovazioni nel monitoraggio della biodiversità in Alto Adige
2026-09-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Museum of Nature South Tyrol, Via Bottai, Bindergasse 1, Bolzano/Bozen, South Tyrol, 39100, Italy
Vortrag in Zusammenarbeit mit EURAC und der Platform Biodiversität Südtirol – Conferenza in collaborazione con EURAC e Piattaforma biodiveristà Alto Adige
I programmi di monitoraggio della biodiversità, e in particolare quelli dedicati agli uccelli, si sono evoluti notevolmente negli ultimi anni. In molti casi, il tradizionale lavoro sul campo è stato sostituito dall’uso di algoritmi e intelligenza artificiale. Tecnologie innovative, come il monitoraggio acustico passivo (PAM), che utilizza registratori per catturare i canti degli uccelli e identificarli successivamente, stanno diventando sempre più diffuse nel campo dell’ecologia. Il loro principale vantaggio risiede nel volume di dati che sono in grado di generare e nell’arco temporale che coprono; tuttavia, tale volume solleva anche altre questioni e i risultati devono essere interpretati con cautela.
Dato che un numero crescente di programmi di monitoraggio sta adottando il PAM, è essenziale comprendere in che misura esso sia paragonabile al monitoraggio tradizionale. Per questo motivo, nel 2024 l’Istituto per l’Ambiente Alpino ha integrato il monitoraggio acustico passivo degli uccelli nel BMS (Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol). Effettuando sia i tradizionali punti di ascolto sia l’installazione di registratori sul campo, cerchiamo di comprendere quanto siano efficaci questi nuovi e innovativi metodi di monitoraggio. Dopo tre anni di studio, abbiamo confrontato gli indici di diversità ricavati dai due metodi di monitoraggio e ne abbiamo analizzato i risultati.
Sebbene questa presentazione si concentrerà principalmente sugli uccelli, il relatore illustrerà anche nuovi sistemi di monitoraggio per altri gruppi di organismi, come le falene e i pipistrelli. L’obiettivo è quello di far conoscere queste nuove tecnologie e di discutere in modo critico il loro utilizzo e il ruolo degli ecologi tradizionali in futuro.
Lingua: italiano
Event website: Calendario eventi – Naturmuseum Südtirol

International Workshop on “Advances in flexible (bio)electronics”
2026-09-14 09:00 - 19:30 | NOI Techpark, B1.0.14 (Aula Magna); B1.0.37 (Foyer), via Volta-Voltastrasse 13/A, Bolzano/Bozen, South Tyrol, 39100, Italy
Sensing technologies, flexible and printed (bio)electronics, advanced micro-fabrication techniques.
he international event will feature invited talks by researchers and local stakeholders in the field of micro- and nanoelectronics, with particular focus on sensing technologies, sustainable solutions enabled by printing technologies, and interdisciplinary research involving physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience and materials science.
A poster session will be dedicated to the activities of the Sensing Technology Laboratory and to the new Micro-Char LAB infrastructure enabled by EFRE-FESR funds.
Program: Workshop_Micro-Char-LAB_Program.pdf
Registration: International Workshop on “Advances in flexible (bio)electronics” – Login
Event website: International Workshop on “Advances in flexible (bio)electronics” / Free University of Bozen-Bolzano

Seeding the Future - High Quality Education and Care for 0–6 Children
2026-09-22 - 2026-09-26 | Hybrid Event – Online & unibz Bressanone/Brixen Campus
Seeding the Future is an international pedagogical week held on the Bressanone campus, at the Faculty of Education of unibz.
“Seeding the Future” evokes the idea of “sowing seeds” today in order to make tomorrow’s future possible: early childhood education and care are in fact among the most decisive foundations for the development of individuals, communities, and society as a whole.
The initiative aims to promote shared reflection on the quality of early childhood education and care, fostering dialogue between scientific perspectives, educational policies, and good practices in the field of 0–6 educational services.
The objectives of the initiative are to:

promote investment in high-quality 0–6 education as a strategic choice and a long-term investment for the society of the future;
strengthen dialogue between the university, early childhood education services, professionals in the field, families, and local stakeholders;
deepen the discussion on quality in ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care) services, with reference to wellbeing, inclusion, languages, participation, democratic citizenship, and sustainability;
enhance local educational experiences through visits, workshops, and moments of shared reflection;
promote an interdisciplinary and systemic approach to early childhood education, attentive to contexts, relationships, and the lived experiences of children;support parenting by fostering educational alliances between schools and families and by valuing the role of everyday life contexts in children’s development.

The programme includes international keynote lectures, thematic workshops, visits to educational services with specific profiles, activities in the EduSpaces laboratories of unibz, and moments of engagement open to the wider community.
The initiative is addressed to a broad and diverse audience: researchers, educators in 0–6 services, teachers, university students, professionals in the educational sector, policy makers, and families.
Event website: https://www.unibz.it/en/events/seeding-the-future-high-quality-education-and-care-for-06-children

Bridging Levels and Voices: Public Participation in EU Climate Governance
2026-10-14 11:30 - 13:00 | Hybrid on MS Teams and Eurac Research, Conference Hall, Drususallee 1/Viale Druso 1, Bolzano/Bozen, South Tyrol, 39100, Italy
The event is part of the “Lecture Series on Social-Ecological Transformation – 2026 Edition”

This year’s lecture series, taking place on May 13th, June 10th, and October 14th, will explore key dimensions of socioecological transformation in the context of climate change.
Socio-ecological transformation requires continuous dialogue, meaningful participation, and strong institutional commitment across all levels of governance.
The first lecture examines climate citizens’ assemblies as bottom-up initiatives within participatory democracy, highlighting their potential to foster more inclusive and democratic climate decision-making. In addition, it will investigate limitations in advancing environmental justice and challenges to ensuring that deliberative outcomes are effectively integrated into governance and institutional processes.
The second lecture investigates conflict as a driver of transformation, focusing on how tensions among actors can generate knowledge, perspectives, and more equitable solutions.
The third lecture broadens the perspective to public participation in climate governance, emphasizing both its promises and limitations across different institutional contexts.

11:30

Welcome and introduction
Lydia Pedoth, Center for Climate Change and Transformation, Eurac Research Mariachiara Alberton, Institute for Comparative Federalism, Eurac Research

11:30-12:00

Public participation in EU climate governance: promise and limitations
Prof. Sebastian Oberthür, Director of the Research Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy, and Professor for Environment and Sustainable Development at the Brussels School of Governance
Public participation in environmental decision-making is widely considered a core element of ‘environmental democracy’. It has also been heralded as a major remedy for the EU’s ‘democratic deficit’. Yet, public participation can take many forms and can produce outcomes of varying quality. This talk will take stock of what we know about how public participation can contribute to addressing the societal challenge of climate change and which factors support or undermine meaningful participation. On this basis, it will review mechanisms of public participation available for EU climate governance and how to enhance their effectiveness.

12:00-12:30

Climate Pact Ambassadors: Bridging Europe’s Governance Levels
Prof. Jale Tosun, Professor of Political Science, University of Heidelberg
As an outcome of the European Green Deal, European Climate Pact Ambassadors (ECPAs) were established to promote climate action within their networks at both a local and an EU level. This lecture focuses on the volunteers who commit to the role of ECPA and unpacks who steps up, how they advocate for policy change and what they experience along the way. Bridging political sociology, policy analysis and multi-level governance, the lecture offers a rare insight into EU-level civic participation.

12:30-13:00

Open discussion
Moderation: Mariachiara Alberton, Eurac Research
Language: English (no translation will be provided)
Registration: no registration required
Program: 1778161029-lectureseries-2026.pdf
Event website: Lecture Series on Social-Ecological Transformation – 2026 Edition – Eurac Research
Connection link: MS Teams

Eurac Research to Host the 14th Annual Conference of the Italian Society for Climate Sciences (SISC)
2026-11-02 - 2026-11-04 | Eurac Research, Drususallee 1/Viale Druso 1 – Italy, Bolzano/Bozen, Italy
Eurac Research will host the 14th Annual Conference of the Italian Society for Climate Sciences (SISC) in Bolzano from 2 to 4 November 2026, bringing the international climate science community to the heart of the Alps.
the Italian Society for Climate Sciences (SISC) will take place in Bolzano from 2 to 4 November 2026, hosted at the Eurac Research premises.
SISC is one of the leading interdisciplinary platforms in Italy dedicated to the study of climate change, its impacts, and related policies. The annual conference brings together scientists, researchers, economists, practitioners, business leaders, and policymakers working across different dimensions of climate science and climate action. The official language of the conference will be English.
The 2026 edition aims to foster dialogue across disciplines and sectors, encouraging the exchange of new research results, methodological advances, and practical experiences in the science and management of climate change. Hosting the conference in Bolzano underscores the importance of mountain and Alpine regions as key laboratories for understanding climate impacts and developing adaptation and mitigation strategies.
IMPORTANT DATES
– Deadline for abstract submission: 29 May 2026
– Notification of abstract acceptance and participation grants: 15 July 2025
– Deadline for registration for presenting author to be included in the programme: 11 Sep 2026
– Preliminary programme: Early October
By hosting SISC 2026, Eurac Research strengthens its role as an international hub for climate research and dialogue, and looks forward to welcoming the climate science community to Bolzano
More information on the conference website: https://www.sisclima.it/conferenza-annuale-2026/
