Spring School 2025 | Feature your future

Feature Your Future: Envisioning Research Culture in 2050  

The digital and international Spring School, "Feature Your Future: Envisioning Research Culture in 2050," is a unique opportunity for doctoral candidates and advanced Master's students to explore and shape the future of research. As emerging researchers, you will be at the forefront of academia and societal development by 2050, but securing a stable position in this rapidly evolving landscape is challenging. To succeed, it is essential to understand how research culture will transform over the next 25 years.

This interdisciplinary programme is designed to equip you with the future oriented and forward-thinking competencies needed to navigate and influence these changes. Over three days, you will engage with expert keynotes, participate in interactive workshops on predictive methods like strategic foresight and scenario development, and connect with peers in dynamic networking events. These experiences will empower you to anticipate future shifts in research culture, strategically position yourself in your field, and actively contribute to shaping the research landscape and broader societal development.

Understanding and adapting to the evolving research environment will not only enhance your current practice but also expand your career prospects both within academia and beyond. Join us to become a versatile, forward-thinking pioneer capable of driving innovation, policy-making, and strategic decision-making in the research community of tomorrow.

The Spring School will support you to develop:

Futures Thinking Competencies

• Develop an understanding of global trends and transformation theories.
• Become familiar with various methods for developing future scenarios.
• Learn to recognize and consider diverse perspectives on the future.
• Gain the ability to draw insights from past changes using predictive methods.
• Be equipped to explore and create future scenarios for research culture.

Intercultural Collaboration Competence

• Foster an understanding and appreciation of diverse worldviews.
• Build confidence in engaging effectively and appropriately in global discussions.
• Increase sensitivity to different forms of cooperation and communication across cultures.

Kick-Off

Join us for a mandatory Kick-off event on Wednesday, 19 February 2025, from 1.00 PM to 5.00 PM (CET) via Leuphana Zoom. This four-hour session will be your first step towards engaging with the Spring School. During the event, you will connect with fellow participants, familiarize yourself with the virtual learning environment, and discuss your expectations for the programme. We are going to work on collaborative learning guidelines to ensure a supportive and inclusive atmosphere throughout the Spring School. Additionally, we will conduct a technical check-up to ensure you are fully prepared.

Following the Kick-off, you will engage with the Spring School theme through reflection activities and readings. You will complete reflective prompts and write a blog post on a topic related to research culture and scenario development methods, to be discussed during the main event.

Spring School

The Spring School, scheduled from Wednesday, 2 April to Friday, 4 April 2025 from 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM (CEST), will be held digitally via Zoom, with continued interaction and resource sharing through MSTeams. The event starts with a welcoming session from partner institutions and features a series of international guest speakers exploring critical themes for the future of research culture. These talks will cover the role of narratives in transformation, how pragmatism can help in developing scenarios for future, and current trends that shape research culture.

You will engage in an intensive eight-hour workshop by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies on stragegic foresight methods, along with two shorter workshops focused on methods for developing future scenarios. Reflective spaces will provide opportunities for peer networking and exchange, while Career Talks will facilitate informal discussions with senior academics about international career prospects. The programme will also include warm-up and closing sessions to reflect on learning and prepare for future endeavours.

The extended programme (soon to be released) provides detailed information on content, speakers and schedule of the Spring School.

The Spring School is credited with 5 CP (CP = credit points; 150 hours of workload). You are expected to engage actively in all events, activities and help make the Spring School a non-judging, welcoming and great experience for everyone.

Workload per activity

¹Your achievements will be recognised in consultation with your home institutions. Grading of the assignment and the final examination will be specified individually by the partner institutions (see table assignments). ² Leuphana doctoral candidates and Master's students: The 5 CP can be credited for either the Master's complementary studies or the doctoral courses. After your application has been accepted you will be invited to MyStudy events where you can enrol for the programme officially and get credited on MyCampus for your achievements.

General information on certificates and assignments

Your performance will be assessed according to learning objectives of the Spring School.

There are two certificates that can be awarded to the participants: a) certificate of participation and b) certificate of  achievements (equals 5 ECTS).

The performance examination consists of two assignments that need to be completed with pass to achieve the certificate of achievement (equals 5 ECTS points).

Detailed information regarding the certificates, format of the assignments and examination period will be given and explained to the participants at the Kick-off event. 

Overview of the assignments

Assessment criteria for written assignments

The deadline for posting the blog post on MSTeams is Sunday, 30th of March, not later than 11:59 pm CEST.

The deadline for submitting the written report is Sunday, 15 June 2025, not later than 11:59 pm CEST.

The application process starts on Monday, 21 October 2024 at 10.00 AM CET on this website.

The application deadline is Sunday, 1 December 2024, not later than 11.59 PM CET. 

The following section will give you the details on the application process and the required documents.

The Spring School aims at advanced Master's students (from the second Master's semester onwards) and doctoral candidates from the participating universities. The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 44.

You need to be enrolled in study programmes at one of the participating institutions. Other requirements include taking an active part in all Spring School activities, writing a blog post on the Spring School theme discussed with your peers in the reflective sessions, and writing a reflection report on your experiences. All questions regarding the assignments will be explained in a FAQ session during the kick-off. The event language is English. You must be able to follow the talks and participate in the workshops and write your final report in English.

A complete application includes the following documents: 

Application form: Completed digital application form.  

Letter of admission: The status can be proven by a letter of admission from the respective university or, where this is not possible, by a letter from the supervising professor.  

Letter of motivation: Applicants need to apply with a letter of motivation (Maximum: 1000 words) that explains your motivation for participating in the spring school and your academic career ideas. It should not just mirror your CV. The letter should be personal and describe who you are, your motivation, and why you think the Spring School programme will help your career development. You may reply to the following questions: Who are you? Why do you want to engage in the Spring School? What are you expecting to learn? Why is the Spring School helpful for your career development and education? What qualities do you bring to the spring school? The selection to the Spring School depends on an excellent motivation letter.

CV: The CV should tell us the highlights of your education and professional experience relevant to the Spring School in a maximum of four pages. The highlights should connect the motivation letter to the spring school theme. English CV format is required.  

Language skills: Applicants must confirm that they are fluent in English to follow and actively participate in all Spring School activities. 

The application process starts on Tuesday, 15 October, 2024 at 10.00 AM CET. The application deadline is Sunday, 1 December 2024, not later than 11.59 PM CET. 

The selection is performed individually by each institution. Applications are managed centrally at Leuphana University. Letter of acceptance will be sent out two weeks after the application deadline to the successful applicants.