In June 2022, the 5th Young European Law Scholars Conference (YELS Conference) took place at the University of Innsbruck. This conference aims to bring together young European law researchers from across the EU to share and develop their ideas and approaches.

After the 4th YELS Conference 2021 was held online due to COVID-19, young researchers and professors from various EU Member States as well as the United Kingdom and Switzerland met again in person in Innsbruck this year. For the first time, the conference was co-organized by two universities, namely the University of Innsbruck and King's College London.

"Against the background of Brexit, the continuous and active involvement of researchers from the UK in discussions about EU law constitutes an important sign. Intensive exchange was already promoted on the evening before the conference where all participants were invited to meet for drinks at the Paninothek Innsbruck." reported Mag. Mag. Dr. Clara Rauchegger, LLM, one of the organizers of the conference.

BritInn was happy to contribute with a fund.

Read the full report by Mag. Mag. Dr. Clara Rauchegger, LLM, here:
Young European Law Scholars Conference 2022

After several postponements due to Covid-19, Prof. Christian Thomas Leitmeir from the University of Oxford was finally able to visit the University of Innsbruck. His host, Dr. Milijana Pavlović from the Department of Music Studies, was thrilled to welcome him in May 2022.

During the research visit, Prof. Leitmeir managed to intensify existing collaborations with Dr. Pavlović as well as the Brenner-Archiv and also foster new partnerships. He said he is particularly grateful to Dr. Pavlović for facilitating explorative conversations with Dr. Franz Gratl (Curator of the Music Department at the Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum) and Prof. Kurt Scharr from the Department of History and European Ethnology at the University of Innsbruck.

​Prof. Leitmeir's public guest lecture was titled ‘Mittelalter und Moderne, Zeichen und Klang: Rudolf von Ficker als Pionier praxisorientierter Forschung’ and created forum for encounters with other colleagues from the Department of Music Studies.

Unfortuntaley, the coordinators of BritInn weren't able to personally meet Prof. Leitmeir that week, because of a business trip outside of Innsbruck. Nevertheless, they were happy to hear that his visit was a great success and hope to welcome him again soon for future collaborations!

Read the full report here:
BritInn Fellow Report

​Supported by “Förderkreis 1669”

"After a year of collaborating virtually with Gertraud, it was nice and more productive to meet and
discuss in person. I therefore thank the BritInn Network for funding my stay in Innsbruck." says Dr. Benjamin Cerfontaine after his research visit to Innsbruck.
Dr. Cerfontaine was hosted by Dr. Gertraud Medicus from the Unit of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Innsbruck in July 2022. During his stay, the two researchers continued their ongoing collaboration that recently resulted in a published paper. They discussed the preparation of a poster for the ALERTGeomaterialsWorkshop, describing those results.

Dr. Cerfontaine, who is currently researchering and lecturing at the University of Southampton, gave a public guest lecture on "Centrifuge and DEM investigations into screw piles for offshore applications" on 12 July 2022. Due to Covid-19  restrictions or rather recommendations of the University of Innsbruck's rectorate, the lecture took place online. It attracted about 20 viewers, some of them from outside of Austria. The presentation was recorded and uploaded on Youtube with 56 views within a week.

If you are interested in watching the recording, you can find the link here:
Public Guest Lecture by Dr. Benjamin Cerfontaine: Centrifuge and DEM investigations into screw piles for offshore applications

BritInn was happy that the visit of Dr. Cerfontaine took place and is looking forward to hearing about new projects of the Unit of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Innsbruck in cooperation with their collegues at the University of Southampton!
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Read the full report here:
BritInn Fellow Report

​Supported by “Förderkreis 1669”

"The goal of this reserach project is to explore the cultural, economic and social topography of the book trade in the Habsburg Monarchy from 1680 until 1750. I will analyse the crucial role of foreign booksellers at these markets, with a focus on Vienna and Prague." explains Dr. Mona Garloff from the Department of History and European Ethnology at the University of Innsbruck.
Dr. Garloff visited colleagues at the University of Cambridge, including colleagues from the Cambridge New Habsburg Studies Research Network, in May 2022. She gave a guest lecture at the Centre for the Study of Global Human Movement and discussed her research project with leading experts of book history and members of the New Habsburg Studies Research Network, which enabled her to think about her second book project in new perspectives.
Moreover, Dr. Garloff was invited to publish her current research in an established series of book history. At the Cambridge University Library and various college libraries she studied a plethora of book catalogues of the Early Modern period. "These sources are important documents for my research, and it was possible for me to collect data for the application for a larger research project which I intent to conduct during a fellowship at the University of Cambridge in 2024." says Dr. Garloff.

Dr. Garloff wants to thank her hosts Dr. William O’Reilly from the Faculty of History and Dr. Jenny Mander from Newnham College, as they were extremely helpful and supportive. 

BritInn was happy to enable this research visit in Cambridge.

Read the full report here:
BritInn Fellow Report

Supported by “Förderkreis 1669”

In June 2022, Dr. Rumana Sarker visited her colleagues at the University of West England (UWE) in Bristol. As a BritInn-Fellow she used this research visit to work with Dr. Kiron Chatterjee from the Department of Geography and Environmental Management and is an eminent researcher in travel
behaviour. During her stay at UWE, she also had several meetings with other colleagues at UWE to
discuss potential research collaborations. "Dr. Chatterjee was kind enough to organize a
workplace for me at the Centre for Transport and Society (CTS) and arranged a field visit to
observe an ongoing survey in Bristol about the use of e-scooter" said Dr. Sarker when she visited the BritInn office after her research trip. 
Her guest lecture at UWE about "Green is the new black: Motives and barriers of adopting electric cars and (e-)carsharingamong the young adults in Innsbruck, Austria." was held in a hybrid form and well-attended. She had the opportunity to meet participants from different disciplines and "the
active participation of the attendees and a stimulating discussion on my lecture facilitated ideas for several future projects" said Dr. Sarker.

Read the full report here:
BritInn Fellow Report

​Supported by “Förderkreis 1669”

On 10 June 2022, the first Pscience Day (Psychology Science Day; www.affectiveneuro.at/pscienceday) at the University of Innsbruck took place! The event was organized by Prof. Carmen Morawetz from the Department of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck.
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Prof. Morawetz invited Prof. Stefan Bode, who is currently a Visiting Fellow at the University College London, to hold a keynote lecture. Prof. Bode talked about the value of non-instrumental information. In his lecture he discussed recent research work that shows how humans intrinsically value obtaining information, even if this information is costly and cannot be used to maximise rewards (i.e. the information is “non-instrumental”). Prof. Bode demonstrated that people are willing to accept different types of costs for obtaining early non-instrumental information (e.g., about the outcome of a random lottery), and that the willingness to pay for this information depends on how valuable the early resolution of uncertainty is for individual decision-makers. In his speech he also showed how the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying information valuation are linked to neural networks involved in value and conflict processing.

During his stay in Innsbruck, Prof. Bode did not only give a keynote lecture at the Pscience Day, but also discussed ongoing and planned research projects with one of his long-term collaborators, Prof. Carmen Morawetz. The two reasearchers were also able to make plans for future collaborations where other members of the Department of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck and ... are involved.

BritInn supported Prof. Bode's visit to Innsbruck with a travel grant.

Read the full report here:
Pscience Day, June 2022

Prof. J. A. Carrillo de la Plata from the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford visited Prof. Mechthild Thalhammer and her colleagues at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Innsbruck.
The joint research project of Prof. Carrillo de la Plata and Prof. Thalhammer is devoted to the development and theoretical investigation of reliable and efficient numerical integration methods for evolution equations arising in kinetic theory. The scope of relevant applications from plasma physics in particular includes the Vlasov-Maxwell-Landau system capturing both, conservation and dissipation.

During the visit of Prof. Carrillo de la Plata, the current approach was analysed and advanced in several respects. Moreover, relevant extensions to be considered in the future were discussed. His guest lecture held on May 30, 2022, included a variety of applications and illustrative examples. It was very well received and attracted numerous Mathematics and Physics students.

While in Innsbruck, Mr. Carrillo de la Plata also found time to explore the city and took a trip up to the "Nordkette" to enjoy the stunning view!

Read the full report here:
BritInn Fellow Report ​

Dr. Arthur Broadbent was delighted to finally visit Tyrol for his BritInn-Fellowship in March 2022, after multiple pandemic-related postponements. He was hosted by Prof. Michael Bahn from the Department of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck. The goal of the visit was to promote joint research and plan for future collaboration. 
Back in November 2021, Dr. Broadbent held an online guest lecture on "Effects of snow cover changes and shrub encroachment on soil communities and processed in alpine grassland" that was part of the research project. In March 2022, he was able to travel to Innsbruck and meet with his colleagues in person.
​In Innsbruck, Dr. Broadbent gave a well-attended lecture about their joint research on winter climate change and native shrub invasion impacts in alpine grasslands, which initiated an interesting discussion. He also organised and led meetings with current and future collaborators from Prof. Bahn’s lab and beyond, to discuss recent research outcomes and plan for future experiments. It was agreed that the time was right to apply for an independent research fellowship, in close collaboration with the University of Innsbruck, with multiple research avenues discussed. After the meeting, Arthur Broadbent, Michael Bahn and the project collaborators went on the search for potential new alpine field sites for future winter climate change experiments, including locations near a long-term field site at the Stubaier Gletscher (see photo below).

Read the full report here:
BritInn Fellow Report
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Es war BritInn eine große Ehre, Botschafter a.D. und Buchautor Leigh Turner als Gast in Innsbruck begrüßen zu dürfen!
Botschafter Turner hat in seinem Gastvortrag zum Thema „Diplomatie im Gepäck: 12 Lektionen aus 42 Jahren“ nicht nur aus seiner spannenden und langjährigen diplomatischen Karriere berichtet, sondern auch von seiner zweiten Karriere als Krimi- und Thriller-Autor. Der Abend wurde in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut für Politikwissenschaft organisiert und von Prof. Martin Senn moderiert.

​Geboren und aufgewachsen ist Leigh Turner in Südafrika, dann folgte die Schulzeit in Manchester und an der University of Cambridge. Nach Stationen in Wien, Moskau, Kiew, Berlin, Hong Kong, Vladivostok, Miami, Buenos Aires, Bejing, und Istanbul, war Turner von 2016 bis zu seiner Pensionierung britischer Botschafter in Österreich. Er erlebte zahlreiche historische Wendepunkte wie den Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs, die Abtretung von Hongkong an China, die Revolution in der Ukraine, den Brexit etc. hautnah und im Zentrum des jeweiligen Geschehens mit und gab angehenden Diplomaten Tipps und Lektionen mit auf den Weg.
​Interessant waren natürlich seine Einschätzungen zur aktuellen Lage in der Ukraine, der Kriegspolitik Wladimir Putins und der Lage Großbritanniens seit dem Brexit.

Ein großes Danke an Leigh Turner für den spannenden Vortrag und natürlich auch an die Kollegen vom Institut für Politikwissenschaft für die tolle Zusammenarbeit!

Hier der Link zum Podcast für alle, die den Beitrag noch anhören wollen:
Podcast 14: Diplomatie im Gepäck - 12 Lektionen aus 42 Jahren