Euregio Young Researcher Award 2026 | “Strong Regions. Strong Europe. together!”
In recent years, the Euregio-Days of the European Forum Alpbach have developed into a meeting place and showcase for the research landscape of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. The Euregio-Days 2026, which will take place from August 28 th to 30th in Alpbach, will explore the topic “Strong Regions. Strong Europe. together!” and focus on regional development and cross-border cooperation.
The Euregio-Days 2026 mark the 15th edition of the “Euregio Young Researcher Award”. On this occasion, young researchers from the Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino will be invited to present their research papers. This year, the topic “Strong Regions. Strong Europe. together!” will be discussed from a wide variety of perspectives. Young researchers from all scientific disciplines are invited to participate. In fact, the variety of topics can range from general perspectives on regions and regional development, ethical and administrative issues (such as strengthening regional governance or reducing administrative barriers), as well as specific application areas including regional mobility, spatial
planning, rural and urban development, and regional innovation. Against this background, the Euregio-Days 2026 aim to explore how regions can overcome borders and strengthen their role as key actors in sustainable development and European cohesion.
A high-ranking jury headed by Ulrike Tappeiner, President of the Free University of Bolzano, will select the best projects. The selected candidates will be invited to Alpbach to display their work. They will have the unique opportunity to discuss about related issues and to exchange ideas directly with renowned scientists and political leaders.
Submissions are possible in the following disciplines:
Category 1: Economics, social sciences, law, education and the humanities
Category 2: Technical sciences, natural sciences and medicine
Prizes: Each of the two categories is judged separately, with three prizes awarded per category.
1st places: € 4.500
2nd places: € 2.000
3rd places: € 1.000
Target group: Young researchers up to 35 years of age (max: 28/08/1991) who are carrying out research relevant for the topic “Strong Regions. Strong Europe. together!” and are either:
• enrolled at universities, colleges, and research institutions in the European Region or
• originally from the European Region and working at universities, colleges, and research institutions worldwide.
PROCEDURE:
Phase 1: Submission of an English-language extensive summary of the research paper (max. 15,000 characters including spaces or max. 8 pages including any graphics; line spacing 1.5; font size 12; Arial) and a current CV by April 19
th, 2026.
The English-language paper has to include the following elements:
– Summary of the main contents (including the main research questions or hypotheses, results and conclusions of the scientific paper).
– Outline of the scientific methods applied and list of basic sources
– Personal contribution (individual research/group project)
– Short description of the relation to or relevance for the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino
Phase 2: The jury, composed of relevant experts, will evaluate the submissions until June 1st, 2026; afterwards three young researchers per category will be invited to Phase 3.
Phase 3: Presentation and defense of the scientific work at the Young Researchers Working Group of the Euregio-Days during the European Forum Alpbach on Saturday, August 29th, 2026, approx. 14:00 – 17:00 (in English). The finalists will be reimbursed for their travel to Alpbach and their stay there (one night).
The evaluation of the papers by the jury in phase 3 will consider the written abstract (50% including a compensation bonus of 2.5 points for pre-docs or 2.5 points compensation discount for post-docs with more than three years from dissertation) as well as the presentation and discussion at the Young Researchers Working Group (50%).
Award: The winners will be honoured at the award ceremony on Saturday evening, 29th August 2026. All participants are also invited to the Euregio Summit of the Tyrol Day on Sunday, 30th August 2026.
