CBSS Summer University 2026 in Gdańsk

Organised within the framework of the YoPeNET-Futures project, the Summer University will focus on how societies across the Baltic Sea Region can respond to current and emerging challenges while building more sustainable, secure, and resilient futures. Against the backdrop of geopolitical instability, climate pressures, and democratic challenges, the programme will explore new opportunities for innovation, cooperation, and meaningful youth participation.

The Summer University will examine key questions related to future-oriented governance, societal resilience, and democratic security in the Baltic Sea Region. Participants will engage with topics including democratic resilience, civil security and governance in times of uncertainty, youth involvement in regional and transnational decision-making, disinformation and hybrid threats, digital challenges, and strategic foresight for policymaking.

Through lectures, seminars, workshops, and study visits, participants will work across disciplines such as social sciences, political science, sociology, and futures research. The programme’s interactive and participatory approach will encourage collaboration, critical reflection, and the co-creation of future scenarios and policy-oriented solutions.

Hosted in Gdańsk—a city with a rich history of civic engagement, dialogue, and European cooperation—the Summer University will provide a space for exchange between academia, policymakers, and civil society. Participants will strengthen their understanding of the Baltic Sea Region as a political, social, and cultural space while developing skills in strategic foresight, policy analysis, and collaborative knowledge production.

The CBSS Summer University 2026 is organised by the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Zatoka Foundation, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO) at the University of Greifswald, the University of Gdańsk, the Centre for Landscape and Culture at Tallinn University, Busola Trends, the European Solidarity Centre, and Södertörn University, in cooperation with other YoPeNET-Futures project partners.