Are you a PhD student in Humanities and Social Sciences interested in European studies? Is your thesis related to any of the scientific challenges of the Institute for european and global studies Alliance Europa ? Are you interested in solving local issues in an interdisciplinary and international team? Discovering the work of a consultant? Meeting local actors of the Pays de la Loire region: public institutions, associations, companies?

Five days, from 20th to 24th June, 2022.

Presentation

Are you a PhD student in Humanities and Social Sciences interested in European studies? Is your thesis related to any of the scientific challenges of the Institute for european and global studies Alliance Europa ? Do you understand English and French and have a perfect oral and written command of one of these two languages? Are you interested in : Solving local issues in an interdisciplinary and international team? Discovering the work of a consultant? Meeting local actors of the Pays de la Loire region: public institutions, associations, companies?

For five days, you will take on the role of consultant to offer a new multidisciplinary perspective to local stakeholders: public institutions, private organisations, associations, and the media of the Pays de la Loire region. You will formulate a diagnosis providing answers to the local stakeholder on issues related to :

• Lobbying and networking strategies to participate in and influence European policies
• Ways of seizing European opportunities locally
• Raising awareness about Europe on a local and regional scale.

The June Summerschool will offer the opportunity for European PhD students to adopt the skills of consultants and work on a real issue faced by local stakeholders in matter of European integration. Local stakeholders (public institution, firm, NGO) will get feedbacks from a pluridisciplinary team to rethink links between their activities and European governance.

Context

Since the 1980s, the increased impact of local and regional stakeholders in European integration has been facilitated by major developments such as the acceleration of the globalisation process which has gradually eroded the state's monopoly as the only legitimate actor in foreign policy. Along with the emergence of a transnational society that transcends borders, the processes of decentralization or devolution of powers has widened the previously limited opportunities of subnational authorities in terms of international relations.

At the same time, the European Union instituted a system of multi-level governance in which local and regional authorities intervened, in a more or less close relationship with the States. The development of EU policies and their funding raised the stakes for territorial policies and for all political and socio-economic actors. Actor networks therefore become a mode of action for influencing policies and decisions likely to impact them.

The numerous crises on the continent have not weakened the process. On the contrary, they offer up an opportunity to shift our vision of Europe by increasing citizen participation, including at the local level, by relying on dynamic civil societies. Local and regional authorities can innovate in raising awareness, information, and communication policies on Europe to facilitate populations taking ownership of it.

This interdisciplinary field of research allows for a different approach to the study of European integration, which not only factors in a bottom-up approach but also broadens the scope of actors, leaving behind one primarily centered on capital cities and European institutions. There are many specificities and territorial singularities in Europe, but the study of European actions, policies and strategies of actors in Nantes and the Loire region, in a territory that has seen the birth of many citizen initiatives, will be part of a comparative vision thanks to the international nature of our Summer school.

Programme

15 to 20 international doctoral students accompanied by academics in humanities and social sciences will meet for five days to take on a mission from a local player and to help them advance their thinking in relation to the European dimension of their activity.

Our participative and innovative model will be conducive to exchanges between doctoral students working in the field of European and international studies and non-academic actors to develop new professional skills in consulting for the socio-economic world, the media, civil society and local authorities.

The programme does not require expertise in European governance but does require a curiosity for interdisciplinarity and the non-academic world. A reading work before the Summerschool will be required. The work and the debates will be in English and French.

The detailed programme will be updated on the Institute’s website.

Application

The registration form filled in, with attached required documents has to be sent before the 18th March, 2022

at the following email address: innovation-alliance-europa@univ-nantes.fr .

Documents to add to your application

• a cover letter explaining your motivations to attend the Summerschool
• a detailed CV
• a presentation of the ongoing thesis (2 to 3 pages)

Organisers

Alliance Europa is a Research-Training-Innovation programme led by Nantes University and supported by the Pays de la Loire region and Nantes Metropole.  Through the Institute for European and Global Studies and the European Ideas Factory, Alliance Europa develops research in Human and Social sciences on societal challenges in Europe and promotes meetings between actors in the Loire region to find innovative collective solutions to approach Europe differently. 

The scientific committee is composed of Michel Catala, Director of the Institute for European and Global Studies (CRHIA Nantes University) and Arnauld Leclerc Director of the TEN Jean Monnet Chair project and professor at Nantes University.

The organisers will select about 20 doctoral students based on the motivation of the candidates and the quality of their application.  

Pratical information

The travel and accommodation expenses of the selected doctoral students will be covered by the organiser. Meals are at the expense of the PhD students. A certificate of participation in the event will be given to you at the end of your stay. For PhD students from the Pays de la Loire, this training’s credits will be validated by the regional doctoral schools.