Jointly organised by the GÉANT Special Interest Group Public Affairs and Policy (SIG PA) and the GN5-2 Task 'Policy Engagement'.
Theme: Navigating the Digital Landscape: Stakeholder Engagement for National Research and Education Networks (NRENs)
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Tuesday, 27th January 2026 | |
DAY |
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1: Foundation, Inspiration, and Strategy Initiation |
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12:00 - 12:45 | Arrival & Lunch |
12:45 |
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- 13: |
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00 |
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| Welcome and Introduction - Leonie Schäfer (DFN), Tanja Maier (GÉANT) | |
13:00 - 14:00 | KEYNOTE: Public Affairs and Communication in the Digital Age |
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| , Mechthild Bülow (Presentation and Q&A) |
14: |
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00 - 14:15 |
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| Coffee Break | |
14:15 |
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- |
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15:00 |
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| Public Affairs 101: The Lobbying Game & Reputation |
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| - Presentation: Introduction to core PA concepts and reputation building (business-oriented perspective) |
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| - Hendrik Ike |
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| and Tanja Maier (GÉANT) |
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15:00 - |
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16: |
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20 |
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| NREN Public Affairs: European |
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Strategies
15 min presentation + 5 min Q&A each, followed by a general discussion. | |
16:20 - 16:30 | Coffee Break |
16:30- 17:00 |
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| Case Study Introductions: The Budget Axe (Political Crisis) and The |
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| Quantum Leap (Proactive Advocacy) - Presentation of the fictional scenarios and the task - Leonie Schäfer (DFN) |
17: |
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00 - 18:00 |
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| GROUP WORK: Case Study – Initial Strategy Brainstorming | |
18:00 | Close Day 1 Working Session |
19:00 - 22:00 | Joint Workshop Dinner |
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| at Zollpackhof (kindly sponsored by DFN) | |
| Wednesday, 28th January 2026 | |
| DAY 2: Application, Policy Alignment, and Future Focus | |
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9:00 - 9:45 |
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| Day 1 Recap & Finalizing Case Study |
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| - Quick recap and instruction for finalizing the lobbying and media campaign strategy |
9:45 - 10:30 |
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| Strategy Presentations & Peer Challenge |
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| - Group Presentations and Challenge: Participants critique and discuss the proposed PA strategies | |
10:30 - 10:45 | Coffee Break |
10:45 - 11:15 |
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| NRENs in the Digital Agenda; Work Programmes and Calls |
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| - Different Work Programmes; HE, CEF, DEP & the Competitiveness Compass. Rates, Rules & Eligibility |
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| - Agnieszka Stoklosa (PCSS) and Hendrik Ike (GÉANT) |
11:15 - 11: |
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30 | Interactive discussion on NREN |
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| Use Cases - Open Discussion |
11: |
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30 - |
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| - Interactive Session: Defining the agenda and focus areas for the |
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| new SIG | |
13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch |
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Date
The meeting
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took place on
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27-28 January 2026, hosted by
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DFN in Berlin, Germany
Venue/Location
Alexanderplatz 1
10178 Berlin, Germany
Google maps link:
| Google Maps | ||
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Accommodation/recommended hotels
The list of recommendations:
Remote participation
Will be possible. Details will follow after registration.
Registration
Please register via events.geant.org
For any questions, please email schaefer@dfn.de
Park Inn Berlin
https://www.parkinn-berlin.de/
Motel One Alexanderplatz
https://www.motel-one.com/de/hotels/berlin/hotel-berlin-alexanderplatz/
Premier Inn Alexanderplatz
https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/germany/berlin/berlin/berlin-alexanderplatz.html
Hampton by Hilton
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/berhxhx-hampton-berlin-city-centre-alexanderplatz/
Workshop Impressions
Have a look at some impressions from our workshop!
Theme: Navigating the Digital Landscape: Stakeholder Engagement for National Research and Education Networks (NRENs)
Duration: Two Half-Days (Noon-to-Noon)
Venue: DFN Berlin Office, Berlin, Germany
Dates: January 27th – 28th, 2026
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DAY 1: Foundation, Inspiration, and Strategy Initiation
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DAY 2: Application, Policy Alignment, and Future Focus
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