Page History

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)

Timing

1300 1300 30, Introduction & Expectations30:00 16. (, 16 1700 Strategies - Presentations by selected GÉANT NRENs: Showcasing current national strategies.
Followed by a discussion on wide-spectrum PA strategies17:00 - 17:15 Visual Arts Data Conduit (EU Work Programme Facilitator presents 15 10:45 45 Showcases 45 1245 SIG Public Affairs and Policy Workshop End (Noon-to-Noon)

Topic & Presenter
Tuesday, 27th January 2026
DAY 1: Foundation, Inspiration, and Strategy Initiation
12:00 -
12:
45	Arrival & Lunch
12:
45 - 13:
00	Welcome
and Introduction - Leonie Schäfer (DFN), Tanja Maier (GÉANT)
13:00 - 14:00	KEYNOTE: Public Affairs and Communication in the Digital Age, Mechthild Bülow (Presentation and Q&A)
14:00 - 14:
15	Coffee Break
14:15
-
15:00	Public Affairs 101: The Lobbying Game & Reputation - Presentation: Introduction to core PA concepts and reputation building (business-oriented perspective)
- Hendrik Ike
and Tanja Maier (GÉANT)
15:00 -
16:
20	NREN Public Affairs: European
Strategies Jisc: National PA Activities – Frankie Walker, David Patterson NORDUnet: PolarConnect Case Study – Ieva Muraskiene ASNET-AM: National PA Strategy – Naira Kocharyan CSC: National PA Strategy - Irina Kupiainen 15 min presentation + 5 min Q&A each, followed by a general discussion.
16:20 - 16:30	Coffee Break
16:30- 17:00
	Case Study Introductions: The Budget Axe (Political Crisis) and The
Quantum Leap (Proactive Advocacy) -
Presentation of the fictional scenarios and the task - Leonie Schäfer (DFN)
17:
00 - 18:00	GROUP WORK: Case Study – Initial Strategy Brainstorming
18:00	Close Day 1 Working Session
19:00 - 22:00	Joint Workshop Dinner at Zollpackhof (kindly sponsored by DFN)

Wednesday, 28th January 2026
DAY 2: Application, Policy Alignment, and Future Focus
9:00 - 9:45	Day 1 Recap & Finalizing Case Study - Quick recap and instruction for finalizing the lobbying and media campaign strategy
9:45 - 10:30	Strategy Presentations & Peer Challenge - Group Presentations and Challenge: Participants critique and discuss the proposed PA strategies
10:30 - 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45 - 11:15	NRENs in the Digital Agenda; Work Programmes and Calls - Different Work Programmes; HE, CEF, DEP & the Competitiveness Compass. Rates, Rules & Eligibility
- Agnieszka Stoklosa (PCSS) and Hendrik Ike (GÉANT)
11:15 - 11:
30	Interactive discussion on NREN
Use Cases - Open Discussion
11:
30 -
13:
00	Shaping the Future: Discussion of Topics for the SIG Public Affairs and Policy (PA) - Interactive Session: Defining the agenda and focus areas for the
12:45
new SIG
13:00 - 14:00	Lunch