Save the date: Two- day international conference in Austria on Higher Education, Research & Social mentoring

The Bertha von Suttner Private University in Austria will be organizing a two-day international conference on their campus in St. Pölten, located 30 minutes outside Vienna, in fall 2026. The conference on November 13 and 14 will particularly consider the role of higher education and research in and for social mentoring, as well as the possibilities that related programs offer for community engagement and social inclusion, among other topics.

The conference will serve as a platform to:

• discuss the results from research and development projects;

• learn about social mentoring models and developments in the field;

• exchange with stakeholders from practice and policy and the wider community; and

• expand the research network on social mentoring in Europe.

Prior to the conference, there will be an international, transdisciplinary blended learning course titled "Mentoring for Social Inclusion: Introductory Course," offered as a stand-alone blended learning program (microcredential, 5 or 6 ECTS credits, TBD). The in-person week will take place from Monday, November 9, to Saturday, November 14, 2026.

• The first four days will be dedicated to intensive group interaction.

• Days five and six will comprise the conference.

  
  

As a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) the course invites:

• students and staff from Erasmus+ partner universities, as well as

• independent applicants, including practitioners.

The conference and course are co-organized by the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership for Higher Education Development, "Mentoring for Social Inclusion in Europe: Sharing Knowledge and Building Capacity," Ment4EU for short (socialmentoring.org). The course program is based on the Ment4EU curriculum that we developed and that the NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden successfully piloted in February 2025.