FoSS Summer School 2025

The FoSS Summer School 2025 took place in Berlin from August 20 to 22 in cooperation with the VdK Bundesverband. The venue was the premises of the VdK Bundesverband, which accompanied and supported the summer school with great commitment. The event kicked off on Wednesday morning with a welcome from Prof. Dr. Felix Welti (FoSS spokesperson, University of Kassel) and Andreas Wallenborn (VdK Federal Managing Director) and a round of introductions for all participants.

Twelve doctoral students took part in the summer school. They came from the University of Kassel, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. On the three days of the event, the doctoral students presented their respective doctoral projects and received individual commentary on each project from the field of social law or social policy. The commentators came from the Federal Monitoring Agency for Accessibility of Information Technology, the VdK Federal Association, the working group of the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities, the German Pension Insurance Association, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband - Gesamtverband e. V., among others . Following the practical comments, the discussions on the doctoral projects provided numerous professional impulses.

The substantive program was supplemented by a varied supporting program with insights into the work of various departments of the VdK Bundesverband. The participants also visited the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband - Gesamtverband e. V. and the Va Inclusion, Rehabilitation/Participation, Digital Transformation sub-department at the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS). There they gained valuable insights into the practical work of the institutions and were able to deepen the questions they had brought with them in stimulating discussions with the experts on site. On the last day of the event, the focus was on the outstanding presentations and comments.

In addition to the technical program items, the FoSS Summer School 2025 offered numerous opportunities for personal exchange and collegial networking. Dinners together in a convivial atmosphere rounded off the program. The participants not only took away many new impressions, suggestions and ideas for their doctoral projects, but were also able to make new contacts and expand their network.

The FoSS would like to thank the Verein zur Förderung von Forschung und Wissenstransfer in Sozialrecht und Sozialpolitik e.V. and the Graduate Academy of the University of Kassel for their generous funding, the VdK Bundesverband and its employees for their dedicated support in organizing the event, as well as all commentators and doctoral candidates who attended the Summer School 2025.