In April 2026, members of the PGMT lab and the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen hosted a new Erasmus+ Blended-Intensive Programme (BIP) under the theme “Challenges and Futures of the Governance of Platforms and AI”. Developed from late Fall 2024 onward and led by PGMT members, Dr. Rebecca Scharlach and Dr. Dennis Redeker, the week-long program brought together around 35 students, instructors and researchers from across Europe. It was held from 20-24 April, and has been complemented by virtual sessions before and after the mobility phase. It was organized in collaboration with the partner institutions University of Antwerp, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya; the BIP strengthens teaching and networking within the YUFE Alliance. This YUFE BIP was designed as an innovative, interdisciplinary, and research-based teaching format, building on ZeMKI’s and partners’ strengths with blended education.
In addition to the organizing institutions, participants in this YUFE BIP joined from two additional YUFE partners – the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Cyprus, and from ZeMKI partner Dublin City University as well as Erasmus University Rotterdam. Including local students of the University of Bremen’s BA in Media and Communication, a total of 33 students participated in the BIP. They were welcomed by nine instructors across the organizing universities. To bring in a practical perspective on platform governance, two representatives of Maltese company ADROIT – former ZeMKI research interns Manuel Baron Romero and Gabriel Durán, joined to explain the Out-of-Court Dispute Settlement (ODS) mechanism under Article 21 of the EU Digital Services Act.
During the in-person phase in Bremen students engaged in lectures, discussions, and collaborative group work focused on the governance of digital platforms and artificial intelligence. Participants explored key issues, ranging from platform power, to gaining a technical understanding of AI systems, to discussing European regulatory frameworks, specifically the Digital Services Act and the AI Act. The programme emphasized a transdisciplinary perspective, integrating insights from media and communication studies, political science, law, ethics and economics, all addressing questions of tech governance.
The YUFE BIP also fostered the development of transversal skills essential for academic and professional contexts. Students gained experience in public speaking, teamwork within intercultural and international settings, and in interdisciplinary backgrounds. The blended format, combining virtual and in-person elements, further strengthened collaborative learning across academic disciplines.
A central component of the program was a collaborative, policy-oriented group research project conducted in inter-institutional and interdisciplinary teams. Participants investigated contemporary governance challenges related to platforms and AI, addressing questions of power, regulation, and societal impact. Through case studies and evidence-based analysis, students developed practical recommendations and presented their findings during final presentations held on the last day of the in-person component. In addition, participants have the opportunity to submit extended research papers, further deepening their engagement and exploration with current policy debates.
The organization of the BIP occurred jointly by organizing committee members from the participating universities, specifically the University of Bremen’s Rebecca Scharlach, Dennis Redeker, Kiho Oshima, Christian Katzenbach and Paloma Viejo Otero, the University of Antwerp’s Feyisayo Lari-Williams, Anne Oloo and Jan Blockx, the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid’s Lucía Cores-Sarría, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya’s Marta Lopera Marmol, the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle’s Zach Bastick and Utrecht University’s Rianne Riemens. The funding to explore the possibility of a YUFE BIP on the topic has been provided by the University of Bremen YUFE institutional coordinator. The organization would not have been possible without the tireless work of Bremen’s YUFE and International Office representatives Barbara Hasenmüller, Mathias Bücken, Svenja Renner, Philipp Baur and many more, as well as all partners’ international offices and YUFE coordinators.
YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of Europe) is a European University Alliance of ten young, research-oriented universities, selected by the European Commission to build a new model of a joint European university. It aims to create an inclusive, student-centered higher education system that promotes collaboration, mobility, and societal impact across Europe.
More information, including additional photos can be found on the website: