A resoundingly successful second edition of the BIP!
These students took part in a week of activities and courses focused on a current topic: the communication of the European Union in the context of the European elections of June 2024.
Initiated by Nicolas Baygert, professor at IHECS and director of the Protagoras laboratory, the programme attracted many participants from the University of Wrocław, FHWien (Vienna University of Applied Sciences for Management and Communication) and the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, all partners of the programme. Students from the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, also responded.
In total, IHECS welcomed 37 participants throughout the week. These students were able to explore Brussels and discover the various players in the European institutional sphere.
Before this immersive week in Brussels, participants had already been able to familiarise themselves with the BIP theme by making presentations during an online session two weeks earlier. Find the recording of the seminar here.
To kick off this intense week, the students attended the Friday afternoon introductory session at IHECS that included a keynote speech by Gilles Pittoors, a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University and political analyst at the European Parliament Research Service, and this was followed by a networking drink.
From the following Monday to Friday, the participants took part in institutional visits, courses and workshops given by academics, experts in public and political communication, and strategists working within the institutions.
Among other things, they were able to participate in the Commission’s Midday Briefing session at the Berlaymont, discover the Cronos Europa agency, which specialises in communication for European institutions, and meet the press service of the Council of the European Union during a morning visit to the organisation. Our international students also put the experience acquired during BIP to good use through a final presentation.
To round off this week, a networking dinner attended by participants, members of the Protagoras laboratory and various speakers was held at the Bord de Verre. This provided an opportunity for more informal exchanges between teachers, experts and students.
An attractive mobility format
For several years, we have observed a growing interest in this very short-term mobility format, which is attracting more and more participants – the BIP allows students to travel while working on a very specific specialisation.
Beyond academic skills, this programme also allows IHECS students to develop and improve their linguistic and communication skills in a relatively short time. This form of "internationalisation at home" is very popular with our partner institutions, who have evaluated the experience as particularly positive.
We extend warm thanks to Cronos Europa, sponsor of the networking evening, as well as the partner universities in Wrocław, Vienna and Athens.
