»Facing the Future« is a new fellowship programme based at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), developed in strategic partnership with ERSTE Foundation. Bringing together leading and emerging thinkers from across Europe and beyond, it creates space for fresh ideas on the future of liberal democracy, freedom, solidarity, belonging, and social cohesion. Through research, public discussion, and debate, the programme examines how liberal thought can be reimagined to address the most pressing political and social challenges of our time. The programme succeeds the acclaimed »Europe’s Futures« fellowship.

To mark the opening of the new fellowship year, the fellows will present their research in a series of public debates as part of the inaugural meeting, titled »Do ideas still matter in politics?«. The debates will examine the causes of the »turn toward illiberalism«, institutional responses to state capture and post-authoritarian renewal, and the historical roots of today’s crisis of the liberal world order. For more information and to register, please visit IWM WEBSITE.

Tuesday, 22 September 2026, 18:00h

Trends in Regulating Big Tech: Geopolitics, Local Politics, and Money

James C. O’Brien  José Ignacio Torreblanca

Spittelauer Lände 3, IWM Library

https://www.iwm.at/event/trends-in-regulating-big-tech-geopolitics-local-politics-and-money

Wednesday, 23 September 2026, 16:00

How Do Institutions Survive Politics? Maintenance, Redesign, and Contestation in Poland and Serbia

Anna Wojciuk, Gazela Pudar Draško

Spittelauer Lände 3, IWM Library

https://www.iwm.at/event/how-do-institutions-survive-politics-maintenance-redesign-and-contestation-in-poland-and

Thursday, 24 September 2026, 16:30

Was There a Place for Russia? 1991 and the Unravelling of the International Liberal Order

Sergey Radchenko  Thomas Gomart

Spittelauer Lände 3, IWM Library

https://www.iwm.at/event/was-there-a-place-for-russia-1991-and-the-unravelling-of-the-international-liberal-order

Friday, 25 September 2026, 15:00

Furious Minds and Financial Crises: What Drives Illiberalism?

Laura K. Field Moritz Schularick

Spittelauer Lände 3, IWM Library

https://www.iwm.at/event/furious-minds-and-financial-crises-what-drives-illiberalism

Header Image: »Railway« © Magnific