VISTA COST Action is organising its first Spring School, a 4-day training devoted to PhD students, taking place at the University of Bucharest, from 17 to 20 March 2027.
PhD students from COST Full and Cooperating Member countries are welcome and encouraged to apply!
VISTA (Values in Turbulent Times: Navigating Social Changes and Challenges) focuses on value change, asking to what extent global processes, including negative life events, contribute to changing individual and social values. The Spring School aims to familiarise PhD students with hands-on methods and theory in the area, and to offer a space for networking and generating ideas. The programme is built around the rise of populism, which serves as a starting point for discussing theories of value formation and change, later applied to the dynamics of gender beliefs. Two days are devoted to methodological approaches to studying value formation and change in turbulent times. The programme does not include computer-based practical sessions.
Trainers
- Bogdan Voicu (Academia Română): The current populist values and the future. On value formation and change.
- Edurné Bartolome Peral (Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao): Gender backlash
- Hermann Dülmer (Universität zu Köln): Factorial surveys and the study of values
- Michael Ochsner (FORS, Université de Lausanne): Finding the ways of defining values, systematic reviews
Daily structure
- Mornings: 3 hours of presentations and debate around the topic presented by the trainer
- Afternoons: 3 hours in which 5 PhD students present their topics and receive comments from the trainers, other PhD students, and local professors who are part of VISTA and the Romanian Groups for Studying Social Values. Each student has 30 minutes: 15-20 minutes for the presentation and 10-15 minutes for questions and feedback.
Participants: 30 PhD students from COST Full and Cooperating Member countries.
Reimbursement: 20 successful applicants are reimbursed under COST Action rules, and 10 more can be accepted without reimbursement. COST reimburses the cost of the journey and a lump sum of 204 EUR per day. Participants advance the payment for travel and accommodation and request reimbursement through the e-COST platform.
How to apply: Send an email to SpringTraining27@romanianvalues.ro, and include your CV, a brief description of the PhD topic (500 words), and a letter of motivation, including the names and e-mail addresses of a maximum of two people who can recommend your application.
Selection criteria (100 points in total):
- Relevance of the PhD research: up to 40 points
- Motivation and expected training benefits: up to 30 points
- Potential contribution to the VISTA network: up to 20 points (previous involvement in VISTA is not required)
- Affiliation with an institution in a COST Inclusiveness Target Country: 10 points
Important dates:
- Application deadline: 8 December 2026, 5 p.m. CET
- Acceptance decisions: 22 December 2026
- Spring School: 17-20 March 2027
For more information, see the full call:
Organising committee: Claudiu Tufiş, Bogdan Voicu, Maria-Francesca Cristea, and Lucian Burci.