The second edition of the RAQMYAT summer school, focusing on the theme «Opportunities, challenges and new perspectives for the use of digital technologies in the humanities and social sciences», was a success and brought together online and in-person participants. More than 40 Tunisian and international doctoral students took part in the programme, which aimed to strengthen academic and human exchanges.

The summer school: a hybrid and itinerant format

The virtual phase, held from 17 to 20 September, was a prelude to the face-to-face sessions in Vienna. The main objective was to present the online courses developed within the RAQMYAT project, giving doctoral students the opportunity to meet each other, present their research projects and familiarise themselves with digital tools in the context of the digital humanities. The first week of the school ended with the presentation of the various research posters prepared by the doctoral students, with a small awards ceremony at the end of each day’s work.

From 23 to 27 September, the doctoral students travelled to the University of Vienna for the second part of the summer school. The event was opened by an opening ceremony, during which several key figures took the floor to officially launch the second edition of the RAQMYAT summer school.

Ronald Maier, Vice-Rector for Digitisation and knowledge transfer at the University of Vienna, highlighted the importance of digital technology in the future of university research. He was followed by Lucas Zinner, Head of Research Services and Career Development at the University of Vienna, who emphasised the growing impact of digital technologies on the development of young researchers.

Kmar Bendana, Professor at the University of La Manouba, the project’s scientific coordinator, went on to stress the importance of strengthening links between Tunisia and Europe through projects such as RAQMYAT. She was followed by Arbia Ben Othmane, Director of Doctoral Schools at the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, who focused on the crucial role of international cooperation in the training of doctoral students.

The voice of Europe was heard through Carla Giulietti, Project Officer for RAQMYAT at the European Commission, who spoke online to reaffirm the European Union’s support for this type of initiative. Finally, Silvia Marchionne, Project Manager at UNIMED and RAQMYAT coordinator, brought the opening session to a close with an outline of the week’s programme, encouraging doctoral students to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by this summer school.

Topics covered: the digital challenge with a multidisciplinary approach

The school days were characterised by dynamic discussions exploring the history, philosophy and integration of digital technology. A key moment was the exchange between doctoral students and data managers from the University of Vienna, which enabled the students to deepen their skills in research data management, essential in today’s academic sector.

Discussions were held on broader societal issues, including the links between gender equality, digitisation and scholarly communication, with contributions from renowned speakers. These exchanges encouraged doctoral students to reflect on these crucial issues.

The doctoral students also had the opportunity to visit the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, discovering the interplay between research and artificial intelligence, which enriched their understanding of digital tools.