HEC PARIS LAUNCHED PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP MOVEMENT IN EUROPE

On September 10–11, 2025, HEC Paris welcomed leading academics from across Europe for the workshop “European Public Scholarship: From Individual Stories to a Theory and Method for Academic Engagement”.

This pioneering initiative, convened by Professor Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law at HEC Paris, brought together scholars who actively engage “beyond academia”.

The event gathered leading academics working at the intersection of research and real-world impact, engaging with policymakers, courts, media, and civil society. Against a backdrop of growing pressures on academic freedom and widening trust gaps between universities and society, the workshop asked a bold question: What if a new model of research and engagement could drive real, sustainable progress?

A Bold Rethink of Scholarship

Powerful opening remarks by HEC Paris Dean Éloïc Peyrache set the scene before  a high-level panel moderated by Alberto Alemanno featuring Professors Johanna Mair (Hertie School and European University Institute), Marieke Huysentruyt (HEC Paris S&O Institute), and Avi Green (Harvard Kennedy School) set the tone for two days of interactive sessions. Participants explored why scholars choose to engage publicly, how can they maintain rigor while reaching wider audiences, how they measure tangible and intangible impact, and how to overcome institutional barriers.

Real-world case studies brought the discussions to life: from challenging unlawful border controls and protecting street artists’ rights to training Ukraine’s public sector, convening EU-wide citizen assemblies, and fact-checking disinformation. These stories showed what public scholarship can achieve when it is embedded in purpose, powered by collaboration, and connected to societal needs.

Towards a New Paradigm

Summing up the spirit of the event, Professor Alberto Alemanno noted:
“Public scholarship requires the courage to stand up for a cause and the humility to step back, reflect, and re-engage.”

Marieke Huysentruyt, Academic Director of the HEC Paris Sustaibility & Organizations Institute, underlined the Institute’s commitment:
“At HEC Paris, we believe academics have a responsability to engage with society’s most pressing challenges. This workshop showed that when academics step outside the walls of their institutions, they not only create impact but also inspire new ways of producing knowledge."

Maureen Sigliano, Executive Director of the Impact Company Lab, offered a forward-looking reflection: “I have begun imagining the potential acceleration of sustainable progress that a new generation of public scholarship could unlock.”

Looking Ahead

The workshop ended with a shared commitment to co-create a common methodology, expand a community of practice, and embed public scholarship into the core of European higher education.

As one participant put it, “This was one of the most inspirational and paradigm-shifting sessions I’ve attended in a very long time.”

This is more than a conversation. It’s the beginning of a movement — and HEC Paris is helping to lead the way.