On 17-19 September, the IDEoPOP Kick-off Conference took place at the University of Freiburg.
The IDEoPOP Doctoral Network celebrated a highly successful kick-off conference in Freiburg from 17–19 September 2025, bringing together the network’s doctoral researchers, supervisors, academic advisers, think-tank partners, and leading scholars of populism and international relations for the first time in person. Over three intensive days, participants discussed cutting-edge research on the international dimensions and effects of populism, ranging from international cooperation and conflict to populist foreign policy, diplomacy, and the longer-term legacies of populist governments. The programme combined research panels and a poster session presenting the IDEoPOP doctoral projects with a roundtable on policy advice in the age of populism, creating ample opportunities for intellectual exchange, feedback, and networking. A particular highlight was the public roundtable “Populism and Foreign Policy: How Populists in Power Are Changing the World,” which brought IDEoPOP’s research agenda to a wider audience and demonstrated the strong public relevance of the network’s work. The local press reported about the event and the Network’s activities (see attachments). The conference provided an inspiring start to IDEoPOP’s joint research and training activities and laid a strong foundation for collaboration across the network in the years ahead.
