The second edition of the E³UDRES² PhD Summer School – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Science and Education took place during 25 -29 May 2026, at Politehnica University of Timișoara (UPT), Romania, organized by UPT's Digital & Distance Education Department (DeL) with the support of the European University Alliance E³UDRES².
The program brought together 28 Master and PhD students from six European countries — Hungary, Ukraine, Portugal, the Netherlands, Romania, and Germany — representing Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cherkasy State Business College, Polytechnic University of Setúbal, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Politehnica University of Timișoara, and Fulda University of Applied Sciences. 14 speakers from Malta, Austria, Portugal, and Romania delivered the morning sessions, which were also streamed live via Zoom and attended by over 20 additional online participants, free of charge. All sessions were marked by high levels of interactivity: participants actively engaged with speakers, asked numerous questions, and contributed to live polls and debates through the Mentimeter application.
Day 1 - Opening and mentoring matching session
The first day started with the Opening Ceremony, led by Acad. Prof. Liviu Marșavina and Prof. Em. Radu Vasiu, followed by two introductive sessions for the international participants: Acad. Prof. Liviu Marșavina presented UPT and its rich history and Prof. Em. Radu Vasiu introduced the students to the E³UDRES² Alliance—its priorities, joint activities, applied research centers, and joint doctoral programs of the nine partner universities.
This was followed by a session on academic publishing and Open Science, led by Prof. Em. Radu Vasiu, while Acad. Prof. Liviu Marșavina shared the perspective of a doctoral advisor—highlighting the real advantages and disadvantages of Open Access.
Dr. Diana Andone then led an extensive session on AI ethics in education and science—the AI Act, DigComp 3, UNESCO recommendations, the ecological impact of generative AI, and strategies for using AI in research while upholding academic integrity.
The afternoon was devoted to hands-on activities: participants explored the E³UDRES² Arena Learning Hub and the Alliance’s research tools, completed hands-on exercises with AI tools for research, and took part in a mentoring “matching” session, in which students from partner countries were connected with UPT faculty members based on shared research topics.
Day 2 - AI in education, digital badges and AI agents revolution
The second day featured a lecture on AI in education and research by Prof. Carmen Holotescu - Rector, "Ioan Slavici" University of Timișoara, covering generative AI paradigms, Educause Horizon 2025, and live NotebookLM demonstrations; a session on digital badges and microcredentials within the E³UDRES² framework by Assoc. Prof. Vlad Mihăescu, with a live Mentimeter poll engaging 28 students; and a session on skills and the agentic AI revolution of 2025 by Lect.dr. Daniel Iercan.
During the afternoon, participants took part in hands-on practical sessions led by Prof. Carmen Holotescu, applying the tools and frameworks presented that morning.
The day continued with mentoring and research collaboration sessions, in which students from the six participating countries worked together on common topics, guided by UPT faculty members. In addition to international and UPT experts, the following UPT doctoral supervisors joined these sessions: Acad. Prof. univ. dr. eng. Liviu Marșavina, Acad. Prof. univ. dr. eng. Radu Precup, Prof. univ. dr. eng. Ioana Ionel, Prof. univ. dr. eng. Carmen Grecea, Prof. univ. dr. eng. Sorin Herban, Prof. univ. dr. eng. Anca Drăghici, Prof. univ. dr. eng. Marian Mocan, Prof. univ. em. dr. eng. Radu Vasiu, and Assoc. prof. dr. arch. Cristina Povian. Common research interests were identified among some of the participating PhD students, which will lead to the internationalization of their doctoral studies within the E³UDRES² alliance.
In the evening, participants explored Timișoara on a guided City tour.
Day 3 - Ethics using AI, rethinking education and open science
The day opened with a session on ethical AI fluency — with a live VitaScience exercise demonstrating real-time energy consumption of AI models — by Leopold Štefanič - Knowledge Innovation Center, Malta; a session on reconceptualizing learning processes in the generative AI age by Assoc. Prof. Gabriel Pestana - Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal; and a practical walkthrough of Open Science and Open Innovation tools — from Zotero to arXiv and PubPeer — by Assoc. Prof. Silviu Vert - UPT.
The afternoon included practical workshops with Leopold Štefanič and an EdNEos AI demo by Veceslav Caburga, followed by a private tour of UPT's 360° Igloo Vision immersive space — the first in Romanian higher education — showcasing VR applications of Timișoara's heritage developed by the DeL team as part of the Spotlight Heritage Timișoara project.
The day concluded with the official Welcome Dinner at the Politehnica House Restaurant.
Day 4 - Creative AI, Campus without borders, emerging technologies and circular economy
Day 4 covered AI in creative ways and the role of art in the AI era by FH-Prof. Hannes Raffaseder - CEO of University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten; Edge Intelligence and the dissolution of physical campus limits through 5G and 6G networks by FH-Prof. Dr. Franz Fidler (St. Pölten); CoARA and ResearchComp — the European competence framework for researchers — by Dr. Giuliana Sabatini (St. Pölten); Emerging technologies in science and education by Lect. Dr. Andrei Ternauciuc (UPT); and the E³UDRES² CIRCULATE Centre of Excellence for circular economy research by Assist. Dr. Corina Șoșdean (UPT).
The afternoon included another practical workshop and mentoring session, followed by a vaporetto tour on the Bega Canal.
Day 5 - Research pitches and closing ceremony
Day 5 was dedicated to research pitches in the framework of the 23rd IAFeS NETTIES Conference (Artificial Intelligence and Humanity: Shaping Society, Culture, Education and Science Together), co-organized by IAFeS – International Association for eScience, E³UDRES², and UPT. Some of the participating PhD students presented their research as part of the conference.
The last two presentations were led by two of the UPT student teams from the Innovation Labs 2026 finals — AgriTwin (AI-based precision agriculture) and Tenue Vibe (rapid website modernization) — who presented their projects during the last day of the E³UDRES² Arena Learning Hub Summer School in order to identify potential research and innovation synergies within the alliance.
The event concluded with the Closing ceremony delivered by Prof. Em. Radu Vasiu and FH-Prof. Hannes Raffaseder, President of the E³UDRES² Association. During the ceremony, participants were handed certificates of completion by FH-Prof. Hannes Raffaseder, while speakers received recognition diplomas, handed by Prof. Em. Radu Vasiu.
All participants received digital badges issued through the E³UDRES² platform and physical certificates of participation, while those who completed all practical activities received 2 ECTS credits.
