Rafał Brzoska Foundation Scholars at the European Forum Alpbach 2025

In August, the Rafał Brzoska Foundation scholars – Julia Prus, Piotr Lazarek, Adrianna Czechowska, and Aleksandra Kobyłecka – took part in the European Forum Alpbach 2025, one of Europe’s most important conferences dedicated to politics, the economy, and civil society.

This event, organized since 1945 in the Austrian Alps, attracts leaders from academia, business, and politics every year. This year’s edition brought together over 4,700 participants from 127 countries, including presidents, Nobel laureates, and prominent representatives of major international institutions.

Polish scholars in an international environment

RBF scholars joined a group of more than 500 young leaders from around the world, participating in a two-week series of seminars, workshops, and expert meetings.
Each of them took part in two modules – academic and practical – combining theoretical reflection with project-based work.

• Julia Prus participated in a seminar on economic geopolitics and the growing role of geoeconomics, led by experts from Johns Hopkins University and Wickett Advisory.
• Piotr Lazarek took part in workshops on cryptocurrencies and their impact on the global economy, prepared by researchers from the University of Groningen and Université Clermont Auvergne.
• Both also developed leadership skills through field exercises organized by the Theresian Military Academy, combining elements of teamwork and mental resilience.

During the Forum, the scholars met distinguished figures from the worlds of science and politics, including Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Stiglitz and the President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen.

Adrianna Czechowska’s success

In this year’s edition of the Forum, Adrianna Czechowska – an RBF scholar and last year’s participant of the European Forum Alpbach – received special recognition. Her start-up, Lawgic-AI, won second place in an innovation competition, and Adrianna herself led the seminar “Beyond the Hype: Re-situating AI, Power, and Democracy,” focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on democracy.

Adrianna’s team was formed during last year’s Alpbach IDEAS initiative, which supports young innovators in developing projects with social and technological potential.

Community and development

The participation of Polish scholars in the European Forum Alpbach was made possible thanks to cooperation with Club Alpbach Poland – an organization that has supported young Forum participants for years and promotes the idea of international knowledge exchange. Thanks to this partnership, RBF scholars were able to experience a unique environment where diverse perspectives meet and shared reflection translates into concrete action.