WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria

The Transforming Care Network warmly invites PhD students and early career researchers to apply for the in-person Early Career Workshop in Researching Care and Care Policy in Europe: Emerging Topics in Care and Care Policy to be held at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria, from Monday, 29 June 2026 (h. 13:00) to Wednesday, 1 July 2026 (h. 13:00).

The aim of the Early Career Workshop is to provide participants a discussion space for current and emerging issues and challenges for care and care policies in Europe. We aim to connect research on care across different policy fields: early childhood education and care, care for adults with disabilities, and long-term care for frail older people. The Early Career Workshop invites PhD students and early career researchers in sociology, political science, social work, economics and related fields. Key topics we propose to focus on during the workshop include:

• care policies in the context of economic, environmental and social sustainability
• improving working conditions and recruitment strategies for care workers
• migrant care work(ers)
• (attitudes on) informal care work
• the impact of digitalization and technology on care systems
• inequalities in care and care provision and underlying dynamics
• territorial and spatial dimensions of care services
• multilevel governance of care policies

The Early Career Workshop will provide participants the opportunity to (i) discuss the main issues and challenges for social care policy in Europe; (ii) evaluate data, measurement and methodological problems concerning research on care policy and care systems; (iii) explore the research strategies best able to capture the main issues and present dynamics in the field. The Workshop’s format will be a mix of keynote addresses, networking activities, and opportunities for early career participants to present and discuss their research with peers and senior academics in a supportive and constructive environment.

The Early Career Workshop is organized in collaboration with the Transforming Care Network. Local organizers at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business are August Österle, Astrid Pennerstorfer and Julia Radlherr. There is no participation fee. Participants will fund their own travel, accommodation and meals. We will organise a welcome reception on Monday evening, and provide lunch for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Candidates are invited to send their CV, a summary of their research topic for presentation in the workshop (max. 500 words) and a motivation letter to julia.radlherr@wu.ac.at, by 30 January 2026. Successful candidates will be notified within two weeks.