The Bavarian Research Alliance for Peace, Conflict, and Security Studies (FoKS) celebrated a successful launch with the Fellow Assembly (see photo) on February 13–14, 2025, at the Hochschule für Philosophie München. The event brought together 55 Fellows of the alliance, who engaged in interdisciplinary clusters to discuss key research priorities and collaboration opportunities. The goal was to strengthen academic exchange and develop shared perspectives for future cooperation.
The establishment of FoKS was significantly supported by our networking activities within the Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions research network. Our events have brought together early-career and established researchers from various peace and conflict research institutions across Bavaria. Additionally, targeted outreach activities have contributed to establishing this research field in the region.
Fellow Assembly: Involving our research team
For our research network, Julia Eichenberg, Jana Hönke, Florian P. Kühn, and Jan Sändig (see photo, from left to right) participated at the events in Munich. Jana Hönke, who serves on the FoKS scientific board and as deputy spokesperson, led discussions within the alliance’s research cluster “Economy, Technology, and Climate.”
Team Bayreuth at the MSC side event
MSC Side Event: AI Between War and Peace
A particular highlight was the Bavarian Research Alliance’s side event at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 14, 2025. Under the title “Pushing the Frontier: Assessing the Opportunities and Risks of AI for Peace and War” (see photo), renowned experts gathered at Café Luitpold to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on global security issues.
Moderated by Stephan Stetter (Universität der Bundeswehr München, FoKS Co-Spokesperson), the distinguished panel featured Carlo Masala (Universität der Bundeswehr München, FoKS Fellow), Katrin Kinzelbach (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, FoKS Fellow), Max Smeets (Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich), and Branka Panic (AI for Peace).
The event was opened by Benedikt Franke (CEO of the Munich Security Conference), Bavarian Science Minister Markus Blume, and Udo Hebel (Chair of the FoKS Presidium and President of the University of Regensburg).
🎥 Video recording of the discussion available
Outlook: Strengthening Interdisciplinary Research
With the involvement of Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions, the Bavarian Research Alliance will intensify its activities in the coming months and initiate new interdisciplinary research projects. The successful Fellow Assembly and the strong presence at the MSC mark an important step toward establishing a leading scientific platform for peace, security, and conflict research—in Bavaria, Germany, and beyond.
(Photos: Fellow Assembly & MSC Side Event © Universität der Bundeswehr München/Siebold)
