Maximilian Lakitsch presenting the EU Peace Research Initiative

In light of the geopolitical shifts and emerging challenges facing the European Union and Austria, Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner proposed supporting peace and conflict research to foster a deeper understanding of ongoing processes and enable the EU to engage proactively with its geopolitical context. In this context, Maximilian Lakitsch and  Adham Hamed from the Austrian Centre for Peace (ACP) were invited to represent the peace research community in Austria at a nation-wide event organized by the Ministry of Science at Vienna Town Hall. They had the honour of presenting the EU Peace Research Initiative, which Dr. Lakitsch is coordinating for the Bundesministerium für Frauen, Wissenschaft und Forschung. The initiative seeks to emphasise the importance of peace and related research within the framework of the upcoming Horizon Europe Programme, providing a much-needed counterbalance to the growing significance of the military–industrial complex in research.