Skytte news

From 20 April, all University of Tartu staff and students will receive an email invitation to participate in a study that aims to provide an overview of attitudes, knowledge and experiences related to sexual harassment, workplace bullying and discrimination at the university.

The University of Tartu Spring Run, held on 15 April, featured a more varied programme and brought more than 1,000 sports enthusiasts to the banks of the river Emajõgi.

The call for applications for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships is open until 9 September 2026. In April and May, the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) will host info sessions to help prospective applicants prepare their applications.

From 24 April, Eveliis Padar will start work at the university as an equality officer to support university members in cases of unequal treatment and to help handle them in a fair and professional manner.

Staff members of the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies are contributing to the establishment of the Alliance for Community Engagement in European Higher Education (ACE)

The former head, Kristiina Tõnnisson, has taken up the position of chair of the management board of the Estonian Research Council, and the institute is now led by former deputy head Maili Vilson.

The university is launching a physical activity and wellbeing programme to support the mental and physical wellbeing of the university community and shape a learning and working environment that fosters physical activity.

The graduation ceremony of the Johan Skytte Institute for Political Studies will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 11:00 in the assembly hall of the university's main building (Ülikooli 18, Tartu)

On 23 April at 14:30 Bogdan Romanov will defend his doctoral dissertation “Explaining trust in Internet voting: institutional, technological, and contextual determinants” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Political Science).

The aim of the centre is to provide information about how the European Union works, as well as to engage people in discussions about the future of Europe.

Speaker application is open until April 1 for TEDxUniversity of Tartu.

Course „Contested Concepts. Unravelling Meanings Across Europe“. This Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) offers an opportunity to explore how key political and social concepts are interpreted across different European contexts.

A new collaborative initiative between Estonia and the United Kingdom will develop an innovative wargaming framework aimed at improving how institutions respond to hybrid threats and disinformation. The nine-month project is funded by the UKRI NetworkPlus for Analytical Behavioural Science in Security and Defence (NABS+). It is led by the University of Liverpool in partnership with the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu will include academia and practitioners in the UK and Estonia in the field of security studies, disinformation and international relations.

On 30 March at 14:30, Sandra Hagelin will defend her doctoral dissertation “Speaking borders, speaking Europe: entangled borders in governmental discourse across the Baltic and Nordic spaces“ for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Political Science).

From the 2026/2027 academic year, many international master’s curricula at the University of Tartu will offer tuition waivers or reductions to students from the European Union. Students arriving from outside the European Union will have to pay tuition fees.

With wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Nagorno-Karabakh dominating contemporary international relations, the study of secessionist bids and the quest for statehood and recognition becomes paramount. It is essential that students of International Relations hold a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the concepts and practices of secessionism as well as the way in which these aspects impact international order. Questions regarding peace and violence in secessionist bids as well as the possible outcomes of secessionist wars continue to dominate both academic and policymaking debate, making this topic worthwhile for discussion and study.

On 17 March at 14:30, Logan Carmichael will defend her doctoral dissertation “Cybersecurity Governance Responses in the Estonian Digital Governance Model, 2007-2023“

An open and interactive discussion with Jan Lars Christian Scheer, Germany’s Ambassador to Estonia, will take place on 6 March from 14:30 to 16:00 in Lossi 36-307.

In the coming years, the University of Tartu will focus on developing practical solutions for promoting equal treatment to maintain and strengthen a safe learning and working environment for the entire university community. Planned activities include preventing sexual harassment and developing a system to handle such cases. An important basis for this work is the new gender equality plan for 2026–2030.

The University of Tartu is launching university-wide awareness activities to improve understanding of the principles of equal treatment and the support options available in cases of workplace bullying, unequal treatment and harassment. This forms part of the university’s ongoing work to create a safe and respectful learning and working environment.