How can fraternity become a real force in economic life, shaping policies, enterprises, communities and personal choices? The EoF Summer School 2026 brings together young researchers, entrepreneurs, and changemakers to explore this question in depth, combining solid reflection, lived experience and collaborative work.
Hosted in Germany for the first time, the program offers a unique space to study, dialogue and experiment around Fraternity, the Economy of Francesco and the friend institutions that will take part in this program.
Abstract
This summer school explores fraternity as both a generative force already present within economic life and a horizon that can guide its renewal. While often treated as an inspirational moral principle, fraternity is also a lived economic reality: it animates cooperation in workplaces, sustains trust in markets, and nurtures innovation through relationships of reciprocity and openness. Yet, because it often operates quietly, like the mycelium beneath a forest floor, fraternity is frequently overlooked and rarely measured.
Drawing on theological and philosophical traditions, including the Franciscan heritage and Catholic Social Teaching, alongside contemporary economic theory, organizational studies, and behavioral sciences, this program invites participants to broaden how they see and study economic relationships. We will investigate fraternity as a relational good that already shapes institutions and enterprises, and we will examine emerging empirical methods capable of detecting, quantifying, and comparing fraternal dynamics within and across economies.
Through lectures, workshops, field encounters, and collaborative research labs, participants will learn to recognize where fraternity is already flourishing, where it is fragile, and how it might be strengthened. Emphasis will be placed on relational indicators, inclusive governance, prosocial entrepreneurship, and measurement tools that make visible what is often felt but not counted.
Open to scholars, students, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and practitioners, the program offers a space to refine our vision and methods, equipping participants not only to promote fraternity in economic and business life, but to perceive and measure the fraternity that quietly sustains it today.
Objectives
The Summer School aims to:
- Deepen the theoretical foundations of fraternity in economic thought, from classical sources to contemporary debates.
- Explore how fraternity can shape institutions and policies in areas such as labour, welfare, enterprise, finance and the environment.
- Offer participants tools for research and action, connecting academic work with real-life projects and communities.
- Build a living network of young scholars and professionals engaged with the Economy of Francesco process.
Programme Highlights
Across five days, the programme will include:
- Keynote lectures and dialogues with internationally recognised scholars.
- Research labs and workshops to work on specific themes.
- Poster and project sessions, giving space to participants’ own research and initiatives.
- Spiritual “pills” and daily reflections, connecting work with vocation and community.
- Field encounters, including visits and conversations with local actors committed to innovation, social cohesion and ecological responsibility.
A detailed programme will be shared with selected participants closer to the event.
Who Can Apply
The Summer School is designed for:
- Members of the EoF Community, academics, entrepreneurs and changemakers, from all over the world who would like to live this experience.
- Professionals interested in the Economy of Francesco and the topics to be addressed who wish to deepen the intellectual and practical roots of their commitment.
We welcome applications from all regions of the world. The working language will be English.
Practical Information
- Dates: 29 August – 3 September 2026 (arrival on 29 August; departure around midday on 3 September).
- Locations: OsnabrĂĽck and Mettingen, Germany.
For updates and the full call for applications, please check this page regularly.
