In 2020, the Summer School was for the second time organised by University of Tartu (Estonia). It was managed by local organiser Andra Sibbak and International director Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt.  Due the pandemic situation, the 2020 edition faced multiple obstacles. First, summer school was postponed from summer to early 2021. Second, after series of consultations with local organisers, ECREA made a decision to change the physical meeting to online format. However, organisers were able to keep the structure of lectures, workshops, feedback sessions, roundtables, and social meetings. What was it like?

The ECREA Summer School was an invaluable experience. Although it took place online this year, I benefitted from attending significantly, not only from the paper feedback sessions and the roundtable discussions led my established scholars in the fields of media and communications, but also from networking with other doctoral and early career researchers from across Europe and further afield.

The in-depth feedback I received from professors and peers came at a crucial point of my research, as I was entering the final year of my PhD. I am very grateful for that crucial feedback and for the opportunity to engage with other students' excellent work. The 'Meet the Editors', 'Academia Life Hacks', and 'Future of Journalism' roundtables I attended were also hugely interesting, useful, and inspiring.

As a result of SUSO2020, I have gained valuable contacts who I am already working on new projects with. I would wholeheartedly recommend the ECREA Summer School to doctoral students in Media and Communications at any stage of their research journey.

Bissie Anderson, doctoral candidate (University of Stirling)

Photo credits: Summer School organisers