Summer Camp 2020

The Institute persistently sought a way to hold the ‘IT Law and Legal Informatics’ summer school formate in 2020. However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic thwarted all plans. Due to the negative development of the pandemic and the associated restrictions, the Institute had to reluctantly abandon plans for the fourth ‘Summer School’ after the planning process was almost complete.

But they did not want to give up completely. The exciting programme was too far advanced, and it would have been a shame to cancel for the invited experts and registered participants. After all, the Summer School is a predestined forum for meeting and exchanging ideas with other researchers. So the institute conjured up a new format as a replacement: the Summer Camp – a week filled with high-calibre lectures and constructive discussions, including a one-day online conference entitled ‘IT and Legal Informatics 2020’. This alternative offering was very well received: lawyers, young scientists, students and managers from all over the world (e.g. England, Russia, Brazil and Turkey) came together to enjoy a wonderful time together – even if it was ‘only’ online.

Young researchers presented their current projects, such as ‘Recht-Testbed Industrie 4.0’ and ‘examAI,’ and engaged participants in their research questions – both online and in person at the Graduate Centre at Saarland University. Students and graduates met with professors and experts for workshops and discussions. Among the guests was Professor Erich Schweighofer from the University of Vienna, who examined the topic of ‘data protection’ with the participants. Prof. Dr. Raja Chatila from Paris and Prof. Dr. Mayu Terada from Tokyo also took part in our summer camp. The online conference also offered high-calibre lectures. In addition, ‘coaching’ for the employees of our institute was on the agenda: they learned the latest tricks for researching online and received tips for academic work.

Even though our usually rich cultural programme was cancelled this time, Institute Director Professor Georg Borges and Co-Director Professor Christoph Sorge once again offered an exciting and constructive week-long research meeting with the Summer Camp from 10 to 14 August. Despite the unpleasant circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, all participants benefited and gained exciting insights into highly relevant legal issues of our time.