Exzellenzlabor Europa

The Exzellenzlabor Europa (European Laboratory of Excellence) was founded in 2021 by Saarland University and the Villa Vigoni e. V. – German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue and is coordinated by Saarland University's Cluster for European Research (CEUS). As part of this long-term cooperation partnership, an international academic event is held annually over the course of several days at Villa Vigoni in Italy.

The objective of the Exzellenzlabor Europa is to promote an interdisciplinary dialogue at European level on issues that are relevant to Europe, focusing in particular on Europe's relations with the world and the question of how 'concepts' of Europe are projected, transformed and reflected upon. Providing support for early career researchers is a further key aim of the cooperation. The results of the Exzellenzlabor Europa are published in the form of edited volumes and conference proceedings, including in the CEUS publication series Saarbrücker Beiträge zur Europaforschung (Nomos).

Saarland University has a long-standing tradition in the field of European research and European studies. Founded in 1948 as a French-Saarland initiative, the university has always had a pronounced focus on Europe in the humanities, cultural studies, social sciences, law and economics. The university's European profile is reflected in the research activities of its scholars, numerous Europe-related (research) institutions and degree programmes, funding programmes for early career researchers, and international networks.