June 2 to 13 : A delegation from the University of Tours at the NEOLAiA 2025 Summer School in Ostrava, Czech Republic

From 2 to 13 June 2025, eight members of the University of Tours took part in the NEOLAiA European Summer School entitled “Vanishing and Silenced Communities, Places and People”, held in Ostrava, Czech Republic. This summer school, which focused on educational innovation and open science, forms part of the NEOLAiA European University Alliance project, of which the University of Tours is a member.

Immersion in Digital Humanities

Designed as an interdisciplinary training programme in digital and social humanities, the Summer School aimed to introduce students to digital mapping (QGIS), collaborative data collection, and the enhancement of forgotten industrial and social heritage through a collective interactive mapping project. Over the course of two weeks, participants from the nine NEOLAiA European universities combined fieldwork, documentary research and digital tools to produce an interactive map of the industrial district of Vítkovice, bringing together diverse disciplinary approaches. The programme sought to restore visibility to places, communities, and forms of heritage that have been “erased” by time or inequality.

A Committed Delegation from Tours

The University of Tours was proudly represented by a multidisciplinary group comprising:

• Lamia Enab, PhD candidate in Urban Planning
• Pierre Marcellot, PhD candidate in History
• Camille Guillot, undergraduate student in History of Art
• Maya Taraben, undergraduate student in Law and Languages
• Lucie-Lou Gabasio, undergraduate student in English Language, Literature and Civilisations
• Jane Loiseau-Gaillot, undergraduate student in Law
• Roméo Carabelli, research engineer and lecturer at UMR CITERES
• Grégoire Lacoste, lecturer in the Department of Social Work

(A preparatory meeting for the Tours delegation was organised at the Grandmont FacLab by the NEOLAiA team before the mobility.)

The students fully engaged in the training sessions, practical workshops and collaborative activities, while teaching and research staff contributed their expertise and took part in the Open Science Festival (programme link), held alongside the Summer School, fostering dialogue across disciplines and cultures.

This experience not only allowed students to strengthen their digital skills and intercultural teamwork abilities but also to actively represent their university in a stimulating and rewarding international environment.

A European Dynamic to Build On

This Summer School is one of a range of opportunities offered by NEOLAiA, an alliance of nine European universities committed to transforming educational practices, fostering scientific cooperation and promoting societal engagement.

And the journey continues:

• The next NEOLAiA Summer School will be held in Tours in 2027, focusing on the Human and Social Sciences.
• In the meantime, each member university of the alliance may spontaneously offer places in its own Summer Schools to students from the University of Tours.
• You can find all upcoming Summer School opportunities here: https://www.univ-tours.fr/neolaia/opportunites-etudiantes/summer-schools

Congratulations to our delegation for their contribution to this innovative European project blending heritage, digital tools, civic engagement and the social sciences!