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Networking Event CLuG+, 3 November 2026

Impact Hub

As the inter-university coordination and center of excellence for Campus Lucerne for Refugees PLUS, the Impact Hub serves as a point of contact for universities and other organizations that wish to implement projects aimed at integrating refugees into the Swiss higher education system.

Networking Event CLuG+, 3 November 2026

A key objective of the Impact Hub is the sustainable generation of knowledge and the continuous transfer of knowledge. This includes, in particular, communication and networking activities, capacity building within the three universities, and the ongoing development and optimization of the Lucerne Campus for Refugees PLUS. In addition, the Impact Hub aims to secure additional third-party funding to ensure the long-term and sustainable continuation of the project.

Networking Event Lucerne Campus for Refugees PLUS

In November 2026, CLuG+ - and thus the three universities in Lucerne - will host a networking event. Together with other stakeholders, the event will look back on the project’s progress to date, present key findings and insights from the qualitative accompanying research study, and discuss prospects for the project’s future development. In addition to plenary presentations, the event offers an opportunity to exchange ideas on specific topics in smaller groups, deepen existing connections, and forge new ones.

Below you will find the key details, the programme, and the registration link for the event.

Event Information

  • Date: Tuesday, 3 November 2026
  • Time: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm, followed by a standing lunch
  • Location: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Inseliquai 12b, 6002 Lucerne
  • Target Audience: Cantonal integration offices and asylum and refugee services; vocational, academic, and career counseling services; social services and case management; universities with programmes for refugees; organizations promoting integration and education; policymakers and administrative representatives; former and current participants, as well as mentors from CLuG+

Programme Networking Event

8.30 - 9.00 am

Arrival and Welcome Coffee

9.00 - 9.10 am

Welcome

Prof Dr Valentin Gloor (Dean of the Lucerne School of Music) and Sandra Sommer (International Officer Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Project Lead CLuG+)

9.10 - 9.40 am

Keynote: Refugee Experience, Integration and Education in Switzerland - A Historical Overview

PD Dr Kijan Espahangizi (Historian, University of Zurich)

9.45 - 9.55 am

Presentation CLuG+ Project and Current Status

Sandra Sommer (International Officer Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Project Lead CLuG+)

9.55 - 10.30 am

Arriving, Trying Things Out, Moving On: Access to Higher Education for People with a Refugee Background

How can higher education institutions make it easier for people with a refugee background to access degree programmes? The ‘Pre-Study Integration Programme’ run by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of Lucerne and the Lucerne University of Teacher Education addresses precisely this issue. The accompanying academic study examines, from a qualitative perspective, which factors facilitate or hinder access to higher education. The focus is on the experiences and needs of refugees, mentors, lecturers and the organisations involved. Among other things, the study analyses admission processes, mentoring, language support, advisory services and the interfaces between higher education institutions and external stakeholders. The findings will be presented in this session.

Prof Dr Rebecca Mörgen (University of Duisburg-Essen, Social Work in a Society of Migration)

10.30 - 10.50 am

Coffee Break

10.50 - 11.40 am

Parrallel Session 1: Access to higher education after fleeing one’s home country – Enabling study: opportunities and challenges

The Pre-Study Integration Programme offered by Lucerne’s three higher education institutions enables people with refugee backgrounds to get a taste of university life, explore study options and take their first steps towards studying in Switzerland. An accompanying study has examined the experiences of participants and mentors within the programme, the opportunities that have emerged, and the barriers to access to higher education that remain. In this interactive parallel session, key findings from the accompanying study will be linked to the personal experiences of participants and mentors. Short presentations, personal accounts and interactive elements will invite session participants to contribute their thoughts and join the discussion: What is needed to make higher education institutions more accessible to people with refugee backgrounds? What role do support, language, social networks and institutional structures play? And how can programmes such as the Pre-Study Integration Progrfamme be further developed? The session is intended as a shared space for reflection bringing together research, practice and experiential perspectives.

Participants: 

  • Prof Dr Rebecca Mörgen (University of Duisburg-Essen, Social Work in a Society of Migration)
  • Bashar Al-Hajiry (former CLuG+ participant)
  • Lea Keller (former CLuG+ mentor, University of Lucerne)
  • Nisan Kilic (former CLuG+ participant)
  • Oleksandra Krotova (former CLuG+ participant)
10.50 - 11.40 am

Parallel Session 2: Swiss Integration Agenda (IAS) and Access to Higher Education: Initial Experiences and Outlook 

With the current cantonal integration programmes (KIP 3, 2024–2027), access to higher education for refugees has been enshrined for the first time as a strategic objective of the federal government and the cantons.

This objective is aimed in particular at the cantonal integration agencies, which implement the IAS and the cantonal integration programmes (KIP). To implement these programmes, they also rely on cooperation with the regulatory frameworks of the educational system. Experience to date shows that, in addition to formal access opportunities, effective assessment and support, broad-based cooperation with local higher education institutions, and targeted preparation of the target group are key to success. Assessment and support generally take place within the framework of continuous case management, a core element of the Swiss Integration Agenda (IAS).

This session will provide you with an overview of the experiences gained in implementing this strategic objective from the perspective of the federal government and the Canton of Lucerne, with a focus on the role and tasks of continuous case management – combined with an outlook on the upcoming new phase of KIP 4 (2028–2032).

  • Thomas Fuhrimann (State Secretariat for Migration, Labour Market Integration)
  • Jutta Kunz (Asylum and Refugee Services, Canton of Lucerne)
10.50 - 11.40 am

Parallel Session 3: Ensuring the long-term sustainability of higher education support programmes for refugees: funding, collaboration and impact

How can higher education support programmes for refugees be secured in the long term, further developed and sustainably embedded within higher education institutions? This parallel session examines the factors contributing to success and the challenges relating to funding, cross-institutional collaboration, the use of existing structures, and the recruitment and retention of participants. Following a brief introduction, we invite participants to take part in a joint discussion and to share specific experiences and proposed solutions.

  • Nora Burla (Management Team, ‘Perspektiven – Studium’)
  • Sabine Zurschmitten (Management Team, ‘Perspektiven – Studium’)
11.45 - 12.00 am

Review and Summary of Parallel Sessions

Chairpersons of the parallel sessions

12.00 - 12.45 pm

Panel Discussion on the Educational Integration of Refugees: Perspectives from Politics and Civil Society

Participants:

  • Peter Mozolevskyi (Member of the Executive Board of the Swiss Refugee Forum and Research Assistant at FHNW)
  • Irina Studhalter (Member of the Lucerne Cantonal Council, Green Party)
  • Further panelists to be confirmed

Moderator: Dr Constanze Jecker (lecturer at HSLU)

12.45 - 1.00 pm

Conclusion and Acknowledgements

Sandra Sommer (International Officer Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Project Lead CLuG+)

1.00 pm

Standing lunch

Registration for the networking event

Registrations are being accepted via the link below. Please register by Tuesday, 20 October 2026 at the latest.

Registration link (in German)

Information for companies with internships

Does your company have internships available? Then get in touch with us. With internships you can help prepare participants in the taster or pre-study integration programmes for studying at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and are in direct contact with future specialists. You also make an important contribution to the social and employment integration of refugees.