Alumni in Town 2026
A long weekend full of exchange, inspiration and exciting insights: Alumni in Town brings former ZU students together in major European cities. Company visits, panel talks and cultural highlights await you in Barcelona - combined with plenty of space for networking and shared experiences.
Alumni in Town 2026
Changes to the program are continuously updated here.
Thursday: Welcome to Barcelona
- Individual arrival
- Evening: Tapas & Get-together (optional)
Friday: Start-ups, Security & Urban Contrasts
| Morning | Corporate Innovation:
Company visit to basetis or Gartner in the tech district Poblenou (focus: “Teal organization” & flat hierarchies, or AI & cybersecurity).
| Midday | Local Lunch:
Shared Menú del Día.
- Afternoon | Order & Emotion:
Briefing at think tank CIDOB. Followed by a walk & talk with Prof. Dr. Koschut from the Miró mosaic to Plaça Sant Felip Neri bringing security policy to life.
- Late Afternoon | Architecture & Outlook:
Stop at Mies van der Rohe Pavilion and sundowner drinks with harbor views at Montjuïc
- Evening | Chic Dinner:
Sophisticated shared dinner.
Saturday: New Work, Community & Festival Vibes
Keynote by the founder of Greaterthan Collective (topic: decentralization & networks) in the fitting setting of the self‑managed community space Can Batlló.
| Midday | Local Lunch:
Shared Menú del Día.
| Afternoon | City of the Future:
Walking tour through the Superblocks in Poblenou – Europe’s most radical urban planning experiment.
| Evening | Palo Alto Market:
Wind‑down at the famous design and street‑food festival in the old industrial halls (optional).
Morning | Picnic Brunch:
Shared breakfast on the lawn in Parc de la Ciutadella or at the beach (depending on the heat – optional).Midday | Human Security:
Architectural finale at the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau (focus: architecture as care). (optional)Afterwards: Individual departure
Sunday: Origins, Identity & Wind‑Down
Registration and costs
Arrival, departure and accommodation will be organized by the participants themselves. A participation fee of 150 EURO per person will be charged for the organization of the non-optional program items (room rental, reservation costs, collective bills for restaurant visits, etc.). The costs for the optional program items and travel costs to the locations will be borne by the participants themselves.
Simply send an e-mail to alumni-office@zu.de to register for participation in the event.
DAAD travel grant for international alumni
The AiT event in Barcelona is part of the ZU funding project "Reframing Cultural Legacies" within the framework of the DAAD funding line "Continuing Education for International Alumni - Overarching Alumni Activities to Improve Cooperation between International Alumni". As part of the funding, up to 10 international alumni from industrialized countries can receive a grant for travel costs and a stay in Barcelona (94 EURO per diem for 4 days including arrival and departure day and 300 EURO travel allowance).
Who can receive the grant?
According to the funding line, international alumni are defined as foreign students - these are
"Students, graduates, academics or lecturers who have completed a degree at a German university or have generally studied, researched or worked at a German university/research institution for at least three months and who have generally returned to work abroad in the meantime."
In individual cases, persons who have dual citizenship or only German citizenship but are definitely and verifiably staying abroad for a very long time may also receive funding after consultation with the funding body.
To apply for DAAD funding and for further questions, please contact the Alumni Office: alumni-office@zu.de.