The European Forum Alpbach (EFA) is one of Europe’s leading interdisciplinary conferences, bringing together science, policy, business, and society to address today’s most pressing challenges. At EFA25, the Complexity Science Hub contributed insights across four highly relevant areas, from cybercrime and the future of work to health innovation and beyond. Through seminars and interactive sessions, CSH researchers explored how science, policy, and society can work together to address some of Europe’s most complex problems.
#1 – Cybercrime: Staying Ahead of Digital Threats
CSH scientist Bernhard Haslhofer, together with Thomas Goger, Deputy Director of the Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime, guided participants through a week-long seminar on modern crimes and cybercrime.
Sessions combined expert insights with interactive discussions, covering topics from phishing and ransomware to cryptocurrency-based offenses. Participants also explored the role of AI, deepfake technologies (which can create realistic but fake images or videos), and voice cloning, discussing their implications for security, society, and institutions. With Europe facing annual losses of around €265 billion to cybercrime, understanding these threats is crucial for law enforcement, research, and industry alike.
#2 – Future of Work: Navigating Economic Transformation
Researchers Frank Neffke and Ljubica Nedelkoska led a seminar exploring how economies grow, transform, and adapt in a rapidly changing world. Participants examined how labor markets evolve, how workers and firms learn, and how technological changes—from AI and robotics to digitalization and the green transition—are reshaping tasks, jobs, and skills. For example, AI might automate routine office work, while new green technologies could create jobs in sustainable energy.
The sessions gave participants hands-on insights into how societies can maintain resilience, support skill development, and foster innovation in the workforce.
#3 – Health Innovation & the European Health Data Space
CSH researcher Peter Klimek took part in a discussion on the European Health Data Space (EHDS), a major initiative to use health data across Europe in a coordinated and responsible way. Participants explored how the EHDS can accelerate research, improve public health planning, and support innovation in healthcare while ensuring patient privacy and trust.
The program, co-organized with national and European health institutions, highlighted how collaboration across sectors is key to tackling challenges such as workforce shortages, aging infrastructure, and climate-related health risks.
#4 – Collective Adaptation
CSH researchers Mirta Galesic and Henrik Olsson introduced the idea of collective adaptation—how societies adjust their thinking and networks when faced with challenges, which can lead to action but also to inaction. Using the example “Scientists in the Mist,” they reflected on the current situation in the United States, where science funding faces unprecedented cuts and many scientists remain largely silent. They showed why mobilizing is often difficult: people may underestimate support from others, fear higher personal risks, or struggle to coordinate across groups.
The discussion also explored how companies could contribute by amplifying the voices of those who speak out, lending legitimacy to civic initiatives, and developing tools that make collective action easier.
