From 15-19 September 2025, St. Pölten UAS hosted the E³UDRES² Intensive I Living Lab 2025 under the theme “From Art to Extreme: Unmasking Harm in Creative Industries.” Around 130 students coming from St. Pölten UAS as well as the E³UDRES² partner universities came together to explore the ways in which harmful narratives can surface in culture, media, and digital spaces, and how audiences might be empowered to respond more critically.

The week was structured around four real-world challenges submitted by local organisations: In collaboration with the city museum of St. Pölten (Stadtmuseum St. Pölten), students considered how sensitive content could be presented in ways that inspire critical thinking rather than passive consumption. Commit.at raised the question of how streaming media can balance creative freedom with the responsibility to remain objective, ethical and empathetic. The media project "Was Bisher Geschah" invited participants to develop strategies that help audiences recognize harmful narratives such as fake news, bias and propaganda. Meanwhile, the Higher Technical College Waidhofen/Ybbs asked how teenagers in secondary schools could be supported in strengthening their critical thinking skills in order to identify negative influences behind social media, including cyberbullying and harmful content. Coming together in teams with members from different universities, study backgrounds, nationalities and skills, the students had five days to come up with a feasible solution to the challenge they were tasked to solve. Along the way, all teams had the support of Educational Entrepreneurs - dedicated mentors that guided them along the principles of the Design Thinking Process, and ensured that the teams' creative ideas could be transformed into feasible solutions.

Creative approaches to current issues

Over the course of the week, the interdisciplinary teams developed innovative ideas and finally presented their solutions on Friday at the St. Pölten UAS during the Intensive I Living Lab Showdown. Their work demonstrated not only creative approaches to tackling pressing issues in the media and cultural industries, but also the value of collaboration across different academic fields and cultural backgrounds.

For the participating students, the academic program of the week was complemented by a rich cultural agenda: Students visited St. Pölten’s City Hall, where they were welcomed by the Vice Mayor, and explored the baroque city of St. Pölten during a guided tour. The week also included an excursion to Vienna, offering international participants a deeper look into Austria’s cultural landscape as well as a glimpse into the bustling life of the capital city.

With the international students returning home, the organising team behind the Intensive I Living Lab is already preparing for the next international event hosted at the Austrian E³UDRES² institution: The E³UDRES² Hackathon 2025 will be taking place at St. Pölten UAS in December, focusing on the intersection between modern workplaces, artificial intelligence and regional identity.