Last year, approximately 180 candidates aged between 28 and 35 applied for the 50 available spots, including a gratifying number of female applicants and representatives from the business sector. For the past two years, KSG has been a funding partner of the esteemed Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Sofia Delgado from the Karl Schlecht Stiftung spoke with Sascha Suhrke, Director of the Bucerius Summer School and Head of Politics and Society at ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS, to discuss what makes this program unique.

KSG: 25 years of the Bucerius Summer School – how has the program positioned itself compared to similar initiatives in Germany and beyond? What makes it unique after all these years?

Sascha Suhrke:
The world has changed significantly since the first Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance. The first BSS took place in August 2001, just before 9/11. At that time, globalization carried the hope that states would collaborate more closely to tackle global challenges together. However, the increasing number of crises, conflicts, and wars highlights how far we still are from true global governance and how national interests often outweigh the greater good. That is why good governance and strong leadership are essential across all sectors.

Initially, the program aimed to connect young German leaders from politics, administration, business, media, and civil society on an international level—something that was not as common 25 years ago as it is today. The ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS had a groundbreaking idea at the time: bringing together people from all sectors to think outside the box, inspire, and challenge each other.

The diversity of nationalities and professional backgrounds makes this program special, and this diversity has only increased over the years. Participants come from all over the world, and they meet people here whom they wouldn’t normally encounter at other programs or conferences. This is also reflected in the strong alumni network, which remains deeply connected to the Bucerius Summer School and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS even decades later.

KSG: Are you planning a special program for the anniversary year?

Sascha Suhrke:
At the end of this year’s BSS, we will host a major alumni conference on the campus of Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, with about 300 alumni and this year’s participants. The conference was fully booked within days, and the waiting list keeps growing. This strong alumni connection is truly remarkable.

During the alumni weekend, we will explore questions like: Where do we want to take this global network? How can we achieve even more? How can alumni actively contribute? What can we build together?

KSG: What were the goals behind establishing the Bucerius Summer School 25 years ago? How has the program evolved since then?

Sascha Suhrke:
In 2000, the Bucerius Law School was founded in Hamburg as a private university, driven by innovation and excellence. Initially, we considered expanding beyond law into a Bucerius Governance School, but instead, we launched the Bucerius Summer School on Global Governance. Over time, we realized the value of bringing practitioners together—people who could work on global issues and engage in discussions with prominent figures from politics, business, military, media, international organizations, and NGOs.

Our participants are already professionals, attending the BSS as an advanced training opportunity. Since 2001, the program has continually evolved—topics and participants have become more diverse. Initially, we had participants from 18 nationalities; today, they come from at least 30 countries each year.

We have introduced new formats, including workshops, simulations, and role-playing exercises in addition to panel discussions and keynotes. Each BSS is unique, adapting to contemporary global challenges. However, one tradition has remained for over 20 years—at the start of the program, participants take part in a dragon boat race on the Alster in Hamburg. The activity is about paddling in sync to move forward efficiently, which not only makes it fun but also strengthens team spirit.

KSG: The world is rapidly changing, particularly with advancements in AI. Will the program adapt over the next five years? Can such long-term planning even be done?

Sascha Suhrke:
Change has always been constant—the difference now is the speed of change. We integrate emerging trends into the program. AI has been on our agenda for years. We have also discussed digital developments and cybersecurity extensively.

However, some events require sudden shifts in planning. For example, after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, global discussions about nuclear energy changed overnight. Similarly, since Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Eastern Ukraine in 2014, we have covered this topic every year. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, we had to completely revise our program.

While some aspects can be planned long-term, we remain flexible to adjust or even completely change topics as needed. Additionally, participants have the freedom to introduce topics and lead discussions without external speakers.