International Meeting on Age-Diverse Friendships and JAP Publishing Workshop [30.04.26]
In April 2026, the international meeting on “Age-Diverse Friendships at Work and Beyond” was held at the University of Hohenheim, combined with a Journal of Applied Psychology (JAP) Publishing Workshop. Organized by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Fasbender and her team, the event brought together international scholars to discuss current research developments and generate new impulses for future work.
Research project: At the core of the meeting was the VolkswagenStiftung-funded project “Overcoming Societal Tensions in Europe: Can Age-Diverse Friendships be the Solution?”. This project examines the potential of age-diverse friendships as a means to reduce societal tensions in Europe.
Across five work packages, the project explores the role of age-diverse friendships in different contexts, the conditions under which they foster support between age groups, and how they can contribute to reducing broader societal tensions. In addition, the project investigates how organizations can support the development of such friendships.
During the meeting, key theoretical perspectives and initial empirical findings from the different work packages were presented and discussed. Particular attention was given to the workplace as a central setting for intergenerational encounters and to the question of how positive contact between age groups can promote social cohesion in Europe.
An important component of the event was the exchange with the international Advisory Board, which provides strategic guidance to the project. Discussions with these experienced experts offered valuable input for the further development of the research program as well as for the design of concrete transfer and intervention approaches.
JAP Publishing Workshop: The scientific program was complemented by a JAP Publishing Workshop. Leading representatives of the journal—including incoming Editor-in-Chief Mo Wang (University of Florida), Associate Editors Hong Deng (University of Nottingham) and Wei He (Nanjing University), as well as Contributing Editor Anita Keller (University of Groningen) —provided insights into editorial processes and discussed key success factors for publishing in leading academic journals. This offered particularly valuable guidance for early-career researchers in refining their publication strategies.
In addition to the intensive academic exchange, the event provided numerous opportunities for international networking, including a joint kick-off meeting and a welcome dinner.
Sponsoring: The event was supported by the DGPs Section for Work, Organizational and Business Psychology, Volksbank Ulm-Biberach eG, and the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation.
Overall, the meeting made an important contribution to advancing research on age-diverse friendships and highlighted their potential as an innovative approach to fostering social cohesion in Europe.
Click here for more photos of the event.
