The conference brought together scientists, pedagogues and other professionals from the field of (continuous) teacher education. For two days, the participants had the opportunity to listen to inspiring contributions and research reports, to discuss and to network on an international level.

On March 23th, the Faculty of Environmental and Regional Sciences and Education of the University of Graz organized the Research Day 2023. Students and staff of the University of Graz and other Austrian educational institutions, national and international scientists and other professionals in the field of education science were invited to get an insight in the faculty’s research projects.

On behalf of the HAND:ET project, Valerie Fredericks from the University of Graz presented an overview on the project on both occasions, especially focusing on the core concepts and their importance for teachers’ professional development. Additionally, she reported on teachers’ situation in Austria and first results of the conducted pre-assessment of the HAND:ET program evaluation.

The audience showed great interest, and following the presentations, vibrant discussions took place. It was agreed that the training of teachers' social-emotional competences and diversity awareness is of great relevance and that the implementation of programs such as HAND:ET is therefore particularly important.