The ECREA Political Communication Section Interim Conference 2025 took place from 4–5 September at the University of Innsbruck, hosted by the Departments of Media, Society & Communication and Political Science.

Under the theme Connecting: Bridging approaches, methods and scholars the conference brought together researchers from across Europe and beyond to discuss current developments in political communication research. In more than 80 presentations, scholars from all over Europe and beyond presented their fresh political communication insights.

A Young Scholars’ workshop on “Building a Professional Profile as an Early-Career Researcher” was organized by the YECREA PolComm representatives Anna Maria Planitzer and Andreea Stancea on 3 September, preceding the main program and providing an opportunity for early-career scholars to exchange experiences and build networks.

The main conference featured a keynote by Barbara Pfetsch on “Reflexions on the Connection of Approaches, Methods, and Scholars in Political Communication” and a broad range of panels addressing topics such as digital platforms, AI, polarization, and visual communication.

The Best Abstract Award 2025 was given to Cristina Monzer (Annenberg School for Communication, United States) for her work on “Political Identity and Visibility: Comparing Self-presentation Strategies Across TikTok User Categories“.

A special thanks goes to Lore Hayek and Uta Russmann, and their team from the University of Innsbruck, for organizing this wonderfully planned and far-sighted event that created a discursive atmosphere for exchange and coming together as a PolCommUnity!