Have you ever shared some information only to discover, a few hours or days later, that it wasn’t entirely true? Have you ever been convinced by a headline, a video, or a post that, upon closer inspection, told a completely different story?
Then we have something to talk about, especially if you are a UB undergraduate, master’s, or PhD student: we invite you, from 26–31 October 2026, to coLABORATORUL de IDEI 5.0, a new edition of the event where different perspectives come together to turn real problems into ideas that can be put into practice.
This year’s edition will take place at the Sinaia Conference Centre of the University of Bucharest and will focus on disinformation, while participants’ accommodation and meals will be covered by the University of Bucharest.
We’re not looking for disinformation experts. We’re looking for curious people.
Disinformation is not just about false news circulating online. It is also about how we decide what to trust, the things we share without checking them, the mechanisms that make us believe a story, and the moment when we start asking questions. At coLABORATORUL de IDEI 5.0, this is exactly where we want to start.
As part of the application process, one of the challenges is to tell us about a piece of false or misleading information that you once believed and later realised was false. What convinced you? How did you discover that it wasn’t true? What made you change your perspective? There is no “correct” answer. We are interested in your experience and the way you think.
We invite you to apply by completing the form available here by 4 October 2026 at the latest.
What do you bring to the team?
Maybe you know how to film and edit videos. Maybe you create illustrations, write, code, analyse data, make impeccable memes, explain complicated things in a very simple way, or notice details that others quickly overlook. Or maybe you simply have a really good question.
At coLABORATORUL de IDEI, we are interested not only in what is on your CV, but also in what you know how to do, what you enjoy doing, and what perspective you can bring to an interdisciplinary team. Because a problem like disinformation cannot be viewed from a single direction.
You don’t have to come with a finished project
Do you have an idea about how we could identify misleading information more easily? About how we could better explain the mechanisms behind disinformation? About a game, a digital tool, a campaign, an experiment, a video format, or an intervention that could help a community?
Bring it with you. And if you don’t have a solution yet, come with the problem that you can’t stop thinking about.
During the six days spent in Sinaia, you will work alongside undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students from different faculties and fields, testing ideas, questioning them, rebuilding them, and ultimately seeing which of them can become real projects.
The process will be supported by Ada Roseti, president of the SCIPublicForum Association, organiser of the national Games of Science competition, and a science communication specialist.
From a good idea to a project that can move forward
In 2026, coLABORATORUL de IDEI reached its fifth edition. In previous years, participants worked on topics such as attracting more students to the University of Bucharest, developing sustainable projects, and bringing researchers closer to the public. This year, the question is a different one: How do we navigate a world in which not everything that seems credible is actually true?
We do not promise that we will solve the problem of disinformation in six days. But we can start by understanding it better. We can bring together people who see things differently. We can test ideas. And we can leave Sinaia with projects good enough to be worth taking further.
If you have something to say, ask, build, or question, coLABORATORUL de IDEI 5.0 is waiting for you. Sign up here and let’s get to know each other!
