European Central Bank thrilled to invite you, to participate in the External Statistics Conference (ESC) 2026 Data Challenge! This exciting competition, running from 28 October 2025 to 31 January 2026, encourages Bachelor’s and Master’s students from EU universities to showcase their data analysis, visualization, and communication skills.

This year’s theme, “Evolving Cross-Border Dynamics in a Fragmented and Uncertain World,” challenges students to explore policy-relevant topics, such as global trade, financial flows, multinational dynamics, and environmental impacts of cross-border activities.

Participants will use datasets from the ECB and BIS Data Portals alongside other publicly available data to develop innovative projects. Winners will present their findings at ESC 2026 in Krakow, with all expenses covered, and receive certificates of excellence!

We also invite (potential) participants to an introductory virtual event where experts from the organizing institutions will present details about the ESC Data Challenge. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the challenge, ask questions, and engage directly with the experts.

📅 Date: Thursday, 20 November
⏰ Time: 14:30 Central European Time (CET) – Frankfurt time
📍 Location: Virtual – the meeting can be accessed via Teams using the following LINK