March was full of research and new ideas. We connected with the international accounting community in Düsseldorf at the European Accounting Review 2026 Annual Conference, for which Prof. Dr. Christoph Sextroh also serves on the editorial board. Over two days, we not only discussed recent research on topics such as ESG rating agencies and shareholder activism, tax uncertainty and auditor-provided tax services, and worker representation on corporate boards, but also exchanged perspectives on the accounting for intangible assets with Andreas Barckow (Chair of the IASB), Jens Berger (Partner and Head of the IFRS & Corporate Reporting Centre of Excellence, Deloitte Germany), and Martina Flögel (VP Corporate Accounting & Subsidiary Finance, Henkel KGaA). It was a true pleasure to participate, and we look forward to continuing these conversations in the classroom and beyond.

We also had the opportunity to participate in three research events connected to the German accounting and finance community. Inga Meringdal presented her research project “Non-Financial Reporting and Social Media Disclosure: Evidence from an Employer Review Platform” at the Accounting Research Camp on Transparency in Corporations and Markets (ARCTIC), organized by colleagues from the SFB Accounting for Transparency, as well as at the Finance/Accounting Research Workshop organized by Prof. Dr. Peter Limbach, Dr. Maryna Gulenko, Prof. Dr. Gerrit Köchling, and Prof. Dr. Peter Schäfer at Bielefeld University. Prof. Dr. Christoph Sextroh gave early insights into a new project on the role of AI in investors’ processing of accounting information.

Finally, this week, we wrapped up our 5th doctoral seminar together with the Department of Accounting & Sustainability Reporting at Goethe University Frankfurt, the Institute of Management Accounting & Control at the University of Münster, and the Chair of Financial Accounting at Ruhr University Bochum, with this year’s seminar taking place at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Over three wonderful days, we had the pleasure of reconnecting with familiar faces and diving deep into new papers and research ideas. It is always rewarding to see how projects have evolved since our last gathering. We are already looking forward to next year.

A huge thank you to all organizers and participants. This kind of academic exchange is fundamental to advancing our field and continues to have an impact well beyond the events themselves.