During a one-month research stay at the University of Wollongong (UOW) with A/Prof Sarah O'Shea – one of Australia's leading researchers in student equity – Franziska Lessky from the Education Sciences Group gained insights into the university's activities to support first-in-family students, those who are the first in their family to attend university.

At the University of Wollongong, institutional activities such as the outreach programs "Learning Labs" and "Super Study Days" aim to support students from different social backgrounds. These students are given the opportunity to engage with the content of various departments in a playful way during one- or multi-day workshops at the university. The aim is to encourage children and young people to explore their own educational aspirations and to break down barriers to university. Furthermore, the Centre for Higher Education Research, Innovation and Impact (CHERII), based there and headed by Prof. Agostinho with the collaboration of A/Prof. O'Shea, Prof. Bennett, Associate Professor Nielsen, Dr. Georgiou, and Dr. Tindall-Ford – is also working on the intertwining of scientific research and practice in this area.

During the first CHERII forum, Franziska Lessky was also able to present her research findings on first-in-family students at Austrian universities.