It is an interdisciplinary platform for science, politics, business and culture with its mission cited as "connecting international decision-makers from all sectors of society with an interested audience and committed young people".

The forum was founded in 1945 as "International College Weeks" by Otto Molden, who had been active in the Austrian resistance movement, and Simon Moser.

These groups and clubs promote the spirit of Alpbach in their home countries and universities and organise interdisciplinary events and lectures.

Among others, there are initiative groups in Armenia (Yerevan), Albania (Tirana), Austria (Graz, Linz and Vienna), Belgium (Brussels), Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo), Bulgaria (Sofia), France, Germany (Berlin and Cologne), Hungary (Budapest), Kosovo (Pristina), Macedonia (Skopje), Moldova (Chişinău), Montenegro (Podgorica), Poland (Warsaw), Serbia (Belgrade), Romania (Bucharest) and Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv).

In 2024, alumni from Club Alpbach France, Spain, and Belgium led a campaign to encourage young people to take part in the 2024 European Parliament elections.

The Palumba initiative quickly became one of the most downloaded voting advice applications[7] in Europe, with the aim of reducing abstention of young first-time voters.