Future Unilab
The Future UniLab serves as the think tank of Una Europa. Designed as a ‘living laboratory’, it aims to
- Provide a forum for discussion on the future role of universities in society
- Develop ground-breaking tools and models for cooperation in European Higher Education
- Assess and future proof Una Europa’s activities.
In order to achieve these ambitions, the Future UniLab will develop a new method for discussing the obstacles and opportunities European universities face when they join forces to “Europeanise” their activities. In the longer term, the Future UniLab is expected to become a permanent institution that brings together top-level experts and serves as a reference point in the European Higher Education and Research Area.
" There’s almost no reflection of how the university should look like in 10, 20, 30 years’ time and we need a space for that... The question is how do we make it possible to think outside the box on a regular basis? "
Bartosz Brozek, Lead of Una Europa Future UniLab
Visionaries and designers - Towards a new methodology
The Future UniLab will develop a new method for discussion and problem-solving for European Universities that is also transferable and scalable for use in various contexts and institutional settings. The essential component of the methodology is to distinguish between two kinds of teams, the visionaries and the designers.
The teams of visionaries will be appointed to work on particular issues. They will consist of experts coming from within and outside of the Una Europa universities and, depending on the topic at hand, will consist of researchers, lecturers, students, administrative staff, entrepreneurs, representatives of NGOs, representatives of local and national governments, as well as EU policy experts. The teams of visionaries will be given the freedom to dream and think truly out of the box.
Check the envisioning reports of the I and II round visionaries:
- Round I visionaries:
- Round II visionaries:
- Round III visionaries
The teams of designers, like the teams of visionaries, will be appointed to work on particular issues. They will consist mainly of professionals from the Una Europa partners and will be tasked with the crucial “reality check” for the dream scenarios.
The interaction of these two central players is orchestrated by the UniLab’s core team. This team is a permanent structure, consisting of representatives from all Una Europa partners. The core team coordinates the Future UniLab activities and acts as the main interlocutor for policy makers. It will play a central role in differentiating “fundamental questions” and “short-term problems” and defining the appropriate discussion forum, within the UniLab and beyond. Some discussion formats, such as Brussels policy workshops, will be public.
For more information, consult our guidebook on the Future UniLab.
The European University of the Future - Bold, Integrated, Open
In June 2021, Future UniLab released its first position paper outlining a vision for the European University of the Future. The pillars of the European university of the future will be core values, a commitment to sustainability and a creative bringing-together of richly-symbolic university campuses with new, dynamic spaces opened up by digital technology.
To act in accordance with these pillars and shape the vision of a broad, innovative future for universities, Future UniLab calls for all actions to be BIO: bold, integrated and open. The paper also outlines methods for universities and policy makers to enable and promote BIO actions.
Scroll through the path towards a European University of the Future as pictured in the Future UniLab position paper!
The Future UniLab is a central element of Una Europa’s 1Europe project.
