Una Europa Student Project Incubator Autumn 2025

This fourth edition of the Una Europa Student Project Incubator gives you the opportunity to engage with one of three key topics:

• Digital Humanities: Preserving Cultural Heritage.
• Ethical Consumption: Sustainable Fashion and Consumer Activism.
• Media Literacy for Democratic Participation: Battling Misinformation and Fake News.

As a participant in the Incubator, you will:

• Understand the role that the universities play in their communities and why it is important that they collaborate on tackling larger societal challenges.
• Understand how universities and communities can widen their impact and outreach by working together and the role you as a student can play in the process.
• Reflect on your own community and learn about other communities, the challenges they face and the work they do to tackle those challenges.
• Learn more about one of the above topics and explore how the topic is tackled in academic circles versus in the community.
• Work in intercultural teams of students from across the alliance on developing a solution for a common challenge in connection to one of the above topics.

• Learn more about the topic of interest and discuss it with other students and academics from across the alliance.
• Develop a better understanding of the importance of collaboration between universities and local communities.
• Develop a better understanding of your own community and learn more about other communities from across Europe.
• Identify challenges and design solutions by using the ‘think globally, act locally approach’.
• Learn more about challenge-based learning and design thinking principles.
• Meet new people and create international connections by working in intercultural and virtual teams of students from across Europe.
• Reflect on your role in your own community and take steps towards making a positive change in society.
• Receive a digital badge for your participation in the programme.
• Have fun and experience something new.

Bachelor's and master's students and doctoral researchers (PhDs) currently enrolled at an Una Europa university are welcome to participate in the autumn edition of the Student Project Incubator.

We are looking for students and researchers who are interested in exploring one of the three topics outlined above and who would like to work in international and interdisciplinary teams to explore community engagement and societal impact.

The Incubator invites you to learn, collaborate, meet new people and develop new ideas that have the potential to make a positive impact on your local community.

The programme is fully online, and takes place over eight weeks during October and November 2025. Over the course of the programme, you will engage in challenge-based learning, working in intercultural teams to complete challenges and milestones as you develop a prototype solution to be presented at an online showcase in early December. You will also receive mentorship and peer-to-peer feedback; meet community organisations and academics working on the three key topics; and take part in workshops that will equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the programme.

Using design thinking to develop a proposal, teams will submit their prototype solutions by 30 November. An online showcase will take place in early December. The top three winning prototypes will be chosen and the winning teams will receive funding to test their prototypes in spring 2026.

During the registration process, you will be asked to rank the three key topics in order of interest. You will then be placed in a team based on topic selection, programme, year of study and home university, to ensure diversity within the team.

• Apply by 23:59 CEST on 21 September.
• Programme takes place from 6 October – 30 November.
• The programme is divided into four phases across 8 weeks; each phase lasts two weeks:
  • Phase 1: 6–19 October.
  • Phase 2: 20 October–2 November.
  • Phase 3: 3–16 November.
  • Phase 4: 17–30 November.

The teams will submit a milestone at the end of each phase.

Teams will submit a prototype solution by 30 November and have an opportunity to pitch their solutions at the Final Showcase. The winning solutions will be selected based on a popular vote from other participants and an evaluation from a professional jury. The winning teams will implement their initiatives in spring 2026.

• Who is eligible to participate in the Student Project Incubator Autumn 2025?

Bachelor's and master's students or doctoral researchers (PhDs) currently enrolled at an Una Europa university, in any discipline, are welcome to apply.

Apply as an individual; you will be put into a team by the organisers before the programme starts.

• What if I can’t join a session?

To participate in the Incubator, it is important that you are available for all the sessions. We understand that you might have to miss one due to classes or unexpected changes in your schedule, but you will need to attend at least four sessions in order to complete the programme.

• Is everything online?

Yes, the whole Incubator programme is delivered online. We encourage local meetups where possible, but all parts of the Incubator will be implemented online.

• How to apply?

Fill out the application form via the link at the top of this page.

• What is the outcome of the Incubator?

Each team will work on developing a prototype solution for a common community challenge by completing a guided template during the Incubator programme. Student teams will present this at the final showcase in December.

If you are interested in applying for the programme, you are invited to attend an online information session on Wednesday 10 September, 14:00 IST/BST | 15:00 CET | 16:00 EET.

Join the session to learn more about the programme and ask any questions you may have. Attending the information session is not mandatory; if you feel you have all the necessary information to apply, please complete the application form.