Una Europa Student Project Incubator Spring 2026 | Breaking barriers for student engagement

The Student Project Incubator gives you an opportunity to:

• Expand your international network
• Develop your intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration skills
• Learn design thinking and problem-solving skills and how they can be used to solve the challenges you care about
• Put the academic skills gained through your studies to practical use

This fifth edition of the Una Europa Student Project Incubator focuses on finding solutions for the current challenges that students face during their studies and barriers for student engagement due to cost of living, work, accessibility requirements, language and other issues. We are encouraging you to get creative and explore how to design new solutions for better student life at universities in an inspirational and international environment.

Through design thinking and challenge-based learning, the Incubator aims to address the following five areas of barriers to student engagement:

• Student well-being
• Accessibility, diversity and inclusion
• Recognition and benefits of student engagement
• University structures for supporting engagement
• Communication and awareness

You should apply to the Student Project Incubator if you want to:

• Find out how your theoretical knowledge can be applied in the real world
• Develop your intercultural collaboration skills
• Explore how students from other disciplines perceive the world and learn the unique perspectives of your own studies
• Experience a different type of learning environment from the traditional lecture
• Develop prototypes that address real challenges to student engagement
• Meet new people and make friends from across Una Europa universities
• Learn how you are able to make real impact in the world through design thinking
• Have fun and experience something new!

We are looking for bachelor's and master's students and doctoral researchers currently enrolled at an Una Europa university to join us on this innovative learning journey to make a difference in student life at universities.

If you are interested in developing your problem-solving and collaboration skills and learning to go from challenge to prototype, the Incubator programme is a good fit for you. The programme requires you to attend at least six out of nine sessions, and you also need to commit a few hours outside of the formal programme. During the programme you will conduct research, user interviews, user testing and other tasks. It’s important that you consider your schedule and capacity before applying.

This edition of the Student Project Incubator is for students who are passionate about breaking barriers for student engagement and collaborating with other students to tackle one of the five topics mentioned above.

Over the course of the programme (10 March–21 May) 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 on 13 May.

The teams will follow a set of joint, online workshops led by different experts to learn about the process of design thinking. Along the way, each team will deliver smaller milestones and assignments in line with the workshop topics. In addition to attending the workshops, you will also have to reserve some time to work on the milestones. Assignments may involve, for example, gathering insights, talking to potential users, and user testing. You decide how much time you spend, but a few hours between workshops is most likely needed. Each team will have a student mentor supporting and guiding you through the process. To work on your prototype solution, test and develop it, the programme will require you to interview and engage with students to understand the real needs of people on your campuses.

The top team will be chosen partly by a jury vote and partly by a popular vote and get to attend the sixth implementation of the incubator programme which will be an intensive programme in Berlin in September 2026.

We are expecting a fun, insightful, and meaningful programme where solutions will be created by students for students to make a difference in student life, engagement, and wellbeing!

During the registration process, you will be asked to rank the five 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. It is important that you consider your schedule and ability to be actively participating before applying, since this very much affects your own and your team’s experience if you cannot commit and contribute.

The Student Project Incubator Spring 2026 programme will run from 10 March–21 May 2026.

All sessions (as outlined below) will take place from 14:00–16:00 IST/BST | 15:00–17:00 CET | 16:00–18:00 EET.

• Who is eligible to participate in the Student Project Incubator Spring 2026?

Bachelor's and master's students or doctoral researchers 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 six sessions to complete the programme and receive a certificate of completion.

• 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 student life or engagement challenge by completing a guided template during the Incubator programme. Student teams will present this at the final showcase in May. The winning team will get to participate in the next edition of the Student Project Incubator, taking place in Berlin in September 2026.

The Una Europa Student Project Incubator is a dynamic format offering students the opportunity to develop their project development skills, network and collaborate with peers across Europe, and gain experience in creating projects and initiatives that address real-life issues. Learn more about the Incubator format and explore previous editions below.

Photo credit: Pascal Levy (photo taken at the Una Europa Student Congress 2025 in Paris).