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.

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. A Visionary Team includes: a member of the Steering Committee or a Senior Fellow (as the team’s lead), other Steering Committee members and Senior Fellows, as well as Junior Fellows appointed for the task by the Steering Committee. The Visionary Teams may also seek the assistance of the members of other Una Europa structures (Self-Steering Committees, Clusters, etc.). The Una Europa Student Board will be consulted to determine whether or not a particular Visionary Team should include a student representative and will assist the Future UniLab in sourcing such a representative. The Teams of Visionaries will be given the freedom to dream and think truly out of the box.

Check out the previous work of the Future UniLab visionaries:

Values :

• What is the essence of the European University of the Future?
• How to reconceptualise universities in order to capture their social and cultural role in local environments in the face of the contemporary challenges?
• Which core values should inform the University of the Future to avoid the binaries of the traditional ivory tower and rigid managerialism?

Integration :

• How to integrate the universities with their ecosystem - locally, nationally and internationally?
• How to facilitate mutual understanding and cooperation between various inter-university actors?
• Is it reasonable to further integrate various dimensions of the university’s mission, and how to do it?

Sustainability:

• How can universities become future-proof and resilient in an ever more rapidly changing world?
• How should universities take the lead in the search for a new balance between human society and the natural environment?
• How can universities promote the well-being of employees and students and help them flourish?

Instruments :

• How should the digital dimension of the university of the future be conceived?
• How to develop a model of universities comprehensive and balanced communication?
• What should be the management models of the university of the future?

The Design Desk, like the teams of visionaries, is 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 Steering Committee. This team is a permanent structure, consisting of representatives from all Una Europa partners. The Steering Committee coordinates Future UniLab activities and acts as the main interlocutor for policymakers. 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.

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 policymakers 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!

In June 2023, the new strategy of the Future UniLab was adopted.