CIVIS, Europe’s Civic University Alliance, brings together 11 research universities to advance a strong challenge‑based educational model that equips students to address real societal and environmental issues. By combining civic engagement, inter‑ and transdisciplinary collaboration and partnerships with local stakeholders through Open Labs, CIVIS ensures that learning is grounded in authentic, complex challenges linked to the SDGs. This digital guidebook is based on our best practices.
At the heart of CIVIS's mission is the integration of civic engagement and challenge-based education strategies, aiming to address multifaceted societal challenges and promote sustainable development aligned with the European Union’s education and policy directives.
- Strategic Educational Initiatives: CIVIS has successfully implemented innovative educational strategies that leverage civic engagement and challenge-based learning to prepare students comprehensively for the complexities of modern societal issues. By fostering an inter- and transdisciplinary approach, the alliance enhances student competencies in tackling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and equips them with critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a robust sense of social responsibility. To further strengthen the development of civic engagement and challenge-based education this digital guidebook on the challenge-based approach, based on best practices and experience within CIVIS, will be available on the CIVIS Digital Campus platform. That also exemplifies our commitment to accessible and collaborative educational resources, promoting continuous learning and interaction among European educational institutions.
- Research and Community Engagement: The alliance's educational initiatives are deeply intertwined with ongoing advanced research, focusing on real-world challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequalities. CIVIS universities collaborate extensively with local stakeholders organized in Open Labs, which inform teaching and public engagement, thereby reinforcing the link between academic pursuits and societal needs.
- Global and Local Partnerships: CIVIS’s strategy includes a significant international dimension, where partnerships with African universities are fundamental. These partnerships are structured to foster mutual learning and co-create solutions to global challenges, highlighting the alliance's role in enhancing European-African academic collaboration in the face of challenge-based education.
- Future Outlook and Development: Looking forward, CIVIS is committed to expanding its challenge-based educational model and civic engagement strategies. The alliance plans to refine its methodologies and introduce more structured frameworks to enhance the effectiveness of its educational initiatives. By continuing to integrate biosphere and societal challenges and focusing on sustainable and inclusive practices, CIVIS aims to remain at the forefront of addressing global educational and societal challenges.
This report was produced for CIVIS by the Stream 1 team and many others from CIVIS. Authors: Thorsten Blenckner, Fanny Sbaraglia, Mike Osborne, Christian Möllmann, Enrique Martin Santamaria, Celine Reynaud, Pär Brännström, Johanna Diehl, Ulla Harmalla, Magnus Breitholtz and Maria Wilenius.
It is a deliverable of the Erasmus+ project CIVIS2 (WP2 Deliverable 2.1). Published in June 2024.
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The Aix-Marseille Polycrisis Declaration (June 2026)
The Aix-Marseille Polycrisis Declaration is the outcome of the final conference of the PolyCIVIS Jean Monnet Network, a partnership of 21 African and European universities, most of them part of CIVIS Alliance. The declaration addresses the growing reality of the “polycrisis,” in which conflict, climate change, forced migration, economic insecurity, governance challenges, and social inequalities interact and reinforce one another. Recognising that young people are disproportionately affected by these interconnected crises, the declaration emphasises the need for stronger Africa–Europe cooperation and places youth agency, participation, and leadership at the center of responses to contemporary global challenges.- Global partnerships
- Polycrisis
- Policy recommendations
- Students
- Academics
- Researchers
- Civil society
- Policy makers
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European Universities alliances: Impact, Insights, and the Road Ahead (April 2026)
Since the launch of the European Universities initiative in 2019, alliances such as CIVIS have moved well beyond experimentation and are already transforming higher education. That was the clear message from the keynote panel held on 28 April, 2026 in Brussels as part of the CIVIS Units Summit, which brought together representatives from EU institutions, researchers and alliance leaders to take stock of achievements and challenges ahead and discuss with over 70 CIVIS Staff members about the future of alliances.- European Degree
- European Universities initiative
- Communication and Dissemination
- Article
- Audiovisual materials
- Video
- Students
- Academics
- Researchers
- Administrators
- Policy makers