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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Briefing paper: Building a bridge towards Africa and the Mediterranean Region (2021)
Building partnerships with African and Mediterranean universities outside Europe is an importantstrategic aim of CIVIS and one of its distinct features as a European University alliance (1). By 2022, the end of CIVIS’ “fabric phase”, our alliance seeks to win at least one partner institution in the target regions for each of its established thematic Hubs (2). This implies initiating some first joint pilot projects as well as to prepare and adopt longer-term strategic partnership agreements between CIVIS and partner universities.- Global partnerships
- Audiovisual materials
- Report
- Academics
- Researchers
- Administrators
- Policy makers
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Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality (Workshop Report, 2025)
The workshop “Sensing Our Environment Together: Citizen Sciences for Climate and Air Quality” (30 September–1 October 2025) brought together academics, associations, and local stakeholders committed to addressing climate and air‑quality challenges through participatory research. Designed as a prototype for future CIVIS Open Labs, the event fostered dialogue between diverse actors, encouraged the exchange of methodologies, and highlighted the value of inclusive, science-based action. By convening experts and communities across different territories, the workshop aimed to enhance transnational collaboration and strengthen the collective capacity to address environmental issues.- Challenged-based approach
- Communication and Dissemination
- Civic engagement
- Participatory research
- Report
- Students
- Academics
- Researchers
- Civil society