About Us - ChallengeEU Alliance

About

ChallengeEU

ChallengeEU is an alliance of nine European universities committed to transforming the traditional education system by creating Open, Diverse, and Inclusive Campuses (ODEI) across all partner institutions. We believe that everyone should have access to high-quality education, which is why we provide a space where flexibility, digitalization, and equality form the foundation of knowledge access

Our Mission Goes Beyond Education

We strive to actively drive change in our surroundings. By integrating global and regional challenges into our curricula and engaging with local communities, we are ready to work alongside our partners to solve today’s pressing issues. We also keep the future in mind, aiming to shape it in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the social responsibility of science.

Collaborating

Together

By collaborating closely with regional stakeholders, we ensure that our initiatives are tailored to the unique needs of each area, helping to reduce inequalities and strengthen regional potentials.

Our mission is to support everyone who wishes to grow in the dynamic and evolving world of science and innovation. Together, we are building the university of the future — open, innovative, and socially engaged

We want better future

...

For the Young Generation

We envision a Europe where young people can grow their knowledge and skills without borders — geographical or cultural. By creating the right conditions, we believe they will not only learn from their professors but also from each other. We want every student to feel at home at any of our universities, with access to additional qualifications and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Our goal is to shape a new generation of Europeans: individuals who are sensitive to both global and regional issues, focused on solving real-world problems, ready to transform the world around them, open to intercultural dialogue, and deeply aware of the importance of lifelong learning and personal development.

For Science

By building a shared European campus, we aim to bring researchers from all partner universities closer together. In international teams, they will collaboratively seek answers to the most pressing global challenges. We believe science thrives through connection — not only between academics, but also with society. That’s why we foster strong partnerships with local stakeholders, whose knowledge and resources will support impactful, responsible research.

For the Regions

We want innovation to fuel sustainable development, both globally and locally. Our focus on smart specialisation stems from the belief that strengthening local potential helps reduce inequalities. Collaboration with regional partners is not just a way to better identify local needs — it’s also a commitment to act on them. We believe regional development and academic excellence go hand in hand.

For Higher Education

Lifelong learning is one of our core missions. By helping individuals update their knowledge and skills throughout their careers, ChallengeEU will also ensure universities remain agile and forward-looking. Our institutions will respond to societal change with flexible, evolving curricula, offering new tools such as online courses, micro-credentials, open-access resources, and alternative certification pathways. These innovations will not only transform our alliance into a unified European campus — they will also strengthen each university as a hub of continuous learning and innovation.

What do we want to focus on to achieve our goals

1. From Topic-Centered to Challenge- and Impact-Focused Research, Education, and Innovation

We are shifting our approach from traditional, topic-centered education and research to activities driven by real-world challenges. By doing so, we teach, investigate, and innovate with tangible impact on society and the environment.

2. Power of Collaboration: Interdisciplinary M.A.R.K.E.T. Teams

We establish interdisciplinary teams involving academics, students, and stakeholders from the public, private, and civic sectors (Quadruple Helix). These M.A.R.K.E.T. teams generate concrete solutions to challenges at the local, regional, and global levels.

3. Focusing on Smart Specialisation Areas for Regional and Global Impact

During the first four years, we concentrate our collaboration on three regionally relevant Smart Specialisation areas. These focus areas guide our joint projects, transdisciplinary research, and innovation strategies, enabling us to tackle key global and regional challenges: Health and Well-being (SDG 3), Smart Digitalisation (SDG 9), and Sustainable Futures (SDG 13).

4. Empowering Students through Challenge-Based Learning

We implement challenge-based learning, enabling students to engage with real-life problems. This approach cultivates the key competencies of the future—creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and social responsibility.

5. Building Transnational Partnerships: Collaborative Development of the ChallengeEU Campus

We are developing one unified ChallengeEU campus through joint programmes, micro-credentials, mobility schemes, online platforms, and community-building actions. By overcoming institutional and geographical boundaries, we act together as one European university.

6. Creating an Open, Diverse and Inclusive Campus (ODEI)

We are building a joint, inclusive campus where everyone—regardless of background, identity, ability, or life situation—can learn and grow. We are co-developing common policies and strategies to promote openness, diversity, and inclusion across all partner institutions.

7. Developing Talent with the ChallengeEU Talent Academy

We nurture talent through dedicated support for students, academic staff, and administrative teams. The ChallengeEU Talent Academy specifically empowers early-career researchers by equipping them with advanced methodological capacities and entrepreneurial skills. This enables them to conduct socially relevant research and effectively translate research outcomes into real-world impact.

8. Expanding Academic Opportunities via the ChallengeEU Teaching Academy

The ChallengeEU Teaching Academy provides the shared academic offers of the Alliance—from flexible micro-credentials to joint programmes and multiple or joint degrees. This joint academic provision enhances educational opportunities and promotes an integrated European learning experience.

9. ChallengeEU Training Academy

The Training Academy provides tailored learning opportunities for different audiences: students—to enhance the societal relevance of their study paths; staff—to develop new qualifications (e.g., in inclusion); and external stakeholders—to access lifelong learning offers. Reciprocal and transdisciplinary learning, supported by certified modules, reinforces the Alliance’s open innovation approach.

10. Addressing the Challenges of Lifelong Learning

We strongly promote lifelong learning by offering flexible learning paths. These initiatives support individuals at every career stage and ensure our institutions remain responsive and agile.