Discover the nine student-led projects funded in 2025/26, showcasing cross-campus collaboration and fresh ideas for tackling Europe’s most pressing challenges.
Student Engagement Fund 2025/26
The CIVICA Student Engagement Fund supports student and early-stage researcher (ESR) initiatives within the CIVICA alliance. It aims to foster cross-campus collaboration among students, student associations and ESRs from different disciplines and backgrounds in tackling the important issues facing Europe today and further enhance the student experience within the alliance.
The 2025–26 CIVICA Student Engagement Fund supported nine student-led projects that brought together students and early-stage researchers from across the alliance. From policy hackathons and conferences to podcasts, sustainability initiatives and community projects, these initiatives demonstrate how cross-campus collaboration can spark fresh ideas, address shared European challenges and strengthen the CIVICA student experience.
Winning projects from 2025/26
Led by students from the Hertie School, IE Madrid and SNSPA, EU AI Hack is a six-month, multi-campus initiative tackling critical challenges in European AI governance. Through collaboration with policymakers, EU institutions and civil society, students will develop digital prototypes and policy briefs on algorithmic bias, data governance and transparent AI systems. Designed for real-world adoption, the project aims to create a scalable model for student-driven policy innovation and will engage more than 2,500 CIVICA students through open resources and knowledge-sharing.
Hosted at the Hertie School with hybrid participation across the alliance, EUWISE 2026 is a one-day summit advancing gender equality in the social sciences. The event features a keynote, expert panels and a foresight hackathon where students design evidence-based EU gender policies across sectors such as economics, climate, finance and AI. With gender parity still estimated over a century away, the initiative seeks to accelerate progress by driving actionable commitments across CIVICA campuses.
This interactive project brings together students and experts to address how AI can be governed responsibly within democratic systems. Using Model EU and UN formats, participants will simulate negotiations among governments, civil society and digital platforms on issues such as AI-driven misinformation, algorithmic bias and digital accountability. The project culminates in a policy paper with concrete recommendations for ethical and transparent AI governance in Europe.
Voices of CIVICA is a student-produced series of video podcasts and debates featuring faculty, researchers and practitioners from across the alliance. Designed to strengthen interdisciplinary dialogue, the series will explore key social challenges from multiple academic perspectives. Episodes will be shared on YouTube and other platforms, supporting CIVICA’s commitment to open knowledge, inclusion and student-led communication.
This two-day interactive conference explores how universities can help strengthen European democracy by bridging gaps between academia, policymakers and citizens. Through workshops with experts from six CIVICA universities, the conference will examine how inequality, marginalisation and public mistrust affect democratic resilience. Participants will co-develop strategies for inclusive knowledge practices that rebuild democratic participation and empower underrepresented communities.
Organised by student groups from SGH Warsaw School of Economics and Bocconi University, Information Wars focuses on combating misinformation in an era of AI and digital manipulation. Through workshops, media-based educational tools and conferences, the project aims to create a student-driven information channel amplifying informed debate across Europe.
Developed jointly by SASSE Sustainability Group (Stockholm) and Sciences Po Environnement (Paris), BRIDGE confronts rising social and political polarisation by fostering constructive dialogue on sustainability. Through a panel series bringing opposing viewpoints into the same room, the initiative seeks to rebuild trust, empathy and common ground—key ingredients for collaborative climate action.
Hosted at the London School of Economics in partnership with student groups from IE University and Sciences Po, the Inter-Collegiate Policy Summit will unite students to debate key challenges for Europe’s future. With roundtables led by professors and policy experts, the summit will explore European defence, liberalism and reform in a rapidly changing world. The event aims to inspire pragmatic, forward-looking policymaking.
The CareKit Initiative educates young people about the structural causes of homelessness while engaging them in assembling and distributing CareKits with essential items in Vienna, Paris, and Madrid. Through seminars, hands-on collaboration with NGOs, and reflective discussions, the project challenges stigma and fosters empathy, social responsibility, and continued engagement with social inequality.