Student Engagement Fund 2026: How CIVICA students turned ideas into action across Europe

2025/26 Student Engagement Fund Projects:

• EUWISE 2026 – Women in Social Sciences
• EU AI Hack: Policy Hack for Strategic EU Governance 
• BRIDGE 
• CareKit Initiative 
• AI and Democracy: How to Tackle Misinformation in the Digital Era 
• Voices of CIVICA 
• STRIK: Strengthening Democratic Resilience through Inclusive Knowledge Practices 
• Information Wars: Disinformation and Manipulation in the 21st Century 
• Inter-Collegiate Policy Summit

EUWISE 2026 – Women in Social Sciences

Involved students from Hertie School, IE University, Sciences Po, and SNSPA. EUWISE brought together participants from across the CIVICA alliance to discuss gender equality in academia and policymaking. They hosted a a one-day summit at Hertie School on 24 April exploring how to advance gender equality in the social sciences.. With expert panels, a keynote and a collaborative policy hackathon, students developed practical proposals to advance women's representation across fields including economics, AI, climate and finance.

Isha Vig (Hertie student): “For me, EUWISE was a space to critically examine the political, economic, and social challenges shaping our world today, and to openly discuss where existing systems continue to fall short for women and LGBTQIA+ communities. At the same time, it created space not only to identify problems, but also to imagine solutions and articulate the changes we want to see.

As part of the organising team, one of my biggest takeaways was the community itself: a group of supportive, thoughtful, and inspiring women who encouraged me to be bolder, more fearless, and more confident in my own voice.”

Alessandra Ghitturi (Hertie student): “EUWISE was the culmination of a learning journey that brought dreams and aspirations together. It was the realization that, despite coming from different countries, cultures, socio-economic contexts, we, as women, feel and face similar forms of discrimination characterizing the systems we live in today. EUWISE was for me the perfect end of my academic path, a space where we united strengths and knowledge to foster hope and find resilience to challenge current unequal structures and divisions of power. And, I am sure, this is just the beginning.”

EU AI Hack: Policy Hack for Strategic EU Governance 

Involved students from Hertie School, IE University and SNSPA worked together to tackle some of Europe's biggest AI governance challenges. Through hackathons, policy workshops and collaboration with policymakers and experts, the teams developed digital prototypes and policy recommendations on issues including algorithmic bias, data governance and transparent AI decision-making.

BRIDGE

Organised by students from Sciences Po and the Stockholm School of Economics, they brought together participants with opposing perspectives to explore some of today's most polarising sustainability issues through constructive dialogue. Across two student-moderated panel events in Paris and Stockholm, participants debated topics including climate action, activism, aviation, and wealth distribution, alongside academics, researchers, activists and policy experts. By encouraging participants to listen, question and understand differing viewpoints rather than seek consensus, the project demonstrated how open dialogue can help bridge divides and strengthen collaboration across the CIVICA community.

The BRIDGE team: “Working on this project, we learnt that bridging is a skill, one that is growing increasingly crucial as global polarisation worsens. It can be learnt, fostered and internalised - all it takes is resilience, will and a belief that solving a problem together is more important than our assumed differences.”

CareKit Initiative

Led by students from CEU, IE University and Sciences Po, the CareKit Initiative combined education with community action to raise awareness of homelessness and challenge social stigma. Participants assembled and distributed care packages in Vienna, Paris and Madrid while learning about the structural causes of homelessness and engaging with local organisations.

AI and Democracy: How to Tackle Misinformation in the Digital Era

Organised by students from CEU, Sciences Po, and SNSPA. They held a Student AI Summit which brought participants together in Paris to explore how Europe can govern artificial intelligence while safeguarding democracy. Through an interactive simulation of European policymaking, students represented governments, civil society organisations, technology companies and regulators, debating issues such as AI governance, digital rights, algorithmic bias and misinformation before drafting policy recommendations. The summit demonstrated the importance of cross-campus collaboration in tackling complex, cross-border challenges and empowering students to contribute to Europe's digital future.

Voices of CIVICA

Bringing together students from Bocconi, CEU, IE University, LSE, SGH and SNSPA, Voices of CIVICA launched a series of video podcasts featuring conversations with academics, researchers and practitioners. The project created a platform for sharing diverse perspectives on contemporary social challenges and strengthening dialogue across the alliance.

STRIK: Strengthening Democratic Resilience through Inclusive Knowledge Practices

Involved students from Bocconi, CEU, EUI, Hertie School, Sciences Po and SGH who organised a two-day conference at EUI, Florence. They explored how universities can strengthen democratic resilience by making knowledge more inclusive and accessible. Through interactive workshops, collaborative discussions and innovative formats such as the Theatre of the Oppressed, participants examined how universities can bridge the gap between academia, policymakers and citizens, amplify marginalised voices, and foster more inclusive and participatory democracies across Europe.

Information Wars: Disinformation and Manipulation in the 21st Century

Organised by students from SGH Warsaw School of Economics and Bocconi University, the project equipped participants with practical tools to recognise and combat disinformation in an AI-driven digital landscape. Through interactive workshops in Warsaw, a conference bringing together 200 students, academics, journalists and cybersecurity experts in Milan, and an online training session, participants explored topics including AI-generated misinformation, fact-checking, digital democracy and media literacy. The project also launched a student-led social media campaign that reached more than 3,000 people, helping to raise awareness of responsible digital citizenship across the CIVICA community.

The Information Wars team: “The knowledge and practical skills developed during the intimate meetings in Warsaw became the direct foundation for a much broader debate during the main conference at Bocconi University in Milan on May 7. This event gathered two hundred participants and served as the culminating point of the entire initiative by connecting the student community with academics journalists and prominent experts in communication and cybersecurity. The conference created a unique space for an open multidimensional discussion about truth public responsibility and the future shape of the digital public sphere across Europe.”

Inter-Collegiate Policy Summit

Involved students from LSE and Sciences Po. They hosted an Inter-Collegiate Policy Summit in London, bringing together participants from leading European universities to debate the future of Europe. Discussions with academics and policy experts focused on topics including European defence, democratic renewal and policymaking in a rapidly changing world.

Every year, the Student Engagement Fund gives CIVICA students the opportunity to transform ideas into impactful initiatives while collaborating with peers from across Europe. If you've been inspired by this year's projects, why not submit your own idea when the next call for applications opens? Check out more information on the SEF page.