Objectives

Within the framework of the CIVIS European University Alliance, this call aims to strengthen and further develop transnational civic engagement initiatives with external stakeholders across the alliance. Civic Engagement is defined by CIVIS Alliance as a range of initiatives, actions and activities designed by a higher education institution (HEI) to engage and involve various communities, organizations, companies, governmental bodies and institutions external to academia, in order to work together both to make a difference in the life of cities, citizens and communities and to transform basic conceptions about what universities can offer individuals and society.

This call aims to identify expressions of interest for developing transnational civic engagement projects. Subject to the validation of the CIVIS 2.1 project, the selected projects may receive funding to organize an on-site workshop bringing together all their partners — academic or non-academic — in one of the member countries of the Alliance and the EU. Those workshops will serve as collaborative spaces where all partners can meet, exchange practices, explore synergies, and co-design or refine their ideas. They are intended to support a wide range of situations: from teams that already have an established initiative they wish to strengthen, to groups who do not yet share a common project but want to explore possible cooperation. This call for interest is intended to be organised around:

• Existing initiatives: Strengthen coordination, refine methods, explore new activities, integrate additional partners, prepare future funding application, and/or consider integration into CIVIS educational format (BIPs, joint courses, challenge-based modules, micro-programmes).
• Emerging initiatives: support ideation, co-creation, feasibility assessment, and initial project structuring, including stakeholder engagement and methodological reflection.

Subjects to the validation of the CIVIS 2.1 project, the selected projects will be required to develop concrete civic engagement activities with academic and non-academic partners. Moreover, they commit to submitting applications for additional funding, either within CIVIS or to other funding bodies. This call for expressions of interest therefore primarily aims to enable existing or emerging initiatives to structure themselves and develop a sustainable funding strategy. In early 2027, a dedicated CIVIS call for one-year projects will open (Subject to the validation of CIVIS 2.1.) and outcomes from these workshops can serve as a solid foundation for submitting proposal to the call. Participation in these workshops is not mandatory to apply to the upcoming call, but they offer a unique setting to accelerate collaboration dynamics and enhance the quality and transnational relevance of emerging or existing idea.

Thematic

Across Europe and beyond, cities and communities are at the forefront of today’s most pressing societal challenges: environmental degradation, widening social inequalities, technological challenges public‑health vulnerabilities, and declining trust in democratic institutions. These interlinked crises reveal a central insight: sustainable and healthy urban futures cannot be achieved without democratic engagement, and democratic renewal depends on addressing the environmental, social, and health needs of communities.

In this context, the CIVIS European University Alliance has chosen the theme “Democracy in Action: Healthy, Equitable, Sustainable Cities & Communities” to catalyse participatory, and interdisciplinary responses. This theme aligns closely with CIVIS’ mission to co‑create knowledge with society, promote civic engagement, support knowledge intermediation and support academic and non-academic partners in developing actionable solutions to real‑world problems.

The theme understands cities and territories as living laboratories, where citizens, municipalities, NGOs, researchers and other local actors confront challenges and experiment with new democratic practices and sustainable approaches. It invites academics to work closely with external stakeholders to co-design practical interventions—tools, prototypes, methods or actions—that foster healthier, more equitable and more resilient cities and territories.

As example, equity, health, technology and democratic participation lie at the core of this thematic focus. Rapid urban and territory changes often exacerbate disparities in access to clean air, green spaces, quality housing, participation or public services. Recent crises have also shown how tightly health, trust and civic engagement are interconnected. By encouraging participatory methods, co-creation and community-led projects, the theme supports solutions that empower under-represented groups, strengthen social resilience and reinforce inclusive democratic practices.

Overall, this thematic orientation embodies the CIVIS Alliance’s commitment to transdisciplinary collaboration, civic engagement and tangible societal impact—mobilising universities and their external stakeholders to address the real and urgent challenges shaping the future of cities and communities. Projects are expected to work with local stakeholders to design, test or strengthen concrete interventions at urban, territory and community level.

Fundings

The call provides financial support for projects to organise transnational workshops hosted at one of the CIVIS European member universities inside the European Union. Projects selected will have a maximum contribution of up to 10 000 EUR per workshop. Eligible costs include:

1. Mobility for staff and students of CIVIS member universities travelling to the workshop location (inside the European Union.
2. Mobility for non-academic stakeholders with specific expertise who contribute directly to the objectives of the workshop, travelling to the workshop location (inside the European Union).
3. Catering and operational costs such as room booking, workshop materials (e.g., pens, post-its, flipcharts, or similar materials), translation or interpretation services when needed to communicate with local stakeholders, and other essential logistical expenses.

While collaboration with CIVIS African partners is strongly encouraged, the terms of the EU funding do not permit to cannot cover mobility costs for African partners. These expenses must be managed directly with the inviting institution through its own funding schemes or agreements.

Regarding the participation of external partners more generally, applicants should note that each CIVIS university may have specific internal rules for inviting and funding non-academic actors. Teams must therefore consult their CIVIS Institutional Coordinator to ensure that planned workshop budget align with local regulations before submitting their proposal.

Eligibility Criteria for funding

To be eligible, proposals must meet all of the following criteria:

• Transnational partnership.

Involvement of at least three CIVIS universities with at least two CIVIS European Universities. Collaboration with CIVIS African Universities is highly encouraged. Each university must have clear identified roles, complementarities and contributions appropriate to the project's level of maturity (scaling-up or project-building phase).

• Clear civic engagement dimension.

A strong and explicit civic engagement component addressing shared societal challenges through participatory, collaborative or co-created approaches. The project proposal must demonstrate a credible pathway toward developing such an approach.

• Active involvement of external stakeholders.

Involvement of at least one non-academic partner, actively contributing as a co-constructor of the initiative. Their role must be clearly described in the workshops, even if their long-term engagement is still being shaped.

• Methodological robustness and sustainability.

The initiative must present a realistic methodological framework, and a clear idea of what the workshop will help strengthen (e.g. coordination, planning of new activities, stakeholders' integration, scaling up, ...). In addition, applicants are encouraged to indicate any specific needs or challenges for which they would welcome civic engagement peer advice.

The objective is to ensure that the workshop meaningfully advances the initiative without requiring fully developed frameworks at this stage. Rather than positioning itself within a logic of innovation that is often difficult to demonstrate or measure, CIVIS is committed to strengthening and consolidating existing or emerging projects, enhancing their robustness, coherence, and long-term impact.

• Educational integration and CIVIS alignment.

Where possible, initiatives should demonstrate potential for future links with CIVIS educational offer (e.g. challenge-based education, BIPs, joint modules, micro-programmes or other formats). For emerging initiatives, a simple reflection on possible future educational connection is sufficient.

Timeline

• Call opening: 01.04.2026
• Call Closing: 31.05.2026
• Notification of results: 15.09.2026
• Workshops implementation period: Activities supported through this call can be organised between 02.11.2026 and 28.02.2027

Application Process and Assessment Criteria

Proposals will be assessed on the basis of:

• Compliance with the eligibility criteria, including the required transnational composition and the active involvement of external partners.
• Relevance to CIVIS civic engagement objectives, including alignment with alliance priorities, the thematic focus of the call, and the CIVIS vision as a European Civic University.
• Quality, coherence and appropriateness of the participatory methodology, taking into account the project's level of maturity.
• The robustness of the current project and possibility of scaling-up will be assess. The involvement of external partners, including their role as active co-constructors in the project co-design. Potential for sustainability, scaling-up and alliance-level impact, including prospects for follow-up funding and long-term transnational collaboration.
• Contribution to the development or strengthening of CIVIS educational offerings, either through direct integration into existing formats or through clearly articulated perspectives for future educational integration.

All applications are submitted through a dedicated platform (LINK) and should include:

• A concise description of the initiative, its objectives and expected outcomes, clearly specifying the level of maturity (Existing or emerging initiatives).
• The composition of the consortium, including participating CIVIS universities (minimum three with two European universities) and non-academic stakeholder, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
• A description of the civic engagement dimension and participatory approach, explaining how non-academic stakeholders are involved as co-constructors.
• A roadmap outlining the next steps toward project implementation beyond the workshop phase.
• A provisional workshop timeline and budget outline.

Support from CIVIS

The CIVIS Civic Engagement Unit plays a central facilitating and support role in the implementation of this call. Acting as a network of resource persons across the alliance, its members accompany academic teams and their partners throughout the different stages of the project-building process. The Civic Engagement Unit supports the design and structuring of project-building workshops, advises on participatory and civic engagement methodologies, and helps ensure alignment with CIVIS strategic objectives. It also facilitates connections between CIVIS universities and external stakeholders, supports reflection on sustainability, scalability and educational integration, and contributes to the monitoring, capitalisation and dissemination of workshop outcomes. Through this transversal and practice-oriented role, the Civic Engagement Unit helps transform workshop dynamics into robust, collaborative and durable civic engagement initiatives within the CIVIS alliance.

The Workpackage4 Team may provide feedback prior to submission to strengthen alignment with CIVIS objectives, methodological coherence and transnational ambition. 

For any questions, please contact:

• Fanny Sbaraglia (fanny.sbaraglia@ulb.be)
• Christèle Aubry (christele.aubry@unil.ch)
• Claire Ramjan and Kenneth Skeldon (civis@glasgow.ac.uk)