Within the recent Bottom-Up Call for ERUA Student Projects, students from the ERUA network were invited to submit project ideas and actively contribute to the development of the European Reform University Alliance.
Here are the currently selected projects, including an overview of their goals, activities, and participating students and institutions. Together, these initiatives highlight the important role of students in shaping a collaborative, inclusive, and forward-looking European higher education space.
“The Unmapped City”: Women’s Cultural Heritage Across ERUA
The project team will collaboratively explore overlooked women’s cultural heritage through participatory mapping and digital storytelling, creating a bilingual open-access digital atlas. Main locations: Macerata and Paris, with students from the University of Macerata, Université Paris 8, and European University Viadrina.
“Blue Commission Forum 2”: Sustainability Resilience in ERUA – From Manifesto to Action
With the support of the new project team, the Blue Commission will bring back the successful Young Forum for Action on Sustainability and Climate Change, a three-day international congress. It will connect students, academics, and experts in sustainability to advance the ERUA Student Manifesto for Sustainable Higher Education (PDF) across all campuses. Main location: Macerata, with students from all universities of the alliance.
“Frames of Europe”
This hybrid intercultural project will explore how theatre, cinema, and collective artistic practices contribute to preserving democratic memory and shaping European identity. The project aims to analyse how historical events and political movements have influenced the idea of Europe throughout time, and how artistic representation continues to shape contemporary understandings of democracy, migration, social change, and intercultural dialogue. Main location: Frankfurt (Oder), with students from the University of Macerata, Université Paris 8, Mykolas Romeris University, and European University Viadrina.
About
The Call for ERUA Student Projects aims to support student-led initiatives that promote collaboration, creativity, and engagement across disciplines and institutions. Following a competitive selection process mainly involving the ERUA Student Board, a number of projects were chosen based on their quality, their relevance to ERUA’s objectives, and their potential impact on the student community. The selected projects reflect the diversity of the ERUA universities and address a wide range of academic, cultural, and societal topics.
Together, these initiatives are a reminder that some of the most meaningful work in a university alliance doesn’t start in a committee room. It starts with students who have an idea and the drive to make it happen.
Your turn: the 4th Bottom-Up Project Call is now open
Got a project idea? ERUA wants to fund it.
ERUA is launching its fourth Bottom-Up Project Call for Students, and if you have ever had an idea for a cross-university project you wanted to make happen, this is your moment.
Students from at least two ERUA member universities can apply together for funding of up to €5,000 to realise a joint project of up to six months, starting between November 2026 and January 2027. The format is open: arts events, research-related exhibitions, sustainability initiatives, sports, community engagement. If it connects students across the alliance and ties into ERUA’s mission, it qualifies.
Key dates:
- Online Info Session: 22 September 2026, 16:00 CEST (via Zoom)
- Proposal submission deadline: 19 October 2026
- Results announced: mid-November 2026
Not sure what’s possible? Previous calls have funded projects that went well beyond the classroom. Roads of Europe brought together students from Paris and Sofia to explore migration through photography, with exhibitions travelling across Europe. A Taste of Marine Sciences turned ocean research into edible models and cooking workshops, and ended up at the Grand Palais in Paris. Food be Good tackled food waste in university canteens. And the idea for ERUAvision, the student song contest that just made its debut in Frankfurt (Oder), started here too.
All the details, criteria, templates, and the application form are on the ERUA Open Calls page. For any questions, please reach out to the team at erua-students@europa-uni.de.
