NEWS & EVENTS

The call for papers for the 2026 ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning Conference in Bern is now open. Share innovative teaching ideas, connect with the ENLIGHT community, and inspire learning beyond the classroom. The conference focuses on contextualized learning, connecting knowledge and skills to meaningful real-world contexts.

New deadline for submiting proposals is 12th of April 2026.

Find out more and submit your abstract

Learn more about the ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning Conference

In this episode, we take a closer look at how joint blended teaching and learning can be effectively implemented within the ENLIGHT European University Alliance. Dr. Nils Nölke (University of Göttingen) and Prof. Dr. Matias Valdenegro Toro (University of Groningen) share insights from their work combining face-to-face teaching with digital learning formats.

Drawing on their experiences, they highlight the importance of strong teamwork, continuous reflection and improvement, and a consistently student-centered approach. Their collaboration demonstrates how international partnerships can enrich teaching practices and create meaningful learning experiences across institutions.

Listen to it now and gain practical inspiration for developing innovative and collaborative teaching approaches across Europe.

Are you looking for a unique and engaging way to spend your summer? Then join UniTartu Summer School 2026 from 27 July to 7 August 2026 in the vibrant and historic city of Tartu, Estonia! Applications are open until 20 April 2026.

This summer, the University of Tartu is offering 12 exciting courses across a variety of topics, including self-driving cars, Ukrainian folklore, community education, data engineering, information disorders, and many more. Whether you are interested in gaining in-depth academic insight, meaningful international experience, or connecting and networking with like-minded peers, there is a course for you! 

In this episode, Professor Mamadou Kaba Traore dives into the groundbreaking work behind ENLIGHT’s DISRUPT network and the future of urban innovation. Learn how urban digital twins—virtual models of real cities—are helping tackle climate change, improve energy efficiency, and build more resilient communities.

Don’t miss this insightful conversation about how data and technology are shaping the cities of tomorrow.

Tune in now and discover what’s next for sustainable urban development.

The third in-person meeting of the ENLIGHT Academic Leadership Programme took place at University of Galway from 4 – 6 March 2026.

This programme focuses on university leadership, change management and the development of academic talent and high-quality performance in a rapidly changing world. In addition, it investigates the need for transparency and accountability in today’s European universities. Through this programme, participants benefit from a peer-learning environment combining academic expertise, international and ENLIGHT perspectives on leading higher education institutions, and diverse approaches to leadership.

Alina Prince is a medical student at the University of Bern. She serves as co-president on the Student Board of the European University alliance ENLIGHT. In this interview, she talks about why she is passionate about involving students in ENLIGHT and how she has overcome her fear of networking.

From Teaching Idea to Cross-University Collaboration: The trAIns Project in Focus

How does an innovative teaching idea grow into a funded, cross-university collaboration? And what does it take to turn a successful proposal into a project that works in practice?

In our latest podcast episode, Silvia Hlavinková hosts Dr. Ella Grieshammer from the International Writing Lab at the University of Göttingen about the 2024 ENLIGHT Incubator-funded project trAIns. The conversation places the spotlight on trAIns as a concrete example of how the ENLIGHT Incubator Call can act as a catalyst for collaborative teaching across the ENLIGHT network.

trAIns: From Concept to Implementation

Using trAIns as a case study, the episode explores how an initial teaching idea evolved into a structured, cross-university project. Dr. Grieshammer reflects on the development phase, the collaborative design process, and the practical steps that transformed the concept into a funded initiative.

Importantly, the discussion does not stop at the application stage. The episode also addresses the challenges that emerged during implementation - from coordination across institutions to aligning different academic contexts - and shares practical strategies for addressing them effectively.

Insights for Future Applicants

For colleagues considering applying for an ENLIGHT Incubator Grant, the episode offers valuable guidance. Dr. Grieshammer shares insights into the application process, highlights key success factors, and provides practical tips based on her experience with trAIns.

The conversation makes clear that the Incubator Call is not only a funding opportunity, but also a framework that supports experimentation, collaboration, and the development of innovative teaching formats across universities.

Listen to the full episode to learn how trAIns demonstrates the potential of the ENLIGHT Incubator Call — and how your own teaching idea could be the next to take shape across the ENLIGHT network.

To stimulate and support the bottom-up cooperation between the ENLIGHT university communities, ENLIGHT launched a set of calls for joint initiatives in April 2024 and a second set of calls was launched in April 2025. Now, ENLIGHT is opening its third and final call.

Each call targets joint proposals for specific types of actions involving at least three ENLIGHT instutions.

1. Call for ENLIGHT Incubator Grants: to support joint programmes, joint future-proof education projects and stepping-stones for international learning across the six ENLIGHT focus areas. The third and final call consists of two strands: 
   • Strand A: The development of joint study programmes at bachelor’s or master’s level among partner universities. A joint study programme is defined as an integrated curriculum coordinated and offered jointly by different higher education institutions. The aim is to award joint degrees, but proposals with double/multiple degree awarding are also eligible. The joint study programme does not have to be ready to run by the end of the Incubator Grant project period, but a minimum set of deliverables is expected. 
   • Strand B: International and innovative joint educational initiatives. This strand is meant to develop educational initiatives that bring innovation and internationalization to teaching. This can comprise seasonal schools, lifelong learning activities, micro-credentials, double degree scheme, and any joint courses in physical, virtual or blended format. The only exception is that this grant cannot be used to develop Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP’s). 

1. (ongoing) ENLIGHT+ call: to foster new emerging joint (small-scale, inclusive and/or sustainable) initiatives across disciplines. This is a call with several deadlines per year, to be continued until November 2027.

Find out more HERE.

As part of the ETN IMPULSE project, the University of Bordeaux is organising a three-day summer school module on 17–19 June 2026 in Bordeaux. The module is integrated into the annual public health programme of the Isped 2026 International Summer School.