The EC2U Think Tanks serve as a platform for stakeholders from diverse backgrounds across all EC2U cities to engage in open dialogue, fostering mutual learning and collaboration on both local and European levels. The aim is to collectively address contemporary challenges and facilitate positive change.

How does it work?

Local Engagement: Representatives from each Partner University host meetings with stakeholders including students, faculty, university and municipal administrations, local businesses, and citizens. These gatherings encourage the exchange of experiences and ideas on topics proposed and voted on by EC2U.

Policy Recommendations: The collected results of these local Think Tanks are presented at the annual EC2U Forum and synthesized into policy recommendations for our EC2U Community.

The 5^th EC2U Think Tank this year focuses on “building resilience to climate change within cities and communities”. This topic is linked to the EC2U Virtual Institute Sustainable Cities and Communities and will feed its activities.

The 2025 Think Tank aims to:

• Foster inclusive, multi-stakeholder cooperation around the societal priorities of climate change;
• Develop actionable solutions and policy recommendations at the level of the EC2U Alliance;
• Advocate for change via the dissemination of findings both at local and global levels.

Concrete outcomes will be:

• A Policy Brief for the EC2U Alliance, which in turn will be directly disseminated to the European Commission;
• The sharing of results with the EC2U Virtual Institute on Sustainable Cities and Communities. More concretely, the results and policy recommendations will feed into the actions of the Virtual Institute, when relevant.
• The presentation of results during European Fora, including the 2025 EC2U Forum.
• The development of related dissemination strategies, notably via the publication of reports including the EC2U yearly public report.

Local EC2U Think Tank sessions are organised at each partner university, but also at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (as an Associated Partner) from February to March 2025.

Results from local sessions will then be analysed and key takeaways will serve to design policy recommendations and propose actionable solutions both at the level of the EC2U Alliance but also at the broader European level.

The 4th Think Tank continued with the theme of the Think Tank in 2023 social innovation but with a focus on peacebuilding. Social innovation for peacebuilding involves collaboratively developing innovative solutions to address social issues, foster positive relationships, and rectify injustices, all with the aim of promoting sustainable peace and development. It seeks to transform underlying conditions that contribute to conflict using nonviolent approaches, aiming for systemic change and improved societal capacity. Through the creation of public value and optimized resource utilization, social innovation for peacebuilding plays a crucial role in building resilient societies and institutions that support lasting peace and justice.

From April to September 2024, each EC2U Partner University organised a local Think Thank. A majority of participants were researchers/members of academia, representatives of municipalities and other public bodies as well as representatives of associations and/or NGOs. Some local Think Tanks also included student representatives or representatives of national military forces.

Key takeaways from the local Think Tanks concern common barriers and challenges as well as the role of education and science in social innovation for peace-building, but also possible implementable actions at the level of the EC2U Alliance.

Common barriers & challenges

“Lack of political will and state funding for NGOs have a direct impact on the way NGOs can operate. Lack of funding and resources may lead to demoralisation and lack of action.” Quote from a participant to a local Think Tank.

In general, these different groups of stakeholders point to the lack of social inclusion within peacebuilding activities and a reluctance to change which limits to the possibility to conduct concrete actions and impacts our shared capacity for systemic change.

It is interesting to note that researchers & academia as well as associations & NGOs point to a lack of resources as one of the main challenges, whereas municipalities and public bodies do not highlight resources as barrier/challenge.

Overall, the importance of education and science as well as collaboration among actors were underlined as solutions, and notably the direct benefits of quality education and lifelong learning.

 

Brainstorming implementable actions at the level of the EC2U Alliance

Different types of actions have been proposed by all stakeholder groups during the local EC2U Think Tanks. They have been regrouped in 6 areas of action to underline the ways in which the EC2U Alliance can contribute to social innovation for peacebuilding:

Promotion and civic awareness: The EC2U Alliance has the responsibility to promote human fundamental values, rights and freedoms, but also to increase public awareness around the topic of peacebuilding. More globally, EC2U has the responsibility to advocate for equality, inclusion and respect for diversity within the EC2U community.

Community engagement: EC2U can foster community engagement and student participation via the creation of platform(s) and spaces for dialogue and exchange among stakeholders. Moreover, the EC2U Alliance can concretely support community initiatives.

Peacebuilding-focused events: the EC2U Alliance has the opportunity to develop innovative activities, open to all. These events could take the form of debates on topics such as peace, justice, tolerance, resilience, prejudice, and crisis resolution direct towards the general public, or as peacebuilding workshops to promote peace and empathy, cooperation, critical thinking, and solidarity towards others.

Sustainable training activities: The EC2U Alliance, whose actions are centred around the UNSDG#16, has the responsibility of developing a solid Joint Master’s Programme on “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions”. Within the related Virtual Institute, the EC2U Alliance could also create additional training activities on social innovation for peacebuilding.

International partnerships for peacebuilding: EC2U, as a network of academia, Associated Partners, and change-makers, could promote territorial development projects by collaborating with local stakeholders, leveraging on already existing initiatives and networks of EC2U partners. Additionally, EC2U could orient its international strategy to incorporate cooperation for development.

Advocate for peacebuilding programmes and policies at the level of the European Union: The EC2U Alliance can ensure the voice of its community is heard and has a positive impact on the European community. This can be done via the advocacy of policies and programmes that are relevant for peacebuilding.

“EC2U is a driver of cultural integration and social exchange”. Quote from a participant to a local Think Tank.

 

These results and proposed actions from all EC2U local Think Tanks have served to define policy recommendations to be implemented at the level of the Alliance. The objective of the policy recommendations is to foster the development of initiatives towards a more peaceful society. They are the following:

• Policy recommendation 1: Organise EC2U events and/or communication actions on social innovation for peacebuilding

1. Target of recommendation[1]: EC2U Student Council
2. Recommended action points[2]:
   1. Identify communication actions and/or events by the EC2U Student Council to be organised for the EC2U student community (in direct collaboration with local EC2U teams).
   2. Liaise with the EC2U Ambassadors to communicate on those actions/events within each local EC2U student community.
3. Target audience[3]: EC2U Student community

[1] The internal or external person or group of persons to whom the policy recommendation will be disseminated with the objective of implusing specific action points.

[2] Potential action points identified by the Global Coordination Team that could be implemented by the target of recommendation. These can be adapted to the local context and/or opened for modifications

[3] The main beneficiary of the policy recommendation. Additional beneficiaries can be considered if/when relevant.

 

• Policy recommendation 2: Establish specific training activities on peacebuilding within the EC2U Alliance

1. Target of recommendation: EC2U Virtual Institute for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (PJSI)
2. Recommended action points:
   1. Use Think Tank results within the VI PJSI to organise specific training activities on peacebuilding tailored to community needs (e.g., summer/winter schools, workshops, projects).
   2. Take Think Tank results to feed the curriculum of the future Joint Master’s Programme on PJSI with courses/activities on peacebuilding.
3. Target audience: EC2U students, staff, and researchers

 

• Policy recommendation 3: Initiate joint projects around social innovation for peacebuilding

1. Target of recommendation: EC2U E+ Expert Group / the University of Lviv
2. Recommended action points:
   1. Develop E+ project proposals around the topic of peacebuilding (e.g., KA2).
   2. Develop joint projects with partners around the topic of peacebuilding (e.g., project initiated by ESN France).
3. Target audience: EC2U Full and Associated Partners, external Higher Education stakeholders

 

• Policy recommendation 4: Work in collaboration with large European consortia to advocate for peacebuilding programmes

1. Target of recommendation: EC2U E+ Expert Group / the University of Lviv
2. Recommended action points:
   1. Develop E+ project proposals around the topic of peacebuilding (e.g., KA2).
   2. Develop joint projects with partners around the topic of peacebuilding (e.g., project initiated by ESN France).
3. Target audience: EC2U Full and Associated Partners, external Higher Education stakeholders

Think Tank 2023: Social Innovation in Times of Crisis

The 3rd Think Tank was centred on the theme of social innovation specifically in times of crisis. Social innovation is a collaborative and systematic process in which social, political and economic, organisations and individuals come together to address social problems and create public value and new social practices through changes in attitudes, perceptions, paradigms and behaviours. Social innovations are new solutions (in the sense of material products and non-material services, models processes) that solve social needs more effectively than existing solutions. This leads to better use of public resources and increased capacity for action for society as a whole. When social innovation is successful, it brings about social change over time.

The seven local Think Tanks took place between February to March 2023. The results were presented at the 6th EC2U Forum in Jena, on 25 May 2023.

Think Tank 2022: Circular Economy – Key to Sustainability and Change

The 2nd Think Tank focused on the concept and the practice of economic circularity, based on the principles of eliminating waste and pollution, circulating products and materials and regenerating nature. A circular economy is not an end in itself, but a means to an end: A better environmental quality, economic growth and social well-being.

The seven local Think Tanks took place between January and March 2022. The results were presented at the 4th EC2U Forum in Pavia, Italy, on 07. April 2022.

Think Tank 2021: Building a Value-based Community (#Value4yourValues Think Tank)

The 1st Think was developed on the subject of values – the core of all human actions including education, research, networking, engagement and collaboration in society. The purpose of the Value4yourValues Think Tank was to measure the perceptions of the member of the EC2U alliance towards personal, professional, societal values and together with perceived obstacles and solutions for actively living individual values.

Approximately 1400 respondents across the EC2U Alliance took part in an online survey. Spanning from April 6th to April 30th, 2021, the survey was available in nine languages, ensuring inclusivity and diversity in participation. The survey delved into participants’ perspectives on the significance of specific values, identified obstacles hindering the realization of these values, and proposed ideas to overcome these hurdles.

The Local Coordinators at each of the eight full partner universities are responsible for organizing the local think tanks, with oversight and coordination provided by the Global Coordination Team at the University of Poitiers.

Contact: ec2u.thinktank@ml.ec2u.eu