The University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the City of Amsterdam have established the Urban Impact Lab, which will officially be launched in January 2026. Within this initiative, they are joining forces to examine the municipality’s role in fostering trustworthy and future-proof digitalisation.

The collaboration, which encompasses both research and educational initiatives, will focus on three main themes: the impact of digitalisation on the municipal organisation, the interaction of digital technology with citizens, and comprehensible and trustworthy digital systems.

🪤 The trick: Increasing pressure to implement digitalisation lacking careful planning may alienate residents, create confusion, or undermine trust in municipal services.

🍬 The treat: By combining research and educational initiatives, university and city are co‑designing strategies for trustworthy, inclusive, and future‑proof digital systems; helping the city embrace innovation while keeping citizens at the heart of the process.

In 2023, the University of the Ljublajana and the City of Ljubljana signed a long-term cooperation agreement covering culture, infrastructure, sustainability, and more. A recent concrete example includes the co-greened bus shelters in the city to create additional urban green space and mitigate heat effects.

At the beginning of October, 56 LPP bus shelters had been greened, creating more than 450 m² of additional urban green space. By the end of the year, this number will increase to 75. This type of greening promotes urban biodiversity by providing shelter for various pollinators and birds.

🪤 The trick: Urban spaces heavily dominated by transport infrastructure can be alienating and heat-intensive.
🍬 The treat: By converting bus shelters into green micro-spaces, the university and city partnership creates smaller but meaningful improvements that enhance everyday urban life.

The two Brussels-based universities of the UNICA network have a long-standing tradition of collaboration with their city. One of their upcoming initiatives celebrates Brussels’ vibrant artistic community: the two sister universities are joining forces for a joint honorary ceremony dedicated to honouring the artists who give voice to the city’s creative spirit.

This exceptional event celebrates the artistic strength and social imagination that define Brussels. Head to their website to discover the five laureates that embody the diversity, freedom, and civic engagement of Brussels.

🪤 The trick: Social, cultural, and linguistic fragmentation, with local artists and cultural communities strugglin for recognition.

🍬 The treat: VUB and ULB are using their joint honorary ceremony turn urban fragmentation into cultural connection and a celebration of community spirit.

Queen’s University Belfast is one of the partners in the ambitious ambitious Belfast Region City Deal which will unlock £1billion of transformative co-investment to deliver over 20 projects and programmes aimed at transforming the economy and well-being of the Belfast city-region.

As part of this partnership, Queen’s University Belfast is leading three major innovation centres:

• Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC): focused on advanced manufacturing technologies;
• iREACH Health: a clinical research centre bringing together health science, industry and patient-care innovation;
• Momentum One Zero (M1.0): digital, connected technologies and secure systems.

Through these initiatives, the university aims to deliver not just infrastructure but economic and social impact: creating thousands of new jobs, raising productivity, and attracting inward investment.

🪤 The trick: Structural economic and social inequalities in the region

🍬 The treat: The university’s partnerships in innovation centres, skills-development and regional investment create new pathways for transformation.

NKUA has launched a series of educational, cultural and artistic activities under the banner “NKUA in the City”, co-organised with the Municipality of Athens. The initiative follow a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the university and the city in early 2025, though the collaboration had been taking place on a more informal basis before.

The activities include poetry marathons, concerts accessible to people with dementia and their carers, public lectures, and broadcasted visual-arts series.

🪤 The trick: Capitals like Athens face complex challenges in inclusivity, culture access, social cohesion, and public space activation.

🍬 The treat: Through this collaboration, NKUA uses its academic and creative resources to enhance cultural life and civic engagement across the city.