Publications

Worldwide, there is a growing recognition that strategic partnering between cities and universities can bring substantial benefits for both sides. The big question is how to organize such partnerships successfully and how to share the lessons where these collaborations are working effectively.

The EUniverCities Network’s mission is founded on the strong belief that when anchor institutions like city administrations and universities work closely together, they have the power to effect significant change – and to build a brighter future for their cities.

Our publications represent the body of learning so far. We will add to this with each thematic meeting that our Network holds. The publications will be in various formats, according to the theme we are exploring and the messages that we want to share.

The EUniverCities Network is committed to leading the way in European city-university collaboration, and to demonstrating the significant benefits of this type of partnership working.

Handbook for Strategic City-University Co-operation

The handbook offers insights, examples of best practice and advice for leaders in cities and universities that want to go beyond ‘ad hoc’ projects and take the next step towards a strategic and sustainable partnership. The handbook identifies promising avenues, but also barriers and pitfalls and how to avoid them. Illustrated by a rich variety of case studies from European cities, the handbook provides concrete advice on the various stages of strategic city-university collaboration.

To find out more about this publication, follow the link: Handbook

To access the final document, click here: Handbook for Strategic City-University Co-operation

An EUniverCities Cookbook

Many European cities are facing a shortage of workers with the right education, skills and training to match the demands of the changing employment market. As local economies mature and adapt, the skills required change over time. This can also happen quite quickly, as is the case with Magdeburg, which is preparing for a major investment by a global high tech company. This move is likely to require an influx of highly skilled workers into the region – as well as a significant training and up-skilling programme for the existing labour market to equip them to access the new jobs that will be created.

To find out more about this publication, follow the link: Cookbook

To access the final document, click here: An EUniverCities Cookbook

Alternatively use the QR code below.

How universities can help to tackle urban challenges: learning from Ghent’!

In this series we explored the many ways in which cities and their universities can collaborate. There is a specific focus on community-based research and learning – and what makes Ghent so good at it!

The content and speakers are based around the EUniverCities Network meeting that took place over several days in Ghent in May 2024. The podcast series is a joint production between the EUniverCities Network, the City of Ghent, Artevelde University, and the University of Ghent.

1: Introduction
2: Community-based research and learning in Ghent
3: Learning in, with and from the city
4: Bite-sized case studies of city-university collaboration in practice
5: City-university collaboration, what does the future hold?

To access the whole series, click here: Learning from Ghent

(Also available on YouTube – Episode 1)

Strasbourg Conference Book

The EUniverCities Network’s 2024 autumn conference took place in Strasbourg in late October – exploring the theme ‘Libraries: a link between universities and cities?’ The conference attracted a wide range of public and university library professionals from 13 European cities. The overall aims of the event were:

To assess the role of libraries as meeting places for students and citizens;
To discuss, both retrospectively and prospectively, ways in which to strengthen the cross-fertilisation of audiences within libraries;
To ask questions about the common spaces in cities where the academic world and citizens meet;
To question the place of libraries in a world where the media for disseminating knowledge has multiplied, and where books no longer have the dominant position they had until the end of the 20th century.

To access the final document, click here: Strasbourg Conference Report

Alternatively use the QR code below.

Contact:

About the handbook: Willem van Winden / +31 (0) 641427013 / w.van.winden@urbaniq.nl

About EUniverCities: EUniverCities Secretariat / eunivercities@exeter.ac.uk