Handbook for Strategic City-University Co-operation

The EUniverCities Handbook for Strategic City-University Co-operation 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.

This handbook is the result of work started in 2019 at the initiative of Lausanne (city and university) and co-ordinated by the Parma Secretariat (city and university), with the aim of describing the state-of-the-art of collaboration models currently in use.

It was co-developed by the members of the EUniverCities Network and edited by Willem van Winden as lead expert of the Network.

On 2 December 2021, in the Teatro Regio di Parma, Italy, the EUniverCities Network proudly presented its handbook for strategic city-university co-operation at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Network. 

An EUniverCities Cookbook

In December 2023, the EUniverCities Network held their winter meeting in Magdeburg. The theme of the meeting was how cities and universities can work together to attract and retain talent.

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.

Over the three day programme in Magdeburg, Network members and guests explored strategies and approaches that help cities to respond to the challenges of changing economies and skills requirements, recognising that universities and city administrations are key players, particularly when they work in tandem.