Global and societal outreach catalogue
T4EU Reach Out Podcast
The Transform4Europe podcast series brings together the voices of 11 universities across Europe.
Each episode dives deep into key topics shaping the future, focusing on three core areas: digital transformation and smart regions, environmental sustainability and transformation, and societal change through community building and inclusion.
Our mission is to share insights and expertise, highlighting the innovative work of knowledge entrepreneurs, researchers, and members of our alliance. Join us as we explore the ideas and initiatives driving a more connected, sustainable Europe.
Science Café
To simplify and disseminate its science outcome to the general public, Transform4Europe has developed a series of talks called the T4EU Science Café. This engaging event is designed to highlight the importance of research in shaping public and corporate policies.
These informal research communication events, open to the general public, and broadcast online promote both science as a support for public and corporate policies, and present research areas covered by the Alliance and where the partners work in collaboration.
The Science Café aims to bridge the gap between academia and the broader community, fostering dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration in support of evidence-based decision-making and societal progress.
Science communication course
Science Communication Workshop ‘Presentation and Speaking Skills’
This workshop aims to provide participants with different techniques for more successful presentations in their studies and science.
Science Communication Workshop
What does Poland’s largest science festival look like behind the scenes? Silesian Science Festival in a nutshell.
Join the ‘Introduction to Science Communication’ workshop!
Two-part online series on science communication and its practical aspects
Science Communication Workshop ‘Present Yourself!’
23 May 2025 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. via Microsoft Teams
Catalogue of Outreach Activities
Photo by Jonas Petronis
Youth Engagement
- A central focus of the outreach strategy is the Knowledge Entrepreneurialism for Young Europeans Pupil Lab. Targeting upper secondary school students (15–18), these labs cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets through cross-cultural collaboration, problem-solving workshops, and creative simulations. By bridging education, innovation, and European identity, the labs prepare youth to become active agents of change and knowledge-driven entrepreneurs.
Higher Education & Global Networking
- Outreach also strengthens higher education by fostering international collaboration. Visiting Professorships expand academic diversity and bring global perspectives to T4EU institutions. Joint courses, developed across the Alliance and with global partners, encourage intercultural learning and shared expertise. Together, these measures reinforce T4EU’s mission of building a European hub of excellence in education and innovation, while also expanding its influence through global networking.
Photo by Konrad Matinyarare
Culture & Heritage
- Outreach activities highlight Europe’s cultural richness. Initiatives include engagement with GLAM institutions to safeguard and promote heritage, alongside heritage workshops that connect communities with living traditions. Artistic collaborations and exhibitions—designed as common European activities—extend the Alliance’s cultural footprint, linking education, creativity, and societal dialogue. These efforts position heritage as both a space of memory and an arena for innovation.
Media & Communication
- A strong communication dimension ensures that outreach efforts are visible, inclusive, and multilingual. Activities include collaborations with local media, social media campaigns, and community-driven videos and visual storytelling that amplify diverse voices. Student participation plays a key role: T4EU student ambassadors and bloggers actively contribute to communication strategies, fostering peer-to-peer dialogue and ensuring that outreach resonates with younger audiences, and so promoting the youth engagement.
Photo by the University of Primorska
Photo by the University of Primorska
Vision
This catalogue serves as a strategic document to map and enhance global and societal outreach efforts within the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Alliance. It outlines key priorities, methodologies, and actions to strengthen partnerships and engagement with external stakeholders.
We are pleased to present the T4EU Global Outreach Catalogue — a collective portrait of the Transform4Europe Alliance and a testament to what can be achieved when universities act together as drivers of societal change.
Across Europe, universities are re-examining their role in an age of disruption, uncertainty and profound transformation. They are called to remain spaces of open knowledge and critical thought while responding to urgent global challenges from climate transitions and digital acceleration to the fragility of democracy and the need for social cohesion. Within this context, Transform4Europe seeks to redefine the university as a resilient ecosystem: adaptive, connected and deeply engaged with society.
Outreach: Foreword & Vision
Across Europe, universities are re-examining their role in an age of disruption, uncertainty and profound transformation. They are called to remain spaces of open knowledge and critical thought while responding to urgent global challenges from climate transitions and digital acceleration to the fragility of democracy and the need for social cohesion. Within this context, Transform4Europe seeks to redefine the university as a resilient ecosystem: adaptive, connected and deeply engaged with society.
Our outreach is both a practice and a philosophy. It means working hand in hand with citizens, businesses and stakeholders to co-create solutions and to translate knowledge into meaningful action. It reflects a belief that higher education goes beyond generating expertise, it is about cultivating shared responsibility and civic imagination.
The Global Outreach Catalogue brings this vision to life. It gathers initiatives that cross disciplines and borders, from science communication and entrepreneurship education to cultural dialogue, policy engagement and community partnerships. Together, they form a map of how universities can act as mediators between local realities and European aspirations, between knowledge creation and societal transformation.
Resilience runs through all these efforts. It is visible in the ability of our communities to stay connected through crisis, to learn from diversity and to transform challenges into opportunities for renewal. Within Transform4Europe, resilience represents a way of thinking that allows universities to anticipate change, sustain openness, and exercise responsible leadership.
The Catalogue stands as a shared space of reflection and inspiration, showing that outreach is never static but evolves in response to the changing realities of the present.
— Prof. Ineta Dabašinskienė
Rector of Vytautas Magnus University
President of Transform4Europe (2025)
Outreach: Why it matters, what T4EU stands for
The mission of the university is threefold: in teaching, research and service to society. In each of these fields, the University is reaching out to different communities, audiences and stakeholders. Therefore, working on innovative forms of outreach is a continuous demand and challenge to Universities. The careful development of communities, the attraction of new audiences and the due attention to stakeholders are fundamental to keep the University alive.
Bringing together 10 Universities and an associate partner from all over Europe in the alliance Transform4Europe is both expression of this threefold mission and a stimulating instrument to further strengthen community, address new audiences and involve a wide range of stakeholders.
Reaching out to a truly European community through the T4EU alliance means leaving separation and borders behind, establishing new forms of cooperation in research and teaching, and developing a joint agenda to foster Europe’s future. Relying on mutual trust, T4EU reaches out wider than any of its members could do alone.
Connecting the alliance to the regional and national contexts of each partner, aiming at global partnerships all over the world and attending the needs and challenges of a global society are the tasks to which T4EU and its outreach team are committed.
T4EU reaches out to the world beyond its geography. As a University without walls, T4EU stands for a commitment to society which is simultaneously a service and an instrument of critique and development: for a world in which knowledge and the common good are inseparably connected.
— Prof. Peter Hanenberg
Vice-Rector of Research and Doctoral Innovation
Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Outreach: The Living Bridge Between Universities and Society
Outreach is more than a task on a work plan – it is the living bridge between universities and society. As students, we experience this connection every day: in our classrooms, where we learn from the diverse perspectives of our peers; in our cities, where we engage with local communities; and in the wider world, where our studies empower us to contribute to global conversations. Outreach means making knowledge accessible, relevant, and transformative. It is about opening doors, building trust, and ensuring that the benefits of higher education extend beyond campus walls.
Outreach is a dialogue – it strengthens democratic values, nurtures empathy, and equips us with skills that go far beyond our academic disciplines. In the Transform4Europe Alliance, outreach has given us, the students, the opportunity to become active participants in shaping the university of the future. We have learned that outreach is not limited to large public events or international projects – it can be found in small, everyday encounters. It is the workshop where students and school pupils discover new ideas together. It is the cultural event that celebrates local traditions while fostering intercultural exchange. It is the mentoring programme that opens pathways for young people who might not otherwise imagine themselves at university.
As students, we believe that outreach is central to the mission of universities. It ensures that higher education remains open, inclusive, and socially engaged. It reminds us that learning is never confined to lecture halls or libraries, but is alive in conversations, collaborations, and communities. From our perspective this Catalogue reflects the richness and diversity of outreach practices across our universities. But above all, we hope it inspires others to see outreach not as a formality, but as a shared commitment: to connect, to care, and to create impact together. For us, outreach is the heartbeat of a university that belongs to society.
— The Student Council of the Transform4Europe Alliance
Strategic Framework
T4EU Outreach Objectives & Priorities
The Transform4Europe (T4EU) Outreach Framework defines a strategic and coherent approach to strengthening the Alliance’s societal and global engagement. It connects T4EU universities, civil society, and international partners (universities outside T4EU, governments, companies, foundations, etc.) through initiatives that promote accessible communication, academic collaboration, and global visibility. Rooted in the European Competence Framework for Research Managers, it enhances capacities in stakeholder engagement, digital communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration, positioning higher education institutions as active agents of societal transformation and international cooperation.
At its core, the T4EU Outreach Objectives and Priorities focus on expanding the Alliance’s global reach and impact. Key priorities include the development of a joint policy for global outreach, increased international visibility through participation in events such as NAFSA and EAIE, and the strengthening of partnerships with universities, consortia, and GLAM institutions worldwide. The framework also promotes the Global Partnership Forum as a platform for dialogue and collaboration, the consolidation of joint programmes and projects, and the reinforcement of long-term academic ties, particularly with Mariupol State University. Complementary initiatives such as the Science Communication Course, Science Café, Reach Out podcast, and Knowledge Entrepreneurialism for Young Europeans Pupil Lab ensure that outreach efforts remain inclusive, evidence-based, and deeply connected to European values of knowledge, solidarity, and societal engagement.
Connection to European values, SDGs, and global agendas
The T4EU outreach strategy is grounded in the European values of democracy, human dignity, equality, inclusion, and sustainability, and is closely aligned with global frameworks such as the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It contributes directly to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 4 (Quality Education) by fostering inclusive, innovative, and transformative learning environments; SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) by promoting equitable access to education and participation; SDG 13 (Climate Action) through sustainability-oriented teaching and innovation; and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by strengthening international cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagement.
Through its initiatives, Transform4Europe (T4EU) acts as a catalyst for knowledge diplomacy, empowering universities to address global challenges such as climate change, digital transformation, and social cohesion. By integrating sustainability, intercultural dialogue, and responsible innovation into its educational and outreach activities, the Alliance reinforces its role as a European and global partner committed to shaping a more just, sustainable, and knowledge-driven future.
Public Engagement in Education & Innovation Strategy
that nurture creativity, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility within universities, while fostering stronger collaboration between academia, communities, and innovation-driven enterprises. By removing research-specific components, the framework concentrates on advancing educational environments that promote lifelong learning, service learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the exchange of knowledge to enhance societal impact and align with the European Education Area’s priorities.
Through the creation of the T4EU Education & Innovation Network, the Alliance aims to unite partners and other stakeholders committed to co-developing innovative and socially relevant education. The strategy prioritizes the identification of key stakeholders, alignment of educational priorities, and formalization of collaborative commitments across the Alliance. It also promotes cooperation with existing competence centers in education and innovation, the organization of capacity-building and awareness-raising activities, and the recognition of educators actively engaged in EI. By 2030, T4EU envisions becoming a recognized European hub of excellence in education and innovation—demonstrated through strong institutional collaboration, visible societal engagement, and the integration of entrepreneurial and inclusive teaching practices as models of good practice across Europe.
Criteria for stakeholder & partner selection
Partner and other stakeholders selection follows transparent, mission-driven criteria. Priority is given to institutions and organizations that align with T4EU’s thematic areas—sustainability, inclusivity, and digitalization—while also ensuring geographic diversity and complementarity with existing initiatives. Additional criteria include cultural and societal relevance, particularly through collaboration with GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) institutions, a strong commitment to long-term cooperation, and the capacity to enhance the Alliance’s visibility and global reach. These criteria will be operationalized through standardized frameworks, periodic reviews, and measurable targets to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of partnerships.
