Student Co-designed Projects 2025

The Arqus Alliance is pleased to announce the third call for co-designed projects aimed at enhancing the inter-institutional student experience within Arqus. The deadline to apply is 12 May 2025.

The goal of this call is to support innovative and collaborative initiatives that will promote cultural exchange and the integration of international students across the Arqus member universities. Through this funding, Arqus wishes to support projects that will shape the Alliance educational environment, to enhance student engagement, consolidate the community and support students’ personal and professional development.

Students are at the heart of the Alliance’s activities – their participation and engagement is promoted in multiple ways. These include the Arqus Student Council, the sponsor of this call, whose aim is to encourage student participation in the decision-making process of the Alliance itself, as well as the Arqus Student Agora, a forum for student participation and networking.

Purpose of the call

Students are encouraged to submit short projects, to be implemented throughout the year of 2025 until the end of April 2026, likely to connect the universities within the Arqus Alliance. Individual students or student groups at a single Arqus university have to partner with students at other Arqus Universities. Students may also partner with local associations and civil society organisations to design shared project proposals.

This call aims to connect Arqus Universities’ students in the co-design of projects that strengthen the Alliance through transformational ideas, such as:

• European Identity and Heritage
• Climate Change and Sustainable Development
• Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation
• Plurilingual and intercultural learningInclusion & Diversity
• Other…

Looking for a partner

If you have an idea, but you need help with finding a team member from another Arqus university, please reach out to:

• First, contact your local student union. For further contact information, please check the Arqus Induction Pack.
• Enter Zuliannel: https://studentagora.zulipchat.com
• Contact the Arqus Student Agora at: 

Eligibility

To be eligible for the present call, students must be regularly enrolled in a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Single-cycle degree or in a Specialisation or PhD programme, either part-time or full-time, offered by one of the Arqus member universities for the duration of the entire project. Their affiliation with an Arqus university is mandatory.

This call aims to create new initiatives among Alliance students. Projects submitted under this call for proposals which have been funded by another institution or partner will not be eligible, unless they extend the number of Arqus universities involved.

Students who have never received funding in previous editions of the Arqus Student Agora call will have priority.

Duration

Projects may start immediately after the selection process and shall be implemented by the end of April 2026 at the latest.

Selection criteria

The selection committee, composed of members from the Arqus Student Council and the Arqus Student Agora, will assess and score applications based on the following criteria:

• Relevance. How does the project aim to improve the student experience within and across the Arqus Alliance?
• Innovation. In what ways does the project showcase originality and creativity in its efforts to enhance the student experience?
• Feasibility. Is the project realistically attainable within the allocated timeframe and budget constraints?
• Reusability. What is the potential for the project to be repeated over the long term?
• Collaboration. How does the project facilitate collaboration among students from the local university, various member universities of the Arqus Alliance, as well as local associations and civil society organisations and initiatives?

Funding

The funding of the project varies depending on how many Arqus member universities will partake in the project. A maximum of €2500 per project will be awarded. The funding will be provided by the university the main applicant is a student at and will be subject to the local Arqus university administrative process. This is based on an invoice system.

Indications for the maximum amounts:

• 2 universities – up to €1000
• 3 universities – up to €1500
• 4+ universities – up to €2500

The funding available can be used to cover, for instance:

• Travel (accommodation and transport)
• Speakers for workshops
• Materials for the implementation of the project
• Social media campaigns
• Etc.

Every student implementing a local event shall check and agree upon the eligible expenses at the local university with the local Arqus Student Agora member.

Reporting

At the completion of the activities foreseen in the project, successful applicants will be required to submit the following reports:

• Financial report. It will detail the use of funds and provide relevant receipts and documentation (the final report template must be used).
• Project report. It will include lessons learned and outcomes of the project. At least one creative product such as an article, photo brochure or video shall be submitted.

Application procedure and deadline

Submissions will be sent via the application form.

Each application form must be duly filled out and include:

• a description of the project
• a plan for project funding and use of the funds provided by this call
• a corresponding timeline for the implementation of the project

Opening of the call: 17 March 2025

Closure of the call: 12 May 2025 (23:59)

Apply here

A reply will be provided within 2 weeks after the application due date. The selected projects will be invited to have a post-selection conversation on how to operationalize their projects.

Get inspired by past winning projects and take your idea to the next level! If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact the Arqus Student Agora at .