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The first call for applications has concluded successfully – students have been selected both for mobility placements abroad and for involvement in the activities of local partner organisations.

We are announcing the second call for volunteer activities, which will run from the beginning of June through the end of the year. Applications will be open until 15 April.

Overall, more than 70 volunteering opportunities are available to Alliance students throughout the year across various fields – including social care, culture and creative industries, education, public administration, and others. Each activity includes an eight-day international mobility.

Programme Structure and Methodology

The ACE_RISE Volunteer Programmes consist of two core components:

1. ACE_RISE MOOC (25 hours): Before mobility, students must complete a 25-hour Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), delivered asynchronously. The course introduces participants to the aims of volunteer work, solidarity, social responsibility and communication.The MOOC includes general information about the course and five modules:

• Volunteering begins with shared values

• The world needs solidarity-minded humans

• What it means to be a volunteer

• Our social responsibility grows with knowledge

• Empathy speaks through how we communicate

2. On-site Volunteer Activity (8 days): Students participate in an in-person volunteering period in a host country. Tasks are defined by the hosting organisation, and participants are accompanied by a supervisor. Working hours follow the legislation of the host country. Students receive a grant for the 8-day mobility period.

Registration 

Students from all ACE²-EU Alliance universities can register for the volunteering activities via the registration link: https://forms.gle/pFaxKcK9KeU5UMgHA.

The list of volunteer activities and their full descriptions is available in the digital catalogue: https://www.ace2eu.eu/ace-rise/.

The registration deadline for volunteering activities from the beginning of June through the end of the year is 15 April.

Certification

Upon successful completion of the programme (MOOC + volunteering mobility), participants will receive 2 ECTS credits. The certificate will include the course title, learning outcomes, developed competencies, and duration.

For questions related to the ACE_RISE Volunteer Programmes, please contact:

Mafalda Pacheco Ferreira, IPSantarém | mafalda.ferreira@esa.ipsantarem.pt
Paula Pinto, IPSantarém | paula.pinto@esa.ipsantarem.pt

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The SPACE Centre is proud to formally introduce its Social Impactors, one of its two operational units.

The ACE²-EU Societal Partnerships and Cultural Engagement (SPACE) Centre has reached a significant milestone with the official establishment of the Social Impactors (SI), one of its two operational units with the Culture Hub. The launch strengthens the Alliance’s role in supporting external stakeholders and local communities, as well as connecting academic excellence with regional and European priorities, to tackle current and future real-world socio-economic challenges.

The Social Impactors are dynamic consortia that bring together experts, practitioners, and other relevant stakeholders, to mobilise the Alliance’s knowledge and expertise in service to society. Operating as “think-and-do tanks”, they focus on knowledge creation, networking, sharing good practices, advocacy, and implementing activities with measurable impact.

Built on a quadruple-helix model of innovation, the Social Impactors engage stakeholders across:

• Academia (Alliance staff and students)
• Business and industry
• (Local) government
• Civil society (NGOs, associations, etc.)

This diverse and participatory structure ensures that teams respond directly to real-life and community needs and deliver practical, impactful solutions. Activities to take the Social Impactors into action will include: Knowledge Creation Team Workshops (face-to-face workshops to make the members meet in person and work on developing projects and activities); the Change Maker Ambassador Programme (training for students and staff of the alliance to become social change agents); and the Social Impactors Volunteering Programme (8-day volunteering opportunities at Alliance external partners for students to work on socio-economic issues).

The SI teams work is guided by principles of inclusivity, intersectionality, and inter- and transdisciplinarity, promoting collaboration across fields and prioritising actions that support minorities and vulnerable groups, while recognising how multiple forms of disadvantage and inequality intersect and overlap, creating barriers for marginalised groups and communities.

The SPACE Centre, as the virtual SI “home”, has set up four interconnected Social Impactors, following a participatory research methodology that included workshops replicated across all Alliance partners and an inter-university, interdisciplinary interpretation of results. Additional Social Impactors may be launched over time in response to emerging needs. The current four Social Impactors are:

• Culture & Diversity: chaired by Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS, Austria). This Social Impactor focuses on multi-, inter- and transculturalism, explores the meaning(s) of culture, including for instance subcultures and countercultures, and addresses diversity in a broad sense.
• Social Well-Being: chaired by the Santarém Polytechnic University (IPSantarém, Portugal). This Social Impactor tackles the place of social well-being within health; considers both objective and subjective dimensions, with an understanding that subjective social well-being is easier to influence at the SI scale; and highlights components such as social relations, culture and society, and policy and governance.
• Respect & Dignity: chaired by the University Francisco de Vitoria (UFV, Spain). This Social Impactor is grounded in a more philosophical and anthropological basis: a justification for why human beings possess inherent worth and how that worth is construed and lived in society, including components such as interpersonal relations, group identity and sense of belonging. It is deeply rooted in a human rights perspective.
• Gender Equity: chaired by the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC, Latvia). This Social Impactor targets the needs of people of all genders, advancing both perspectives of gender equality and equity. The latter approach goes further by recognising that equitable approaches tailor support to different needs rather than assuming identical treatment is sufficient, ignoring specificities and circumstances.

The Social Impactors are flexible, operating both at the local level and across the Alliance, and welcome participation from interested stakeholders that suits their availability and interests. To learn more or get involved, please reach out to the ACE²-EU team at your home university.

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Through a series of videos and stories, “Voices of Multiculturalism” highlights:

• how intercultural encounters spark creativity and belonging;
• why collaboration strengthens our Alliance;
• and how students shape the future of learning through participation, curiosity, and shared purpose.

From behind-the-scenes reflections to personal testimonies, the campaign reveals what makes ACE²-EU special: people who meet across borders, learn from one another, and build a community that is truly European.

As we share the first stories – from students discovering new cultures, to partners speaking about the value of working together – we invite you to listen, connect, and join the journey.

This is what multiculturalism looks like.
This is what collaboration feels like.
This is ACE²-EU.

The campaign begins now – and we can’t wait to amplify more voices from across our Alliance. Follow the campaign on the Alliance’s social media channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570328464114

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ace2eu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ace2eu/

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project 101177596.

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The event began with a beautiful performance by the first-year students of the Contemporary Dance Programme at the Latvian Academy of Culture. The esteemed guests from the Ministry of Culture, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Latvia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Riga, “ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA” at the Commercial Department of the Austrian Embassy in Riga and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Riga congratulated and celebrated this important moment with us.

In her speech, Professor Swetlana Buko, co-leader of the SPACE Centre from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, beautifully captured the essence of the Centre when she emphasised: “The idea of the SPACE Centre is to create space for everyone. All our activities are designed with students at the core, providing them with the tools and opportunities to prepare for the future and drive positive social change”.

At the heart of our mission, the SPACE Centre stands as a place where partnerships build future literacy, inspiring collaboration and societal change across our alliance.

We thank all our partner universities for joining us in this celebration and for being part of the journey to build the future of strong European universities together! Thanks to Santarém Polytechnic University, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Francisco de Vitoria University, Medical University of Gdańsk, University “Goce Delčev”, Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, Kaunas University of Applied Engineering Sciences, and University Constantin Brâncuși Târgu-Jiu!

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The workshop focused on establishing the management structure for the Centre’s key working areas and activities planned over the next four years. Together, we worked on an operational plan to ensure the success of the SPACE Centre’s and gathered valuable insights from our colleagues. At the heart of our mission, the SPACE Centre stands as a place where partnerships build future literacy, inspiring collaboration and societal transformation across our Alliance.

Inspiring Initiatives:

· Kaleidoscope Culture Festival: Presented by the SPACE Centre leader, Ieva Zemīte from the Latvian Academy of Culture, this annual event aims to celebrate multiculturalism, multilingualism, and inclusion across our alliance of partner universities.

· Social Impactors: Co-leader Svetlana Buko and her team from Carinthia University of Applied Sciences introduced this initiative, which focuses on addressing socio-economic challenges while promoting cultural understanding and social engagement. As Svetlana emphasised, “Space is about partnerships, and Social Impactors is one of the cornerstones of the Centre. We need to build the muscle to create impact and meaningful outcomes”.

· Student Volunteer Programme: Co-leader Paula Pinto and her team from the Polytechnic University of Santarém presented a programme designed to empower students to tackle societal challenges head-on.

· Culture Traineeship Programme for Staff: Co-leader Alessia Tressoldi and her team from Francisco de Vitoria University shared their vision of mobility training that combines face-to-face and online sessions to promote cultural understanding, inclusion strategies and increased cultural sensitivity among staff.

On the final day, a sightseeing tour of Riga allowed our team to explore the city’s rich history and vibrant culture, including the Art Nouveau architecture, providing a deeper connection to the local heritage.

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The LAC oversees the SPACE Centre initiative, a significant element of the project, which aims to promote social engagement and cultural understanding. The SPACE Centre will foster collaboration with external stakeholders, increase inclusivity, and strengthen European identity through cultural exchange. It aims to drive sustainable societal transformation and forge stronger connections between universities and the wider community. The SPACE Centre’s activities are directed towards implementing social solutions in areas such as well-being, inclusion, multiculturalism, respect, and gender equality, as well as creating a common cultural platform that is significant for exchanging diverse cultural experiences and expertise among the Alliance partners.

The European University Alliance ACE²-EU aims to strengthen and transform institutional cooperation between its members in higher education, research, innovation, and community service. Within the project, LAC together with 8 other European universities will work jointly on developing student-focused and challenge-based learning approaches, creating new interdisciplinary study programs, stimulating joint research and innovation activities, promoting entrepreneurship, and supporting the research community.

The SPACE Centre will be implemented in collaboration with partners from Santarém Polytechnic University, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Francisco de Vitoria University, Medical University of Gdańsk, University “Goce Delčev”, Technical University Ingolstadt of Applied Sciences, Kaunas University of Applied Engineering Sciences, and University Constantin Brâncuși Târgu-Jiu.

The project is co-funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project 101177596.

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“The Latvian Academy of Culture plays a crucial role in the European Universities Alliance, as the SPACE Centre bridges higher education institutions and society. Culture connects all sectors and ensures true interdisciplinarity, promoting closer cooperation, building understanding, and implementing sustainable changes. We are pleased to have the opportunity to strengthen European identity with culture at its center. The SPACE Centre is a place to meet and collaborate,” emphasizes Ieva Zemīte, the leader of the SPACE Centre.

The opening ceremony will represent the start of renewed partnerships and mutual understanding between higher education institutions and society, bringing together representatives from participating universities, LAC staff, and external stakeholders to significantly celebrate and begin work on developing an innovative identity for European universities.

The LAC oversees the SPACE Centre initiative, a significant element of the project, aimed at promoting societal engagement and cultural understanding. The SPACE Centre will foster collaboration with external stakeholders, enhance inclusivity, and strengthen European identity through cultural exchange. Its goal is to drive sustainable societal transformation and forge stronger connections between universities and the wider community. The SPACE Centre’s activities are directed towards implementing social solutions in areas such as well-being, inclusion, multiculturalism, respect, and gender equality, as well as creating a common cultural platform that is significant for exchanging diverse cultural experiences and expertise among alliance partners.

The ACE²-EU alliance aims to strengthen and transform institutional cooperation among its members in higher education, research, innovation, and community service. Within the project, LAC together with 8 other European universities will work jointly on developing student-focused and challenge-based learning approaches, creating new interdisciplinary study programs, stimulating joint research and innovation activities, promoting entrepreneurship, and supporting the research community.

The project will be implemented in collaboration with partners from FH Kaernten – Gemeinnuetzige GmbH (FH Kaernten – Gemeinnuetzige Gmbh, Austria), Lietuvos Inzinerijos Kolegija Higher Education Institution (Lietuvos inžinerijos kolegijos, Lithuania), Gdański Uniwersytet Medyczny (Gdanski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Poland), Instituto Politecnico de Santarem (Instituto Politecnico de Santarem, Portugal), Universitatea Constantin Brancusi (Universitatea Constantin Brancusi, Romania), Universidad Francisco De Vitoria (Universidad.Francisco De Vitoria, Spain), Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, Germany), and Goce Delcev University, Stip (Goce Delcev University, Stip, North Macedonia).

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project 101177596.

For more information about the ACE²-EU alliance and planned activities, visit: https://ace-eu.ipsantarem.pt/

Program

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