EUGLOH Living Lab: Multidisciplinary, Challenge-Based Learning

As part of its mission to foster innovation in higher education, the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH) has launched the EUGLOH Living Lab: a series of activities in experimental learning environments designed to develop transversal skills in multidisciplinary contexts. Piloted under the working group “Employability & Lifelong Learning”, this initiative brings together partners from across the Alliance to co-create and deliver a set of innovative, challenge-based courses that push the boundaries of traditional learning.

Designed as experimental educational environments, these “Living Laboratories” aim to equip students, researchers, and staff with transversal, digital, and multidisciplinary skills that are critical in today’s rapidly evolving academic and professional landscapes. Each course blends theoretical knowledge with real-world application, grounded in the four pillars of the Knowledge Square: Education, Research, Innovation, and Service to Society.

The “EUGLOH Living Lab” contributes to broadening, internationalising and modernising educational opportunities and embeds innovative entrepreneurial learning, transversal and digital skills, and sustainability into curricula. Courses are built through collaboration between institutions and often involve external and non-academic stakeholders, ensuring that learning remains closely aligned with the demands of the modern labour market.

Multiple innovative courses have been co-created thus far, featuring blended formats (in-person and virtual) and experimental, challenge-based learning methodologies. Additionally, responding to the European Commission’s challenge to develop complementary activities through alternative funding sources, the Alliance has invested in Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) as a tool to empower academics and develop joint methodologies for the Living Lab.

Overview of the Living Labs: An Innovative and Transnational Catalogue

 The blended learning activity “Digital and Informational Skills”, held from 26 May to 11 July 2025, was developed by the University of Alcalá in collaboration with the University of Porto and Université Paris-Saclay. The course equipped participants with digital and informational skills, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data analytics. 

The Living Lab course titled “Crafting my PhD Journey - from Motivation to Career Perspectives”, featuring contributions from Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität München, the University of Hamburg, Lund University and UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, took place in Munich from 13 to 17 October 2025. This activity aimed to strengthen decision-making skills and resilience, while equipping participants with the tools they need to better manage their academic and professional trajectories.

Led by the University of Porto in close cooperation with UiT-The Arctic University of Norway and the Université Paris-Saclay, the course “Putting Students First: Designing the Classroom of the Future” from 1 to 31 October 2025 offered participants a unique experience solving real societal challenges using innovative methodologies such as hackathons and gamification. Attendees also worked on a range of transversal skills, including communication, leadership, and problem-solving. 

From 13 October until 28 November 2025, “Serious Games as a Tool for Global Health Education” is being led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in collaboration with the University of Szeged and the University of Porto. This course uses gamification to explore real-world challenges in global health, engaging external stakeholders and promoting a practical and collaborative approach.

Training Opportunities and Future Prospects

Further Living Lab activities are part of the EUGLOH education offerings for the 2025-2026 academic year. 

One upcoming Living Lab is “Data and Decision-Making” from 2 to 13 March 2026 in Novi Sad, organised by the University of Novi Sad, the University of Alcalá and the University of Porto. The activity will focus on the analysis, interpretation and communication of data, especially as it relates to the facilitation of informed decision-making, and is open to undergraduate students affiliated with the EUGLOH member universities. 

Another activity falling under this initiative and previously held as a BIP, “Making an Impact! Skills for Career Paths in and beyond Academia”, is led by the University of Hamburg, in collaboration with the University of Porto and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, along with UiT-The Arctic University of Norway and the University of Alcalá in previous iterations. The newest edition will be held from 30 March to 2 April 2026 in Hamburg and will enhance PhD students’ acquisition of transversal skills such as communication and critical thinking, while exploring potential career paths after the “PhD Journey” – both within and beyond academia.

The EUGLOH Living Lab represents a shift in how universities think about education: more connected, more collaborative, and more future-oriented. Keep an eye on the EUGLOH Courses & Trainings catalogue for upcoming opportunities and be part of shaping the classroom – and university – of the future.

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