EUGLOH Living Lab Strengthens Students’ Digital and Information Literacy Skills
From 13 to 17 July 2026, the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto hosted the on-site component of the second edition of the EUGLOH Living Lab – Digital and Informational Skills, a joint educational initiative of the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH). Organised by the University of Porto in collaboration with the Université Paris-Saclay (France) and the Universidad de Alcalá (Spain), the Living Lab aims to equip students with the digital and information literacy skills increasingly required in higher education, society and the labour market.
Developed within EUGLOH’s activities on employability, personal development and lifelong learning, the programme combined a virtual phase, held from 8 June to 6 July, with an intensive week of face-to-face training in Porto. Open to undergraduate and master’s students from all academic fields, with a particular focus on participants from non-technical backgrounds, the initiative reflects EUGLOH’s commitment to making digital skills accessible across all fields of study. Bringing together 22 students from 8 partner universities, the Living Lab provided an interdisciplinary, collaborative and international learning experience.
Building on the successful first edition hosted by the University of Alcalá in 2025, this second edition further consolidated the Living Lab as an innovative educational format that demonstrates the added value of collaboration across the Alliance.
The EUGLOH Living Labs are intensive, challenge-based learning activities designed to foster multidisciplinary and transversal competences. Developed through interdisciplinary knowledge creating teams, these initiatives embrace the four pillars of EUGLOH’s Knowledge Square – Education, Research, Innovation and Service to Society – encouraging collaborative learning and co-creation across institutions.
Throughout the programme, participants explored key topics including cybersecurity, personal data protection and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data analysis and visualisation, applied artificial intelligence, digital collaboration and communication, as well as digital ethics, data-driven decision-making and the responsible use of emerging technologies.
According to António Coelho, academic leader involved in EUGLOH’s development of Living Labs and coordinator of the activity, the programme highlighted the importance of digital competences for students from every academic discipline:
“This course was an important opportunity to provide students and future graduates from across the EUGLOH Alliance with essential digital skills. Hosting the programme at the Faculty of Fine Arts also demonstrates that these competences are relevant to all graduates, regardless of their academic background or future profession, while contributing to a more informed citizenship and greater inclusion in an increasingly digital society”.
The programme adopted a highly practical approach through workshops, interactive sessions and collaborative activities designed to strengthen teamwork, communication, problem-solving and peer learning among students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds.
The learning pathway was structured in two complementary phases. During the virtual component, participants attended synchronous sessions, completed self-paced learning activities and joined Q&A sessions to establish a common knowledge base before the on-site week. In Porto, students completed 25 hours of hands-on training, applying newly acquired knowledge through practical exercises and collaborative challenges facilitated by experts from EUGLOH partner universities.
Beyond technical knowledge, the Living Lab also focused on developing transversal competences that are essential for today’s professional environments, including interdisciplinary collaboration, effective communication, critical thinking and working in international teams.
Participants who successfully completed the programme were awarded 4 ECTS credits and obtained the International Certification of Digital Literacy (ICDL), an internationally recognised certification that enhances their academic and professional profiles in the field of digital competences.
Through initiatives such as the EUGLOH Living Labs, EUGLOH continues to promote innovative, international and student-centred learning experiences, preparing learners with the digital, transversal and collaborative skills needed to address the challenges of an increasingly digital world.