Una Europa Events and Opportunities
Current Opportunities
Explore upcoming events and opportunities to get involved in Una Europa below. For more event listings, along with news from the wider community, visit (opens in a new window)una-europa.eu.
For local Una Europa news and other UCD Global stories, visit;
| Date (2026) | Who is it for? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 19 February | Researchers and students with an interest in future materials and related areas. | Discovering the Materials of Tomorrow | Materials Research and Technologies at University of HelsinkiJoin us on Zoom for the twelfth webinar in the Una Europa Future Materials series. We will explore materials research and technologies at Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors Universitet with Professor Kostas Sarakinos, who will guide us through his research on Multiscale atomic arrangement in thin alloy films synthesised far from equilibrium. |
| Apply by 23 February; takes place 2 - 5 June | Professional services staff involved in pedagogy, curriculum design or student/researcher engagement; teaching staff; students & doctoral researchers. | Una Europa Staff Week 2026 | Universities as transformative learning communities for all Universities are uniquely complex, multidisciplinary communities, where education, research, and employment intertwine. Embedded in this complexity are the versatile ways students, teachers, researchers, and professional staff collaborate and interact in both pedagogical settings and outside of them. This Staff Week, hosted by University of Helsinki in Finland, will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on and intentionally develop this collaboration by encouraging them to reimagine the role of the university in researching, teaching, and community building. The programme includes daily workshops where participants will actively lead and participate in discussions. Through participatory and engaging peer-learning methods, attendees will actively shape the contents and outcomes of the session and diversify their skill sets. |
| Apply by 28 Feb; takes place online through March | UCD students of all levels and disciplines with an interest in sustainability. | UnaVEx Virtual Exchange for Sustainability Experience an international exchange from the comfort of your home! Through this virtual exchange programme, you will:
This programme is run by Helsinki University. |
| Apply by 1 March; takes place 9 - 12 June | Bachelor's, master's and PhD students from any discipline but with an interest in Sustainability are invited to apply. | Una Europa Student Congress 2026Students, are you passionate about shaping a sustainable future? Keen to tackle real-world challenges together with students from many different disciplines and institutions across Europe? The Una Europa Student Congress is now inviting applications under the theme, 'Sustainability: From Challenge to Change'. The Congress will be hosted by Universiteit Leiden at their campus in The Hague, in the Netherlands. Tackle sustainability challenges in teams, explore the power of Citizen Science, and sharpen your science communication skills. |
| Apply by 1 March; takes place from end of March through April | Open to all UCD students of all levels and disciplines | Una Europa Language CaféWould you like to practice speaking another language? Do you wish you had more opportunities to speak a second language you already know but are getting rusty at? Are you preparing for an exchange or study abroad experience and would like to learn the basics of the language spoken in your host country? Register to attend the Una Europa Language Café and practice speaking one of the languages spoken at Una Europa partner universities: German, Italian, Finnish, Polish, Spanish, French, or English. |
| Apply by 1 March; takes place online 10 March - 21 May | Bachelor's, master's and PhD students / doctoral researchers from any discipline are welcome to apply. Apply as an individual; you will be put into a team by the organisers before the programme starts. |
Una Europa Student Project Incubator spring 2026Calling students and doctoral researchers! Unlock the power of design thinking through the Una Europa Student Project Incubator, an innovative 8-week virtual programme to help you develop essential skills for working and collaborating with your peers across Europe. This spring the Incubator will focus on breaking barriers to student engagement, using design thinking to craft real-world solutions for student wellbeing. Participate in workshops, engage in teamwork, and complete challenges and milestones to make a difference in student life and engagement on your campus. |
| Enter by 8 March | Bachelor’s, master’s students and doctoral researchers / PhD students of all disciplines can enter. |
Una Europa Student Award 2026 | Imagine it, film it, shape it! What will university life look like in 2040? What makes education meaningful? How should universities support learning, wellbeing, and balance? If you're a current student and have an answer to any of these questions, you are invited to share your vision through a short-form video entry to this year's edition of the Una Europa Student Award. We invite you to reflect on what universities should stand for, how student voices should be heard and involved, and how education can prepare us for an unknown future while supporting students not just as learners, but as co-creators of academic life. Five students will win prizes. |
| Apply by 10 March | UCD students of all levels and disciplines |
Una Europa micro-grantsfor UCD students Students, do you have an idea for an event or project that you always wanted to run? Is there something missing on campus that would make student life even better? Or is there a cause you are passionate about and want to take further? This is your chance to make it happen! Apply for the Una Europa micro-grants for UCD students and bring your ideas to life. Collaborate with your peers, contribute to the student experience at UCD, and develop valuable skills along the way. |
| Apply by 13 March; takes place 15 - 19 June (with a compulsory online session on 3 June) | Doctoral researchers/PhD students with an interest in AI, from any discipline such as computer science, statistics, engineering, life sciences, arts, design, law, social sciences and humanities. |
Una Europa Summer School 2026 for doctoral researchers: Artificial Intelligence and Creativity This Summer School, hosted here at UCD, offers doctoral researchers an opportunity to explore current issues in AI and their relationship with creativity. The Summer School will bring together doctoral researchers, faculty, and experienced researchers and practitioners from a range of disciplines. Applicants should be eager to expand their knowledge of AI and to explore its applications in creative domains, along with the questions that this poses. If selected, you will have a unique opportunity to network with doctoral researchers from disciplines beyond your own, broadening your experience, widening your networking opportunities and deepening your understanding of Una Europa as an interdisciplinary, cross-border alliance. The programme includes lectures, workshops, discussions, social events, and more. |
| Apply by 13 March; takes place 15 - 19 June (with a compulsory online session on 3 June) | Doctoral researchers/PhD students with an interest in One Health, from disciplines such as health and related areas, environmental science, social sciences, and humanities. |
Una Europa Summer School 2026 for doctoral researchers: One Health for All Dive deep into interdisciplinary learning and connect with like-minded international researchers at this Una Europa Summer School, hosted here at UCD. Broaden your understanding of One Health, learn about new methodologies, and collaborate with peers in an interdisciplinary, multicultural setting. Explore current challenges at the intersection of human, animal and environmental health through an immersive learning experience, with site visits to see One Health in practice, joint sessions with researchers from other disciplines, social events and more. |
| Apply by 13 March; takes place 15 - 19 June (with a compulsory online session on 3 June) | Doctoral researchers/PhD students carrying out research on topics related to sustainability, such as climate change, poverty, food systems, and clean energy access. |
Una Europa Summer School 2026 for doctoral researchers: Sustainability for All Don’t miss this opportunity to dive deep into sustainability issues and connect with doctoral researchers and academics from across Una Europa at this Summer School, hosted here at UCD. This immersive programme is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and practical tools to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with their research. Through interactive lectures and data-driven workshops, students will learn to map SDGs and identify key indicators that measure progress across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Alongside the academic programme, participants can enjoy joint sessions with researchers from other disciplines, social events and more. |
| Apply by 13 March; takes place 29 June - 3 July | Doctoral researchers/PhD students carrying out research in areas such as chemistry, physics, materials science, biotechnology, materials engineering, and bioengineering. |
Una Europa Summer School 2026 for doctoral researchers: Exploring Soft Materials - From Molecules to Biomaterials This Summer School is an intensivefive-day in-person programmehosted at the Navile Campus of Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna in Italy. This Summer School brings together doctoral researchers and academic staff from Una Europa partner universities for an interdisciplinary learning experience focused on soft materials, from molecular systems to biomaterials. The Summer School will explore fundamental principles, properties, and applications of soft materials, fostering dialogue acrosschemistry, physics, materials science, biotechnology, materials engineering, and bioengineering. Teaching activities combine theoretical lectures, case studies, and interactive discussions in a highly international and collaborative academic environment. |
