In a key step towards developing the Guide to University Community Engagement in Europe, ACEEU held CROSS-IMPACT Workshops with project partners to further unpack the complexity of community engagement and explore ways to facilitate the process. Conducted across three sessions, the workshops built on insights from previous horizon scanning and stakeholder dialogues, bringing partners together to examine the challenges and opportunities in higher education engagement.
The workshops enabled partners to identify and analyze the key factors that contribute to effective engagement in European universities. Through discussions and collaborative exercises, partners shared best practices and persistent challenges, creating a rich evidence base to inform future engagement strategies.
The process highlighted both opportunities and systemic barriers. Strong patterns emerged around understanding community needs, fostering inter-HEI collaboration, coordinating platforms, and embedding inclusiveness in all activities. At the same time, resistance to innovation, short-term approaches, and limited prioritization of community engagement remain ongoing challenges that must be addressed.
Insights from the workshops will form the foundation of the practical Guide to University Community Engagement, which will focus on three core areas: improving dissemination of engagement activities, strengthening incentive structures, and offering targeted upskilling to enhance capacity within universities.
By combining insights from horizon scanning, stakeholder perspectives, and collaborative analysis, the CROSS-IMPACT Workshops have laid the groundwork for actionable guidance to help European universities drive meaningful and sustainable engagement with their communities.
Stay tuned for the upcoming Guide, which will provide practical tools and insights to support effective university-community engagement across Europe.
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