The Arqus Alliance is pleased to announce the third call for co-designed projects aimed at enhancing the inter-institutional student experience within Arqus.
The deadline to apply is 12 May 2025.
The goal of this call is to support innovative and collaborative initiatives that will promote cultural exchange and the integration of international students across the Arqus member universities. Through this funding, Arqus wishes to support projects that will shape the Alliance educational environment, to enhance student engagement, consolidate the community and support students’ personal and professional development.
Students are at the heart of the Alliance’s activities – their participation and engagement is promoted in multiple ways. These include the Arqus Student Council, the sponsor of this call, whose aim is to encourage student participation in the decision-making process of the Alliance itself, as well as the Arqus Student Agora, a forum for student participation and networking.
Purpose of the call
Students are encouraged to submit short projects, to be implemented throughout the year of 2025 until the end of April 2026, likely to connect the universities within the Arqus Alliance. Individual students or student groups at a single Arqus university have to partner with students at other Arqus Universities. Students may also partner with local associations and civil society organisations to design shared project proposals.
This call aims to connect Arqus Universities’ students in the co-design of projects that strengthen the Alliance through transformational ideas, such as:
- European Identity and Heritage
- Climate Change and Sustainable Development
- Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation
- Plurilingual and intercultural learning
- Inclusion & Diversity
- Other…
Looking for a partner
If you have an idea, but you need help with finding a team member from another Arqus university, please reach out to:
Eligibility
To be eligible for the present call, students must be regularly enrolled in a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Single-cycle degree or in a Specialisation or PhD programme, either part-time or full-time, offered by one of the Arqus member universities for the duration of the entire project. Their affiliation with an Arqus university is mandatory.
This call aims to create new initiatives among Alliance students. Projects submitted under this call for proposals which have been funded by another institution or partner will not be eligible, unless they extend the number of Arqus universities involved.
Students who have never received funding in previous editions of the Arqus Student Agora call will have priority.
Duration
Projects may start immediately after the selection process and shall be implemented by the end of April 2026 at the latest.
Selection criteria
The selection committee, composed of members from the Arqus Student Council and the Arqus Student Agora, will assess and score applications based on the following criteria:
- How does the project aim to improve the student experience within and across the Arqus Alliance?
- In what ways does the project showcase originality and creativity in its efforts to enhance the student experience?
- Is the project realistically attainable within the allocated timeframe and budget constraints?
- Reusability What is the potential for the project to be repeated over the long term?
- How does the project facilitate collaboration among students from the local university, various member universities of the Arqus Alliance, as well as local associations and civil society organisations and initiatives?
Funding
The funding of the project varies depending on how many Arqus member universities will partake in the project. A maximum of €2500 per project will be awarded. The funding will be provided by the university the main applicant is a student at and will be subject to the local Arqus university administrative process. This is based on an invoice system.
Indications for the maximum amounts:
- 2 universities– up to €1000
- 3 universities– up to €1500
- 4+ universities– up to €2500
The funding available can be used to cover, for instance:
- Travel (accommodation and transport)
- Speakers for workshops
- Materials for the implementation of the project
- Social media campaigns
Every student implementing a local event shall check and agree upon the eligible expenses at the local university with the local Arqus Student Agora member.
Submissions will be sent via the application form. Each application form must be duly filled out and include:
- a description of the project
- a plan for project funding and use of the funds provided by this call
- a corresponding timeline for the implementation of the project
Opening of the call: 17 March 2025
Closure of the call: 12 May 2025 (23:59)
Apply here
A reply will be provided within 2 weeks after the application due date. The selected projects will be invited to have a post-selection conversation on how to operationalize their projects.
Get inspired by past winning projects and take your idea to the next level!
The full call text: https://arqus-alliance.eu/call/student-co-designed-projects-2025/
The website of the successfully implemented 2023 project by Angelica Peccini, a PhD student at the Kaunas Faculty: https://www.knf.vu.lt/en/al4all#main-information
If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact
Kaunas Faculty
Project specialist
Donatas Misiūnas
email
On 30 April 2025 at 11.00 Career Consultant and Educator Mr. Vivek Nagpaul will share actionable insights on using techniques to motivate international students and nurture their creativity. He will use his own experience as an international student in the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden and as a teacher working effectively with over 50 nationalities from Europe, Asia and the Americas since 2002. He will share insights on how to successfully teach students from India, the Netherlands and South America.
On 29 April 2025 at 15:30 Career Consultant and Educator Mr. Vivek Nagpaul will share actionable insights on finding good internships and jobs and starting a business in India, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK which are applicable to Lithuania and other Schengen countries. He will highlight how to build and leverage a network, how to present your unique personality and profile as well as your cultural identity and experience for supporting effective working and doing business across cultures.
We invite the VU Kaunas Faculty community to an egg-decorating workshop as we approach Easter! The workshop will take place on Wednesday, 16 April.
