Expedition @ University of Mannheim 2026: Culture & the City
Title: Culture & the City: Exploring how culture-driven innovation can transform cities, empower local communities & neighbourhoods, create value.
Topics: Cultural Innovation; Urban Regeneration; Creative Ecosystems; UNESCO City of Music; Social Inclusion; Cultural Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurship; Urban Transformation; local communities’ empowerment; third places; placemaking
Date: 5 October 2026 – 9 October 2026
Format: IN PERSON at University of Mannheim, Germany
Application Deadline: 1 June 2026
About the ENGAGE.EU Expedition
The ENGAGE.EU Expedition is a one-week intensive, international and multidisciplinary co-design programme and learning experience for students who work together with experts and mentors on finding solutions to real-life problems. It is a collaborative program, which focuses on creating value for society and uses the framework for inno-preneurship as guiding principle. They offer formal and informal learning in context together with ENGAGE.EU partners.
By engaging in this international co-design program, students contribute to real-life societal transformations. They work with other students in teams on challenges presented by the societal partners of ENGAGE.EU universities. Throughout the programme, they are guided towards knowledge-based and mission-oriented solutions by using design-thinking principles.
Gain insights into the previous Expedition Weeks:
Past Expedition Weeks
About the Challenges
Across Europe, cities are reimagining how culture and creativity can serve as engines for sustainable and inclusive urban futures. In times of global challenges – rapid digitalisation, social polarisation, and ecological transformation – culture has become much more than an aesthetic domain: It is a powerful driver for social innovation, civic engagement, and economic renewal. Creative ecosystems are increasingly shaping how citizens live together, how they express belonging, and how they regenerate their cities.
Mannheim, a UNESCO City of Music, offers a striking example of this transformation. The city has long combined a strong industrial base with a rich and institutionally anchored cultural tradition and has in recent years become a living laboratory for the cultural industry, for cultural and creative entrepreneurship, participatory urbanism, and community-driven regeneration. Creative districts, cultural institutions, and artistic hubs have shown, in many cities including Mannheim, that music, arts, and social creativity can play a significant role in revitalising neighbourhoods, strengthening social trust, generating economic value, and fostering cross-sector collaboration. At the same time, complex challenges and issues have gained importance: How can cultural innovation remain inclusive and socially grounded? How can creative economies contribute to fairer, more sustainable cities? And what models of governance and participation are needed to connect culture, citizens, and policy-making?
Expected Impact
For Participants
Participants will explore how culture and creativity can transform cities by engaging directly with Mannheim’s ecosystem of cultural institutions, creative entrepreneurs, and civic actors. Working in diverse, international and interdisciplinary teams, they will connect theory and practice by visiting creative districts, discussing with local changemakers, and co-developing ideas for culture-based urban transformation. They will acquire knowledge in creative economies and participatory urbanism, strengthen key competences such as collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and dealing with complex, real-life societal challenges. The experience will empower them to approach the cultural and creative sector from a holistic perspective, integrating community and sustainability.
For Partners
Local partners will benefit from the exchange with international students bringing fresh ideas and transdisciplinary perspectives on how to connect culture, creativity, and urban policy. The Expedition+ offers an opportunity to test new participatory formats, co-create innovative concepts, and reflect on the impact of culture in Mannheim’s ongoing transformation. By collaborating with ENGAGE.EU universities, partners strengthen their European networks, gain visibility within a transnational innovation context, and contribute to shaping a model for culture-driven regeneration that can inspire other European cities.
Your Profile
The ENGAGE.EU Expedition @ University of Mannheim is targeted at Bachelor’s students in their last year, Master and PhD students affiliated with ENGAGE.EU partner universities. Participants of any citizenship and any field of study who are enrolled at an ENGAGE.EU partner university are welcome to apply.
Application
To apply for the ENGAGE.EU Expedition you should provide:
- A short letter explaining your motivation for applying to the ENGAGE.EU Expedition+.
- Curriculum vitae (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad, other relevant skills and experiences),
- Academic records (transcript of records).
Scholarship
Selected students may receive scholarships for participation in the ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week. Details will follow from the home university after being selected for the expedition week
Selection
Submitted applications are evaluated by the academics and staff working in the ENGAGE.EU Labs. Candidates will be evaluated based on their motivation letter and CV. In order to ensure equal participation among students from the different partner universities, the selection committee will aim at choosing four students from each partner university. Final decisions also consider a range of criteria for cohort composition, including but not limited to disciplinary balance, institutional diversity, and demographic diversity.
Further notes
Applications must be submitted by June 1st 2026, at midnight CET. All documents must be in English, except for the academic records (which can be in any language of the partner universities).
Results will be communicated by June 20th 2026.
For further information and to submit a topic/issue or a collaboration opportunity, please contact:
Application Form
Disclaimers
Disclaimer 1: The calendar of the in-presence Expedition activity might be incompatible with some academic calendars of Erasmus, Exchange Partners, Double Degree or other mobility programs. Students interested in both programs are urged to check academic calendars accordingly.
Disclaimer 2: This email is sent to manage and facilitate your participation in the educational and/or extracurricular activities organized by the University.