About the ENGAGE.EU Expedition+
The ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week+ is a one-week intensive programme where students work together with researchers, experts, and mentors to develop solutions to real-world challenges. It is a collaborative programme, which focuses on creating value for society and uses the framework for innopreneurship as guiding principle.
By engaging in this international co-design programme, you will contribute to real-life societal transformations. You will work in teams with other students from ENGAGE.EU partner universities on challenges presented by the societal partners of Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and ENGAGE.EU. Throughout the programme, you will be guided towards knowledge-based and mission-oriented solutions by using design-thinking principles.
Gain insights into the last Expedition Week held in Vienna by watching this video:
About the Challenge
Migration and displacement are shaping our present and future in many ways. According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, there are more than 120 million displaced people worldwide, both within and beyond their own country’s borders. These individuals are vulnerable to exploitation, economic deprivation, statelessness, border violence, and an increasingly isolating policy landscape. Women refugees in particular face barriers when accessing the labour market, the education and healthcare system and psychosocial support in their host countries. Many of these barriers are structural, such as lack of childcare, a slow and bureaucratic recognition of qualifications or gender-specific discrimination. Moreover, refugees in the EU are often not involved in decision-making processes, be it on legislative or practical matters affecting them. On the contrary, there is a lack of participatory approaches applied by authorities and state institutions so that refugee voices are hardly ever heard when decisions with impact on their life are taken. In fact, many refugees are cared for by individuals on a voluntary basis. These individuals accompany refugees to public offices, provide housing, support them financially and help them to settle in. However, helpers often have no access to information about institutional support, about the legal situation or the integration process. This impedes cooperation with state institutions and aid organisations and makes it more difficult for volunteers to provide help.
Global developments such as demographic change, the climate crisis and geopolitical instability are intensifying migration dynamics and presenting new challenges and opportunities to societies, politics and the economy. The way in which we address these issues will have a significant impact on tomorrow’s world and how we all live together.
Three challenges are on the agenda of the Expedition Week+ in Vienna:
- Empowerment of women refugees in Europe – MIGRANT, Counselling centre for migrants.
- Inclusion of refugees in Europe in decision making processes on issues affecting them– UNHCR Austria.
- Supporting volunteer work in the refugee sector – Caritas Austria.
Expected Impact
For students: Students, as part of a diverse and international team, will develop an understanding of the challenge by connecting with local stakeholders. They will gain insight on how local stakeholders have addressed the challenge so far and will integrate their knowledge into the process of developing solutions to the challenges. Students will also move beyond the walls of the classroom by visiting the UN Headquarter in Vienna (Vienna International Centre) and interacting with experts and practitioners to understand the challenge from a practical perspective. In addition to specialist knowledge, students will develop numerous other skills such as research, cooperation, dealing with uncertainty, solution-oriented thinking, organisation and communication.
For stakeholders: Addressing forced migration from a multidimensional perspective is essential to fully understand and respond to its complex causes and the diverse needs of displaced populations. ENGAGE.EU students come from a richly diverse academic and cultural background. They are enthusiastic students who dare to think outside the box and offer fresh perspectives on conventional approaches. And the dynamic environment in which they develop ideas, contribute to innovative and applicable solutions in real-life. The programme also aims to provide space for the creation of professional networks among invited stakeholders, with the WU and with the ENGAGE.EU Alliance.
Your Profile
The ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week+ is designed for master’s students and PhD students/doctoral candidates. Students of any citizenship and any field of study who are enrolled in an ENGAGE.EU partner university are welcome to apply.
Are you ready to challenge yourself, acquire new skills, and contribute to real-world solutions alongside like-minded peers and experts?
Application
To apply for the ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week+ you should provide:
- A short letter (max. 300 words) explaining your motivation for applying to the ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week+.
- Curriculum vitae (education, work experience, language skills, study/work abroad, other relevant skills and experiences).
- Academic records (transcript of records).
Selection
Submitted applications are evaluated by the academics and staff working in the ENGAGE.EU partner universities. Candidates will be evaluated based on their motivation letter and CV. To ensure equal participation among students from the different partner universities, the selection committee will aim to choose three to maximum five 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.
Format of Challenge
Groupwork in interdisciplinary and international teams. Students should be able to attend the programme in Vienna, Austria, from 21 September to 26 September 2025.
Additional activities
You will have the opportunity to join a rich social and cultural programme in Vienna:
We will organise a WU campus tour, a city tour, a visit to the UN Headquarter in Vienna (Vienna International Centre), and many other exciting activities during the programme.
In addition, there will be time to socialise in the evening and explore the city’s (night)life.
Accommodation
The Vienna University of Economics and Business does not have residence halls of its own but will organise accommodation for the participants. Please note that you will be sharing your room with other students. If you would like to make use of this opportunity, please indicate below. Should you wish to consider other options, kindly note that any necessary arrangements would need to be made on your own. The Expedition+ starts on Sunday afternoon and ends on Friday evening.
Scholarship
All selected students will receive a scholarship for participation in the ENGAGE.EU Expedition Week+. Details will follow from the home university after being selected for the Expedition Week+.
Additional Details
To complete your application, you will have to fill in the application form below and upload your CV, motivation letter, and academic records in PDF format.
Applications must be submitted by 17 August 2025, 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 within two weeks after the deadline.
For questions, please send an email to engage.eu@wu.ac.at.