Experimenting with Transitions

4^th ENLIGHT European Dialogue, 11-12 May 2027, University of Bordeaux

The European Dialogue is a flagship conference of the ENLIGHT alliance. Conceived as a space for exchange, co-creation and development of bottom-up collaborations, it seeks to strengthen the capacity of academic and regional stakeholders to work together on concrete societal challenges.

Against the backdrop of climate change and territorial adaptation, local and regional authorities as well as universities are increasingly developing new forms of cooperation to experiment with, test and deploy innovative solutions for society.

The 4^th ENLIGHT European Dialogues will take place in Bordeaux on 11-12 May 2027 and will focus on the following theme: “Experimenting with Transitions”. The ambition is to contribute to the development of a network of stakeholders committed to territorial experimentation, capable of generating actionable knowledge, supporting transitions as closely as possible to the needs of local territories and disseminating and replicating effective initiatives on these issues, in connection with European dynamics.

Discussions should focus on emerging models of collaboration between universities and territories, including Living Labs, AIMDays, challenge-based learning programmes, participatory and citizen science, innovation hubs and third places, as well as partnership agreements and frameworks that facilitate cooperation between institutions, and with citizens. These approaches offer a range of levers for designing, testing and evaluating solutions to address the challenges of the transitions.

We welcome joint or individual submissions from representatives of ENLIGHT universities & local communities, as well as from representatives of selected ENLIGHT strategic partners and representatives from other European Alliances.

Main Objectives

• Facilitate networking and matchmaking among academics, administrative staff supporting external collaborations, and non-academic partners
• Share experiences and practices of collaboration for societal and environmental transitions
• Explore institutional strategies for embedding collaboration within and between universities, cities and communities addressing real societal challenges
• Support the co-creation of educational and research projects addressing real societal challenges
• Encourage the development of skills related to transdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration

Target Audience

• Academics
• Early-career researchers
• PhD students
• ENLIGHT administrative staff
• Representatives of ENLIGHT cities and local communities
• Other: economic actors, associations, NGOs connected to the selected theme

Timeline

• Submission deadline: 6 December 2026
• Evaluation period: 7 December 2026 – 31 January 2027
• Notification of acceptance: 8 – 12 February 2027 (tbc)
• Finalisation of the programme: 15 February – 5 March 2027
• Registration period: 8 March – 11 April 2027 (tbc)