Mentor in Una Europa Student Project Incubator: Breaking Barriers for Student Engagement

Issued on 10 Jul 2026 by

Una Europa

The Una Europa Student Project Incubator: ‘Breaking Barriers for Student Engagement’ was an 11-week online programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students from the eleven Una Europa universities. It provided participants with experience in using the design thinking process to develop initiatives and solutions addressing barriers to student engagement. During the programme participants developed their abilities to identify real life challenges, explored them deeply by engaging with those affected, defined problem statements, developed ideas and prototypes to address the challenges, and tested them with real users. Finally, the participants also practiced presenting their solutions in short 1-pagers and online pitches. The programme focused on developing participant agency by supporting the development of transferable skills that can be applied anywhere in the future. Mentors were students from the Una Europa universities who played a vital role in supporting the programme. They facilitated team processes, promoted effective communication and collaboration, helped students navigate challenges, and encouraged reflection and personal growth throughout the experience. The Una Europa Student Project Incubator: Breaking Barriers for Student Engagement was coordinated by the University of Helsinki.

Achievement Type	Badge
Field of Study	Mentoring

Issuer

Una Europa

communications@una-europa.eu

Una Europa is an alliance of 11 leading research-intensive universities from all corners of Europe. Together, we are forging a new path for education and research in Europe and beyond to shape our shared future for the better. The Una Europa community spans more than half a million students, 100,000 members of staff and 10 languages, grounded in over 1,000 years of collective heritage.

Una Europa partner universities:

Founded in 2019, Una Europa has secured successive rounds of European Union funding to realise our vision for a European ‘University of the Future’. In just three years, the alliance’s pilot project succeeded in launching nine joint programmes – including Europe’s first truly joint bachelor’s degree – transcending boundaries of discipline, institution, and country to take international collaboration to the next level. The alliance has also taken its first steps towards a common research ecosystem underpinned by a shared research and innovation agenda.

Guided by its 2030 Strategy, Una Europa is working towards a truly inter-university and pan-European campus, shaped by universities’ universal and fundamentally interwoven obligations to society: research and innovation, teaching and learning, and societal outreach.

Visit una-europa.euuna-europa.eu to learn more.

Criteria

Mentors who obtained this badge have demonstrated the ability to: 1) Support intercultural and virtual teams of students in working towards a shared goal by facilitating clear, inclusive, and efficient communication and collaboration, 2) Guide teams in organising their work effectively to achieve high-quality outcomes and meet deadlines, 3) Foster a supportive and inclusive environment where all team members feel comfortable expressing themselves and contributing meaningfully, 4) Foster equitable participation by ensuring that each team member has the opportunity to draw on their strengths and contribute to teamwork, 5) Facilitate virtual meetings and discussions that encourage engagement and productive dialogue, 6) Provide constructive feedback to help team members reflect, learn, and improve collaboratively.