Grant for TOGETHER ENLIGHT Thematic Network project

Assistant Professor Daniël Vullings has been awarded a grant for the TOGETHER ENLIGHT Thematic Network project. The total project size is €100.000, of which €24.000 is allocated to the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB). The project builds on the Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnership TOGETHER - Towards Open Game Environments for Teams in Higher Education and Research, for which Vullings received a grant of €144.000 this summer. 

The TOGETHER ENLIGHT Thematic Network (ETN) project aims to expand the Erasmus+ project by establishing a network with local stakeholders, in order to integrate the real-world challenges of these stakeholders. These real-world challenges will be incorporated into the TOGETHER hybrid serious game which is being developed in the Erasmus+ project. While the Erasmus+ project provides the foundation, the ETN serves as a bridge to practical, realistic scenarios.

The TOGETHER ERASMUS+ Project

The TOGETHER Erasmus+ project empowers students to become agents of sustainable change by integrating the GreenComp sustainability framework into higher education. As a hybrid serious game, it is an innovative educational tool adaptable to different course settings. Students tackle pressing urban sustainability challenges like floods, heat stress, and drought. Vullings explains: “With the TOGETHER project, we offer students the chance to collaboratively build future-proof cities, navigating both disciplinary and interdisciplinary sustainability challenges. Each brings their unique perspective, learning to co-create solutions across borders and fields.” Participating institutions include the University of Groningen, Ghent University (Belgium), Uppsala University (Sweden), Ilia State University (Georgia), and the University of Bern (Switzerland).

TOGETHER ENLIGHT Thematic Network

The TOGETHER ENLIGHT Thematic Network builds on the Erasmus+ TOGETHER project by connecting the serious game to real-world challenges faced by local stakeholders in each partner city. Working closely with municipalities, NGOs, and other regional actors, students and educators co-create new game modules that reflect actual policy dilemmas and environmental concerns. Vullings: "The TOGETHER ENLIGHT Thematic Network bridges the gap between students and local stakeholders. By embedding real-world challenges into the game, we empower students to contribute meaningfully to solving issues that affect their own communities."  

This collaboration not only enriches the educational experience but also strengthens the link between universities and their communities. The ETN fosters a transdisciplinary network within the ENLIGHT alliance to support long-term educational innovation and regional impact.

The ENLIGHT alliance

ENLIGHT is a European University alliance of ten comprehensive, research-intensive universities from ten European countries (Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) sharing a deep commitment to social responsibility. ENLIGHT aims to conduct an impact-driven and challenge-based transformation of European higher education to empower learners as globally engaged citizens with state-of-the-art knowledge and skills, to tackle major societal transitions and to promote equitable quality of life and sustainability. ENLIGHT Thematic Network funding is aimed at  supporting interdisciplinary academic networks for developing joint challenge-based activities linking education, research and outreach across ENLIGHT’s focus areas.

Questions? Please contact Daniël Vullings.