The University of Groningen (37,000 students, 6100 staff)  is an internationally oriented university with a rich academic tradition.The University of Groningen ranks in the top 100 universities of the world and top 25 in Europe and has close collaborations with educational and science partners and associations within the municipality of Groningen. Geographically, the University is rooted in the Northern part of the Netherlands, a region very close to its heart. 

University College Groningen is an education-focused faculty specialised in educational innovation in interdisciplinary teaching and transdisciplinary projects. UCG was founded in 2014 as a selective (cohorts of 150 students per year), independent, Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty within the University of Groningen. Its mandate is to provide students with an education which equips them with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to respond to the complex, interdisciplinary problems of the 21st century. Its staff members (ca. 35 full-time academic staff) originating from a variety of disciplines actively collaborate to design and teach interdisciplinary courses and projects. UCG is exclusively committed to small-scale interactive learning and capitalises on experiential education. Experiential education recognises the importance of active and deep learning and encourages students to put their existing knowledge and experience to work, pulling in new knowledge when and where it is needed the most. UCG is one of University of Groningen’s most prominent innovation hubs where educational innovation is encouraged and fostered. 

The University of Tartu (founded in 1632) is the classical comprehensive university in Estonia. Research is done at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Faculty of Science and Technology. In addition, the university has colleges in Narva, Pärnu and Viljandi. There are 14 000 students (1800 international students), 1100 doctoral students, and 3000 teachers and researchers at the university.

The Institute of Cultural Research belongs to the field of humanities of the University of Tartu and consists of three departments: the Department of Literature and Theater Studies, the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore and the Department of Ethnology. The Department of Literature and Theater Studies offers study programmes on Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral level in literary and theatre history and theory. There are several research projects at the department, investigating Estonian literary history and Baltic-German heritage, narratological patterns in contemporary culture, memory culture and theatre audiences.

UT Viljandi Culture Academy is one of the three colleges of the University of Tartu. In undergraduate applied higher education programmes it is possible to study in such fields as performing arts (theatre, dance, theatre technical arts), Estonian native crafts (textile, metal, construction, circular technology), music (jazz, traditional, pedagogy, sound engineering), culture management and community education and hobby activity. As a promoter of creative entrepreneurship, the academy enables its students to start implementing creative projects already during their studies. 

Oslo Metropolitan University is Norway’s third largest university, with nearly 22,000 students and more than 2,200 employees. OsloMet has a dynamic, stimulating and research-intensive academic environment that is characterized by its close connection to practice. It is urban university with an international profile; its main campus is in the city center, providing a vibrant setting to study, conduct research, and work. 

The Department of Art, Design and Drama is an excellent creative academic environment at OsloMet. Focusing on the intersection between the arts, aesthetics and society, the department is at the forefront of research that cement the importance of the arts in forming societal imaginaries and in materially making and shaping landscapes, lives and communities. The department belongs to the unique and interdisciplinary Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, which is the home of about 4000 students and 400 employees and the department itself is the home of about 900 students and 55 employees. The Department of Art, Design and Drama offers a range of courses oriented around the role of theatre and the arts in society, including: art in society; theatre in society; urban interventions; art and democracy; eco-aesthetics; creative practice in society; projects in praxis; visual methods; participatory action-research. Key to the teaching is to bring the students into communities to work collaboratively not only within academia but with various actors and partners ‘in the field’. 

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is a vibrant, inclusive African university committed to academic excellence, transformation, and positive societal change. Home to talented students, staff, and researchers from over 100 countries, UCT fosters a diverse and dynamic community. UCT is a leader in cutting-edge research, particularly on African-based solutions to global challenges such as climate change, urbanisation, and public health. Ranked as the top university in Africa, UCT offers students not only excellent teaching but also opportunities to develop leadership, service, and citizenship through community engagement, student governance, and extracurricular activities. With a strong tradition of innovation and global recognition, UCT empowers students to contribute meaningfully to society and build a just, sustainable future. 

The African Centre for Cities at the UCT is an interdisciplinary hub at the University of Cape Town with a mandate to conduct meaningful research on how to understand, recast and address pressing urban crises. Since most urban challenges—for example, food security, climate change adaptation, economic inclusion, cultural vitality and tolerance—are inherently interdisciplinary and spatially layered, ACC nurtures the co-production of knowledge between academia and other social sectors. Furthermore, research gets designed with multiple publics in mind and a concern with continuously enriching curriculum and postgraduate development. This project falls under the Culture, Technology and Society cluster of research at ACC which focuses on how socio-cultural and technological infrastructures shape solidarities and socialities of urban residents. Key to this is using arts-based methods to engage with urban challenges.