As Europe celebrates Diversity Month, Circle U. continues to turn its Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) strategy into concrete action. One of the key tools supporting this ambition is the ED&I Call for Flagship Initiatives, a funding scheme designed to support innovative, bottom-up projects led by students, academic staff and administrative staff across the alliance.
Now in its second edition, the 2025 ED&I Call for Flagship Initiatives supports projects that are being implemented in 2026. With a total budget of €12,000 and up to €4,000 available per project, the call supports initiatives that address key challenges linked to inclusion, representation, accessibility and equal opportunities across higher education.
The call is rooted in Circle U.’s ED&I Strategy and aims to foster collaboration between universities, promote awareness and engagement, and support at least three impactful projects each year. This year, three projects were selected for their strong commitment to improving inclusion across the alliance.
Embedding ED&I into doctoral education
The first selected project, Embedding Equity and Inclusion into the Doctoral Curriculum in Earth and Space Sciences (EDI-DOC-ESS), is led by Chi Zhang, Associate Professor at Universität Wien.
The project responds to persistent inequalities in doctoral education, particularly in Earth and Space Sciences, where gender imbalance and underrepresentation remain significant challenges. Its goal is to create the first credit-bearing ED&I doctoral course (3 ECTS) within the Vienna International School of Earth and Space Sciences.
By integrating ED&I directly into doctoral training, the initiative aims to equip early-career researchers with practical tools to address inequality, improve supervision practices, and create more inclusive academic cultures. The long-term ambition is to develop a model that can be replicated across Circle U. universities.
Building belonging in doctoral communities
The second selected initiative, IN-ROOTS – Inclusive Routes and Roots for Doctoral Communities, is led by Diana Domenichini, PhD student at Università di Pisa.
IN-ROOTS focuses on improving inclusion and well-being for doctoral students, especially international and visiting PhD candidates who often face isolation and a lack of belonging. The project combines the ideas of “routes” (mobility and exchange) and “roots” (identity and community) to create stronger and more supportive doctoral environments.
The initiative begins with a three-day workshop in Pisa, where participants will explore topics such as gender and intersectionality, wellbeing, supervision, and inclusion. It will also include the co-creation of a virtual platform for networking, peer support and resource sharing across universities. The project aims to create a sustainable and scalable model for more connected doctoral communities across the alliance.
Supporting women founders across the alliance
The third selected project, Women Founders Network: Building an Inclusive and Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (WFN), is led by Karoline Krannich, Master’s student at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
This student-led initiative addresses the lack of visible role models, mentorship opportunities and inclusive support systems for female and underrepresented students interested in entrepreneurship. Traditional start-up ecosystems often remain male-dominated, creating barriers to access and participation.
The Women Founders Network aims to create a cross-border community connecting students with alumni, academics, industry professionals and investors. Through workshops, mentoring opportunities and a major showcase event in 2026, the project seeks to strengthen women-led innovation and make entrepreneurship more inclusive across the alliance.
Its long-term goal is to make diverse founders more visible and supported within university ecosystems, helping universities become stronger and fairer spaces for innovation.
Looking ahead
These three projects show how the ED&I Call helps transform strategy into practice. Whether through curriculum reform, doctoral wellbeing or inclusive entrepreneurship, they demonstrate how local initiatives can create lasting change across European higher education.
The ED&I Call for Flagship Initiatives will launch again in 2026 for projects to be funded in 2027.
