Festival Format & Programme

A Prime-Time European Television Event

The Final Phase of the European University Festival is conceived as a major European television event structured across four prime-time evenings.

It represents Europe’s first prime-time television competition dedicated to university innovation addressing climate change.

The Festival represents the culmination of a year-long European platform connecting universities, research institutions and students working on innovative solutions to climate change.

The finalists will represent a diverse selection of European universities and academic communities, bringing their most innovative climate solutions to a shared European stage.

The format brings together entertainment, culture, science and music in a dynamic and engaging narrative designed for a European and international audience.

Night 1

Global Concert for Climate Action

(Opening Night – Global Concert for Climate Action)

A large-scale live stadium opening featuring international artists, spectacular staging and powerful symbolic moments.

The evening officially opens the Final Phase of the Festival and introduces the award categories, alternating musical performances with storytelling of selected university projects and brief, high-impact inspirational interventions.

This is the moment of maximum energy and international visibility.

Night 2

Science Award Show

(Second Night – Science Award)

An evening dedicated to the most innovative university projects addressing climate change and sustainability.

The programme includes dynamic presentations of finalist projects, contributions from the Scientific Jury, artistic moments and the official award ceremony for the Science & Environment category.

Night 3

Arts, Culture & Sustainable Gastronomy Show

(Third Night – Arts, Culture and Sustainable Gastronomy)

Creativity, European cultural expression and sustainable innovation take centre stage in a visually rich and performance-driven evening.

The programme features artistic university projects, sustainability-focused food initiatives and the presentation of category awards.

Night 4

Sport, Ocean Impact & Grand Finale

(Final Night – Sport, Ocean Impact and Closing Ceremony)

The final evening combines emotion and environmental responsibility, culminating in the presentation of the University Climate Manifesto and a collective musical grand finale.

The winning projects of the Festival are announced and the European academic community symbolically commits to a shared climate action agenda.

Format Identity

The Festival is designed as:

a major European prime-time television show
a high-impact visual and cultural event
a European competition for university innovation
a platform uniting science, culture, entertainment and responsibility

Selection & Competition Structure

The Festival is open to recognised European universities and academies and is structured through a multi-phase selection process designed to ensure scientific excellence and European representativeness.

The process includes:

an open European Call for Universities
a selection phase identifying up to 150 outstanding projects
a final selection of 24 finalists

The finalists will be invited to present their projects during the Final Phase of the European University Festival in May 2027.

The finalists will represent a diverse group of European universities, reflecting the richness and diversity of academic communities across Europe.

For each thematic category, an official award will be granted by the Scientific Committee, in full respect of academic independence and integrity.

In parallel, a European Audience Recognition will be assigned through a dedicated digital platform allowing public participation across Europe.