Bridging Regions
Join students from across Europe to explore and address regional disparities and regional challenges through hands-on projects, policy analysis, and community-driven solutions, guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This SAP, hosted by Polytechnic of Leiria and jointly organised with NHL Stenden, is focused on SDG 10 – Reducing inequalities within and among countries – with an emphasis on addressing interregional disparities. It aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to understand and tackle interregional inequalities by aligning public policies, business strategies, and community practices with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 10. The first three weeks will be online, consisting of a theoretical and practical approach to regional inequalities, analytical tools, and European case studies. The in-person week aims to foster interdisciplinary and multicultural collaboration, culminating in the development of practical proposals for the identified challenges, which will be presented to a panel of experts and representatives from relevant regional institutions. Each participant’s performance will be assessed based on their engagement in online activities, the outcomes of collaborative work, and the final presentation.
6th of April 2026 to 8th of May 2026
English
Certificate of Participation & Transcript of Records to be issued by the host institution.
Students from all study cycles of RUN-EU members, regardless of the scientific field of study.
Application for this product is not yet possible.
Proposed application opening date: 2nd of December 2025
Programme at a glance
a. Overview of regional inequalities in Europe
b. Regional convergence / divergence
c. Regional statistics
i. Sources of information in the context of comparative analysis
ii. How to search, select and visualize indicators
iii. Exploration activity in EUROSTAT
Duration: 2h
a. Presentation of work done by the 5 groups of students, in which they analyse and compare regional data of RUN-EU regions.
2. Presentation of the regional challenge by regional associate partners from the Province of Frislan and Região de Leiria. The students will work on this challenge during the face-to-face week.
Duration: 2h.
- attending to live sessions, face-to-face, with lectures and keynotes;
- develop individual work (readings, regional data analysis, research);
- participate in team building activities;
- participate in site visits;
- prepare and present the final presentation of their proposal to the regional challenge, according to a previously given template.
The final presentation session will be held as a public event, inviting regional stakeholders' representatives (associate partners of RUN-EU and external) to attend. Some will act as members of the jury.
2. Regional inequalities and the importance of regions in face of current European challenges.
Duration: 2h
Learning outcomes
By the end of this Short Advanced Programme, learners will be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge of the causes and consequences of interregional inequalities, particularly in Europe, and critically assess their relevance in the context of SDG 10 – Reducing inequalities within and among countries
Use appropriate analytical methods and regional data to assess territorial disparities and support evidence-based approaches to problem-solving.
Work effectively in diverse, international teams by contributing to shared goals, respecting different perspectives, and applying collaborative problem-solving strategies
Co-design practical and context-sensitive proposals that align public policies, business strategies, and community actions with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Deliver clear, structured, and persuasive presentations of group findings and proposals to panels of regional stakeholders, using appropriate formats and language.
Selection criteria
The candidates will be selected according to motivation. The total number of participants to be selected is 35.
Involved organisations and persons
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
Partner Organisation- Jordi Ballart (Instructor)
- Shilpa Samplonius (Instructor)
Polytechnic University of Leiria
Lead Organisation, Host Organisation- Ana Sargento (Lead Instructor)
