Applications for the U!REKA Change Agents 2026 course are now open!

Do you want to be part of building cities where the green transition belongs to everyone? U!REKA Change Agents 2026 invites you to solve the challenges of climate-neutral and smart cities together with students from other U!REKA higher education institutions.

This year’s challenge is "Inclusive Climate Action: Ensuring No One is Left Behind in the Transition to Climate-Neutral Cities." Throughout the course, we will search for concrete, human-centered solutions to ensure that the ecological transition is not only effective but also socially just. Students from a total of 9 higher education institutions across Europe will participate in the course.

During the program, you will get to work in English in international student teams. The goal of the teams is to find innovative and multidisciplinary solutions that:

• Reduce the carbon footprint of cities.
• Increase sense of community and the quality of life for residents.
• Ensure that sustainability solutions (energy, mobility, circular economy, security) are accessible to all.

In the course, you will get to hear from international experts on the themes of the Change Agents 2026 challenge, receive professional coaching for working according to the design process as well as for pitching your ideas, and much more! Download the advertisement attached at the end of this bulletin and check out the experiences of previous years' students.

The scope of the program is 5 ECTS credits. We require participation in the online workshops as well as the intensive program of the Helsinki week, so please ensure these dates are clear in your calendar when registering.

What: English-language U!REKA Change Agents program

When: 7.4.2026−18.5.2026.

Online workshops will be held on Zoom on 7.4., 13.4., 20.4. & 18.5.2026 at 14:00–16:00.

The event week in Helsinki will be held at the Arabia campus from 4.5. to 8.5.2026. A more detailed program will be published later.

Registration via E-form by 2.3.2026.

If you have any questions about the course: mikael.tietavainen [at] metropolia.fi (mikael[dot]tietavainen[at]metropolia[dot]fi)