6th Edition futurEU Competition 2026

Europe’s Path to Resilience: Shaping the Future of Security & Defence

We are excited to launch this year’s futurEU Competition, an initiative that brings students’ ideas into real policy debate. The 2026 theme invites you to think boldly about how Europe can strengthen its resilience and shape the future of security & defence.

We understand resilience and strategic autonomy broadly and inclusively: not only military security & defence, but also economic security and supply chains, energy and climate security, social cohesion, digital sovereignty and democratic stability. There are no limits to your interpretation!

“The challenges related to security and defense are at the centre of the current debate in Europe. But discussions must go beyond headlines and acute crisis management and focus on long term resilience, both from a military and a civilian perspective. This event looks to be extremely meaningful as policy makers need to hear the voices of young people as they make important decisions for the future. This future is also yours, you can shape it.”

Cecilia Malmström, Former EU commissioner, visiting professor Göteborg University

Timeline Competition

  • Deadline Idea Submission

    till February 12, 2026

    Submit an abstract of your visionary idea on our website by the deadline!

  • Notification of Semi-Finalists

    February 2026

    We will announce the teams who have made it into the semi-finals.

  • Deadline Policy Brief Submission

    till March 12, 2026

    You and your team will turn your idea into a full policy brief.

  • Announcement of Finalists

    April 2026

    We will announce the teams who will be invited to take part in the futurEU 2025 final in Berlin!

  • Finals in Berlin

    May 2026

Impressions from last year

Read last year's winning proposal

The Rules

Nobody likes them; nobody reads them, but you should.

As every competition, ours has rules too. You might think they are too long, too boring, but they will be helpful. When you sign up, you will agree to them, so better take a look at what you are agreeing to!

Read the competition rules

 FAQs

  • The futurEU Competition is an initiative aimed at fostering dialogue and discourse on the future of the European Union. It seeks to engage students and PhD researchers from CIVICA member universities in addressing EU-related challenges through a structured competition.

  • The competition aims to:

    • Promote awareness of CIVICA and its initiatives.

    • Encourage collaboration among students from different universities.

    • Include students' perspectives in academic and public discourse on EU topics.

  • The competition is open to students enrolled in any CIVICA member university for the academic year 2025-2026. Participants must be pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree.

  • You can register individually so that you can be assigned to a team, because in the competition participation is only allowed as part of a team.

  • Participants must either register individually or as a team.

  • Changes to team composition are only allowed under extraordinary circumstances and must be approved by the organising team.

  • The competition consists of two rounds:

    1. Written Round: Teams submit a short summary in the form of Threads of their solution. Selected teams will expand this into a policy brief.

    2. Oral Round: The top eight teams present their policy brief to a panel of judges.

    • Idea submission: February 12, 2026.

    • Policy brief submission: March 12, 2026.

  • The final round is planned to be held in Berlin in May 2026 (exact date will be released soon)

  • The short summary must not exceed 250 words and shall be written in a Threads style.

  • A thread is a structured series of concise, connected statements used to present complex ideas in an engaging and digestible format. For the futurEU Competition, your 250-word summary should adopt a Threads style, mimicking the format used on platforms like Twitter. This means breaking your argument into short, impactful sentences or bullet points that logically flow from one idea to the next. The goal is to make your policy recommendation clear, compelling, and accessible while maintaining brevity and precision. Ensure each "point" builds on the previous one to tell a cohesive story, culminating in a concrete policy recommendation.

    • Maximum word count: 1,500 words (excluding the cover page and references).

    • Must include a cover page, a clear title, structured body (e.g., background, analysis, recommendations), and a reference list.

  • No, submissions cannot be altered, deleted, or re-sent after the deadline.

  • The panel consists of early-stage researchers, experts, and faculty from CIVICA alliance universities and the Jacques Delors Centre.

    • Written Round: Originality, depth, relevance, logical rigor, and clarity.

    • Oral Round: Argumentation, style, mastery, responsiveness, and delivery.

  • Yes, all decisions are final and unappealable.

  • Yes, each team member must attend at least wo workshops. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

  • The winning team will receive a plaque and the opportunity to have their work published by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). Travel and accommodation expenses for the final round will be reimbursed for all qualified teams.

  • Participants must exhibit fair play, respect intellectual property, and ensure the originality of their submissions. Plagiarism or misconduct may result in disqualification.

  • Any questions you may have can be directed to us by writing to info@futureu-initiative.org