The QUORUM project addresses urban water and climate challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration within Unite! universities
The project has received funding from Unite! Seed Fund.
Apply to a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) "Confluences: Interdisciplinary visions for water in cities"
Apply for Unite! course "Confluences: Interdisciplinary Visions for Water in Cities," a 3 ECTS course held in Espoo, Helsinki and online. This program invites students from Unite! QUORUM universities to collaboratively explore urban water challenges. Applications for Aalto students are open until January 26, 2026.
This Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) course offers a unique opportunity to explore the multifaceted role of urban waters – rivers, lakes, bays, and wetlands – amidst climate change. Positioned as both cultural spaces and ecological assets, these waters are integral to crafting resilient and sustainable urban futures.
Engage with peers from diverse academic backgrounds and universities as you work within interdisciplinary, multicultural teams. Through seminars you will practise knowledge co-creation in seminars, and in workshops with field investigation, you will explore innovative approaches to urban waters, and engage with critical and design thinking, problem-based learning, and reflexivity. Expect an intellectually stimulating environment that encourages creative and innovative collaborations to approach complex water-related urban challenges.
Assessment will focus on your contributions to the collaborative process, including the development of shared interdisciplinary competences, your reflective practices, and your team's progress in creating transformative approaches to urban water related issues.
This BIP is ideal for advanced bachelor's, master's, and PhD students who are passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, climate adaptation, and cross-cultural communication. This course provides a platform to experiment, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to the sustainable future of urban water systems.
Students from the following Unite! universities may apply: Aalto University, PoliTo - Italy, UPC - Spain, FAULisboa - Portugal, and KTH - Sweden.
Course Guide: Confluences Program Overview
- Co-create a shared interdisciplinary language to support communication and understanding across fields.
- Critically reflect on the interactions of disciplinary roles within complex urban system.
- Facilitate inclusive collaboration through effective team practices.
- Jointly analyse urban water-related challenges from an interdisciplinary and systems perspective.
- Apply collaborative communication skills that enable constructive dialogue and co-working.
This BIP course is divided into online synchronous and asynchronous sessions, and in-person sessions at Aalto University, Helsinki.
Online sessions – via Zoom
- Session 1 is on Monday 20 April 2026 at 10.00 CEST/ 11.00 EEST (duration 2 hours)
- Sessions 2 to 4 will take place on 27 April, 4 May and 11 May 2026
- The final online session is a course reflection and feedback, and will take place after the workshop at Aalto University on 12 August 2026 (duration 2 hours)
In-person workshop – at Aalto University, Espoo & in Helsinki
- Monday 3 to Friday 7 August 2026 (contact teaching per day 6 hours)
This is a 3 ECTS course with the following indicative workload distribution:
- Contact teaching 10 hrs online (5*2 hrs) and 30 hrs workshop (5*6 hrs).
- Independent studying 15 hrs (5*3 hrs) with online sessions and 20 hrs (5*4 hrs) during the workshop.
- Independent individual reflection 6 hrs.
Students are continuously assessed based on the collaborative process during workshops, including presentations and final assessment of the teamwork project, reflections and final course feedback.
Passing the course requires attending and participating in all contact teaching sessions (online and in-person) and completing course assignments, including the final reflection.
Assessment will be Pass or Fail*.
*For students requiring a grade at their university, this will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Open to all cycles (BA/MA/PhD level) within the UNITE!QUORUM Universities: Aalto University - Finland, PoliTo - Italy, UPC - Spain, FAULisboa - Portugal, and KTH - Sweden.
Students interested in taking this course need to register for Spring 2026 and Autumn 2026 semesters.
At Aalto University, the priority is given to Urban Studies and Planning (USP) students, School of Arts, Design and Architecture students, School of Electrical Engineering students, and all other interested Aalto students.
- Short CV (1xA4 page) including degrees, English language skills, and contact information.
- Transcript of records
- Motivation letter (500 words, 1xA4 page) indicating why you are interested in taking this course, what you intend to learn, how it fits your learning goals, your interest in interdisciplinarity, and commitment to participate in all the BIP course sessions.
- Submit both documents as PDF files by sending an email to confluences@aalto.fi and indicate your major and year of study.
- Application period is until 26 January 2026. You will be notified about the decision on your application by 30 January 2026.
- Application period for KTH applicants extended until 16 February 2026. KTH applicants will be notified about the decision on their application by 20 February 2026.
- If you are interested in applying to this course, please contact the Erasmus staff at your university for more detailed information.
The selection is based on the motivation letter, English language proficiency, past experiences (teamworking, communication skills, previous interdisciplinary, international experiences), openness to collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds, willingness to explore new ways of learning, and commitment to actively participate in all the course sessions
We aim to include motivated participants from as many disciplinary backgrounds as possible across the UNITE! QUORUM partner universities.
If you are interested in applying to this course, please contact the Erasmus staff at your university for detailed information.
If you have any questions or want to submit your application, please contact us at: confluences@aalto.fi
See also
Educational Opportunities Across Europe – check the Unite! Student Catalogue
Academic and extracurricular offerings from nine universities in the Unite! alliance.
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