Worldwide, there is a growing recognition that strategic partnering between cities and universities can bring substantial benefits for both sides. The big question is how to organize such partnerships successfully. This new handbook offers insights, best practices and advice for leaders in cities and universities that want to go beyond “ad hoc” projects and take the next step towards a strategic and sustainable partnership. The handbook identifies promising avenues, but also barriers and pitfalls and how to avoid them. Illustrated by a rich variety of examples from European cities, the handbook provides concrete advice on the various stages of strategic city-university collaboration. The handbook was co-developed by the members of the EUniverCities network and edited by Willem van Winden as lead expert of the network.
On 2 December 2021, in the Teatro Regio di Parma, Italy, the EUniverCities network proudly presented its handbook for strategic city-university co-operation at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the network. The handbook was developed through a series of three online workshops which remotely gathered the members at a European-wide scale, during the winter and spring of 2021 as the pandemic made it impossible to travel. In addition to that, all members of the network contributed with short, concise 2-page cases about their own practices.
