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Internationally Linked Research Hubs: Expanding Collaboration Across Europe

Internationally Linked Research Hubs: Expanding Collaboration Across Europe

The CHARM-EU elective module “Tackling health challenges in internationally linked research hubs” is growing! Following several successful editions led by Utrecht University and Université de Montpellier, the 2026 edition marks an exciting milestone with new CHARM-EU partners joining the initiative. 

A row of students seated in tiered wooden desks, taking notes in an auditorium or classroom. In the foreground, a young man with curly brown hair wearing a black shirt and glasses holds a pen and an open notebook, looking towards the left, outside the frame. Further back, another student in a white shirt is also looking attentively, while a third is looking down at a mobile device. The background is brightly lit by a window, creating a lens flare and obscuring the faces of others. The focus is primarily on the foreground student and his open notebook.

Alongside Utrecht University and Université de Montpellier, Universitat de Barcelona, Åbo Akademi University, and Eötvös Loránd University are now participating in the organisation of the module, creating an even stronger European network for education, research, and innovation. 

The expansion reflects the ambition of the module: connecting Master students, researchers, and research hubs across the CHARM-EU Alliance to address pressing societal health challenges through international and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

This year’s theme, “From autoimmunity to new approach methodologies: bridging immunology, inflammation and experimental innovation,” focuses on joint diseases and explores how innovative, human-relevant research approaches can advance our understanding and treatment of these conditions. 

During the module, Master’s students work together in international, interdisciplinary teams to tackle a real-life health challenge. Throughout the programme, they collaborate with researchers, clinicians, patients, patient organisations, and industry stakeholders, gaining first-hand experience in challenge-based learning while developing research proposals and professional skills. 

The module also offers students the opportunity to continue working on the overarching health challenge through a six-month international lab-based internship at one of the partner universities. These internships provide hands-on research experience in topics related to the module while allowing students to further develop their scientific and professional skills in an international setting. 

By welcoming new CHARM-EU partners into the organisation, the module is taking an important step towards building a truly European ecosystem for challenge-based education and collaborative research. Together, the participating universities are preparing the next generation of researchers and healthcare professionals to work across disciplines, institutions, and borders to tackle the health challenges of tomorrow. 

Curious to learn more? Visit the educational offering page for detailed information about the module, eligibility, and internship opportunities. 

More information.