The project Bridge is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Servicio Espanol para la Internacionalizacion de la Educacion (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the National Agency SEPIE can be held responsible for them. -- Number: 2025-1-ES01-KA220-HED-000359236 --
The BRIDGE Digital Museum brings together good practices, educational proposals and images that inspire reflection and action
Social Challenges
Analyse social challenges to intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and democratic cohesion
Good Practices
Discover experiences that generate social impact
Educational Space
Access teaching guides, activities and materials for the classroom
Documentary Photography
Explore the social challenges in a visual, reflective and educational way
BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.6. Deficits in democratic participation, representation and inclusive governance
In Kraków, university-city cooperation was fragmented, ad hoc and dependent on informal contacts. Academic communities - especially doctoral candidates, early-career researchers and international scholars - had limited access to municipal consultation and policy processes, while no stable two-way mechanism connected academic expertise with city governance.
The practice establishes a bilateral liaison system linking the City of Kraków with the Doctoral Association of the Jagiellonian University. Formally appointed representatives on both sides maintain continuous communication, coordinate consultations, channel academic knowledge into policy, represent doctoral communities, and develop joint initiatives such as internships and living-lab activities.
Kraków developed a bilateral university-city liaison model to replace fragmented, informal cooperation with a stable governance interface. A Mayor's Plenipotentiary for cooperation with the scientific and academic community is matched by liaison roles within the Doctoral Association of the Jagiellonian University. The system supports reciprocal communication, representation, consultation, knowledge transfer and joint initiatives, including internships and living-lab activities.
The practice addresses fragmented university-city relations and unequal access to local governance. Doctoral candidates, early-career researchers and international scholars were weakly represented in municipal consultation, while academic expertise reached policy processes irregularly. Cooperation depended heavily on individual contacts rather than stable institutional channels.
Universities are major sources of knowledge, innovation and civic capacity, yet their contribution to local policy can remain weak when cooperation is informal. Stable representation gives academic communities a clearer voice, improves continuity and accountability, and helps public authorities use evidence more systematically.
The model operationalises BRIDGE priorities by reducing the gap between formal cooperation and actual practice, strengthening democratic participation and representation, and institutionalising dialogue across different academic and public-sector communities through reciprocal, accountable communication channels.
The City of Kraków and TD UJ appoint formal liaison representatives with complementary mandates. They exchange information, coordinate consultations, represent academic interests in advisory bodies, channel research and expertise into municipal processes, archive cooperation records and develop joint actions. The city also serves as a living-lab environment for testing knowledge-based solutions.