The ACEEU Triple E Awards are a global initiative organised by ACEEU (Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities), held annually to recognise universities for their social engagement and entrepreneurial approach. The awards are granted in 19 categories, promoting the so called third mission of universities and emphasising their role within local ecosystems. Institutions from around the world are nominated for their outstanding initiatives in social responsibility and community collaboration.
The EU Project of the Year award is presented to EU-funded projects distinguished by innovation, creativity in concept, significant social impact, and alignment with the European Union’s priorities and goals.
The award ceremony took place in September in Prague, in the remarkable setting of the Lobkowicz Palace – a site that for centuries has embodied European history, culture, and heritage. Among the finalists were projects from across Europe, but it was EQUNI that ultimately won the highest recognition from the expert jury.
EQUNI is an international initiative that places emotional intelligence and anti-discrimination at the very heart of university activities. For nearly three years, the project team has been working intensively to develop tools, programmes, and solutions designed to foster social competences within the academic environment. The award beautifully acknowledges the values guiding our efforts and the commitment invested throughout the project’s implementation.
The project is carried out by the team of the International Cooperation Centre of Lodz University of Technology, led by Prof. Dorota Piotrowska, in partnership with the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), the University of Algarve (Portugal), and the training companies SumFuo (France) and Team Coaching (Poland).
Discrimination at university is a complex and often elusive phenomenon. Many of the situations that create it stem from unconscious biases, thought patterns, or a lack of reflection on one’s emotions. In the EQUNI project, we are learning not only how to respond to inequality but also how to look inward — to recognise our own emotions, prejudices and mechanisms that may affect our decisions and relationships. The EU Project of the Year award is a tremendous honour, but above all, it reaffirms that it is worth addressing difficult issues and creating space for dialogue, change, and growth -
said Prof. Piotrowska, EQUNI Project Coordinator.
The project’s activities focus on three key pillars:
EQUNI Game and Mobile Application
At the heart of the project lies an innovative board game, EQUNI, set at a university haunted by the “Monster of Discrimination”. Players, taking on the roles of students and staff, work together to overcome challenges that teach them to recognise and counteract different forms of exclusion. The game is complemented by a mobile app that extends the learning experience and enables users to track their progress interactively.
Micro credentials for Social Competences
EQUNI introduces a micro credentialing system that certifies participants’ progress in developing social competences—particularly in emotional intelligence and anti discrimination. It is one of the first initiatives of this kind in Poland to use the EU’s Europass platform for the formal recognition of soft skills gained beyond traditional study programmes.
Through Europass, participants can add their micro credentials to their profiles and CVs, thus presenting them to potential employers, universities, or organisations. This part of the project also supports the implementation of institution wide micro credentialing systems at our university, making EQUNI a testing ground for new practical solutions.
Training, Workshops and Summer Schools
The project organises numerous educational activities for students and staff of Lodz University of Technology and partner institutions. These programmes combine lectures, practical exercises and international integration, strengthening emotional development, intercultural competences, and the creation of an academic community built on empathy and respect. So far, more than 100 participants have taken part in EQUNI’s initiatives.
We encourage you to explore project outcomes at equni.eu and to continue following our activities. The EU Project of the Year award is not only the culmination of our efforts but also an inspiration to keep pursuing our mission of building an open, empathetic and prejudice free university.
