FutureProof Project: INGENIUM Students Put Sustainability into Action at the University of Crete

From September 2 to 4, 2026, INGENIUM students traveled to Heraklion for three days of collaboration, creativity, and sustainability action at the University of Crete.

Together, they tested their Sustainable Escape Room, a hands-on experience that uses gameplay to explore the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encourages participants to imagine and design a more sustainable future.

The meeting was part of FutureProof, one of the projects selected under INGENIUM’s Student Partnerships initiative, which gives students the opportunity to co-develop their ideas and put them to the test. Participants who tried the Escape Room evaluated the puzzles and shared their ideas for improving the experience.

The program also featured other activities focused on biodiversity and climate action, including a board game about pollinators, lectures, and an exchange of sustainability practices from different campuses across the Alliance.

Among the students taking part were Alma Snäckerström, a third-year student in the Bachelor’s Programme in Ecology and Environmental Science at the University of Skövde, and Ivona Fekova, a second-year Biomedicine student.

For Alma, meeting the other members of the team in person was an important part of moving the collaboration forward.

“It was an amazing experience to visit Crete, learn about the history, nature and culture of the island. It was also so much fun to meet all the other students and finally getting to collaborate in real life on our project called FutureProof.” —Alma Snäckerström

For Ivona, some of the most valuable ideas came from seeing the practical actions students are already taking on their campuses.

“What stood out to me most were the small actions students take that add up to a bigger impact. I learned about initiatives from other campuses, including bike and food sharing programs, pollinator-friendly meadows, and educational film evenings.” —Ivona Fekova

Before heading home, the students built a “bug hotel,” a specially designed shelter for pollinators and beneficial insects, and installed it on the University of Crete campus as a lasting reminder of the project and their visit!

The meeting brought the philosophy of Student Partnerships to life: students from different countries working together, exchanging knowledge and experiences, and turning shared ideas into real actions for the university community.

The ideas and feedback gathered in Crete will feed into the next phase of FutureProof and the ongoing development of sustainability initiatives within INGENIUM.