Dear GCSP Community,
One of GCSP’s defining features is the richness of perspectives:
60 High ranking Universities, 300 people among registered in presence, on line, professionals, and Rome hosting group
more than 30 countries from 5 Continents!
As the “Grand Challenges Scholars Program Global Meeting 2026” approaches, Your precious contribute is more evident than ever!
📌 A first Draft of the Official Program
We’re excited to share that the “GCSP Annual Meeting program” as it is now available! 🚀 You’ll find the full program attached to this email. Have a look and start getting ready for Rome…
📣 Poster Submission Extended
We kindly remind all participants that submitting a poster is a valuable way to actively contribute to GCSP. Posters are a key space for sharing ideas, projects, and perspectives within our diverse community—don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the conversation.
To allow more participants to present their work, we moved the submission deadline to January 28th.
📝 Registration & Useful Links
In-person registration
Online participation (free)
Poster submission
Participant Handbook
📣 Breaking News
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On Wednesday the 18th Feb, a GCSP delegation is going to meet Pope Leo XIV. Only 20 of us might be able to go, but we are so honoured to invite you to join the delegation! Let us know if you are interested!
🏛️Guided Tours | Experience Rome Like a Local
As part of the GCSP Annual Meeting, we are organizing a selection of guided tours designed to help you discover Rome beyond the usual tourist routes. These experiences will offer a chance to explore the Eternal City like a true Roman! A moment to slow down, connect with the city’s unique atmosphere, and experience Rome as a place where history, culture, and contemporary life naturally intersect.
📢 Plenary Session 29th January, 19:00 CET– Save the Date
You are warmly invited to an online plenary session on January 29th at 19:00 CET, where we will present more about the GCSP Annual Meeting and answer to your questions.
🎥 Missed the January 15th Session?
If you were unable to attend the previous online plenary session on January 15th, no worries! The full recording is available and can be accessed here.
GCSP 5 Competence Framework
GCSP is built around five core competencies that prepare students and institutions to tackle global challenges from multiple perspectives:
Technical Excellence
Multidisciplinary Perspectives
Multicultural Awareness
Social impact, Ethics & Responsibility
Entrepreneurship
Today’s Focus: Multicultural Awareness
GCSP actively develops multicultural competence: the ability to collaborate effectively across cultures, disciplines, and backgrounds while addressing complex global challenges.
🎓 Universities Joining Us
This week’s spotlight includes:
🌍 Africa
Harambee Universities Network – named after a word used in Kenya when buses are stuck and need to be pushed 💪🚍
🌎 America
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru – not only an academic institution, but the organiser of one of the most important cinematographic festivals in Latin America as well 🎥
🌍 Europe
TU Chemnitz – strong applied engineering focus situated in the European Capital of Culture 2025🔧
🇮🇹 Italy
Politecnico di Milano – one of Europe’s largest technical universities 🎓🌐
📍 Conference Walk | “Crazy” Social Energy Community
Some activities will take place at “Casal de Pazzi” (tr: Crazy Country House) a Neighbourhood Energy Community located in a socially complex area of Rome. The Schools host a highly diverse student population, with families coming from multicultural and often challenging backgrounds as well as great murales, prehistoric museum and natural park to be protected!
Here, education is not an abstract concept but a daily practice deeply connected to real-world issues. Teachers operate on the front line of societal change, engaging every day with the evolving complexities of migration, inequality, cultural diversity, and social transformation.
🤝 Service Learning Activity | Via Eudossiana Hospice Visit
The Annual meeting will also include a visit to the Via Eudossiana Hospice, managed by the Little Sisters of Jesus. According to their rule, the sisters choose to live exclusively on charity—an extreme and radical commitment that places them in genuine, everyday solidarity with the most vulnerable. Engineers and technologies will meet and assist the hospice that welcomes elderly people with limited income whose families are unable to care for them. It is a space where dignity, care, and human presence take priority over efficiency or profit.
For GCSP participants, this visit represents a meaningful opportunity to encounter our 5 GCSP Competencies with a different generation facing different, yet equally complex challenges: aging, loneliness, fragility, and social exclusion. It is an invitation to listen, to reflect, and to broaden our understanding of engineering in global challenges through intergenerational dialogue and shared humanity.
🚀 Why You Should Join
GCSP is where ideas meet people—and people create impact together. Every participant contributes to this shared experience.
If you belong to the organizing team, hosting university, or collaborating institutions, contact us for a registration code.
Best,
GCSP Organizing Team
