Cowork4EU: Coworking Best Practices for European Universities

<< Background >>Coworking has gained surging popularity over the last few years, offering benefits such as collaboration and inclusion. In the university context, coworking spaces have the potential to contribute to the university’s third mission by seamlessly integrating teaching, research, and innovation in a shared space. To date, however, universities lack verified knowledge and best practices to integrate coworking spaces into their teaching and transfer activities. Cowork4EU aimed to address the following needs arising from this:1.Need for awareness on university coworking: Raise awareness about the concept and benefits of coworking within universities.2.Need for an evidence-based overview of university coworking: Provide a comprehensive overview of the existing university coworking landscape in Europe based on thorough data collection and analysis.3.Need for connection of university coworking spaces: Connect various university coworking spaces across Europe to enhance collaboration and facilitate student and staff mobility through a coworking space network.4.Need for education on university coworking: Educate students about the advantages and challenges of coworking spaces and how to best design these spaces for universities.<< Objectives >>Cowork4EU aimed to create evidence-based best practices for university coworking spaces by publishing an open-access best practice report. This report provides an overview of the current coworking landscape in Europe and offers valuable recommendations and best practices to stakeholders, enabling them to effectively integrate coworking dynamics into university space design, transfer activities, and teaching.Further, Cowork4EU sought to pilot a joint coworking course to enhance skills like creativity and entrepreneurship while increasing the visibility of coworking spaces as hubs for innovation. It also aimed to increase international cooperation among students, as well as provide them with the experience to participate in teaching activities outside the regular working environments.Another goal of the project was to establish the European Academic Coworking Network (EACN). The network connects university coworking spaces to increase (inter-)national mobility and cooperation. It further aimed to provide university students and scholars with the opportunity to dive into the local university startup scene and exchange with like-minded peers to increase mutual learning and heighten the chance of fostering innovative cooperation.<< Implementation >>Survey data: Surveys conducted during the project’s teaching activities and with scholars and coworking space managers allowed us to collect valuable feedback on the effects and thoughts on university coworking spaces.Database: The project created a detailed database of university coworking spaces and their hosting universities by conducting extensive online research.EACN: By conceptualizing, developing, and managing the network, the project successfully connects coworking spaces in Europe. It continues to operate and grow after the project’s end.Course curriculum: The curriculum on coworking teaches students the concepts of coworking, entrepreneurship, and international teamwork. Over 140 students successfully participated in the ensuing courses. All main course material is openly accessible.Dissemination activities: All project results were continuously disseminated during conferences, multiplier events, symposia, and on social media to share all outcomes with the broader public.Best Practice Report: Based on the project outcomes, as well as extensive research and data collection, the open-access report provides an in-depth overview of the status quo on university coworking spaces in Europe.<< Results >>Surveys: Multiple coworking surveys assessed the effects of working in coworking spaces, as well as collected the attitudes and opinions on university coworking spaces. The results were published in the best practice report.Coworking curriculum: The development of a course that taught students the background of coworking, as well as teaching them practical entrepreneurial methods and the foundations of international teamwork. The curriculum was successfully applied during four courses and is publicly available.EACN: The network digitally connects coworking spaces in Europe and allows for booking a workplace in a university coworking space for free. Further, it serves as an interactive map of university coworking spaces.Report: Over 122 pages, the open-access Cowork4EU Best Practice Report provides an in-depth overview of the current status quo on university coworking spaces in Europe. It provides several stakeholders with interesting insights as well as valuable recommendations on how to successfully integrate coworking spaces in academia.Research outputs: Based on the insights collected during the project, the team is currently working on at least two research papers thematising university coworking.