Cáceres 2031 continues to expand its international projection with its participation in the Europaeum Summer School 2026: Creativity and Innovation, which was held this week at the Jagiellonian University of Krakow (Poland), one of the institutions that make up Europaeum, the prestigious European academic network led by the University of Oxford and which also includes universities such as Luxembourg, Tartu, Berlin, Bologna, Padua, St Andrews and Helsinki, among others.

The general coordinator of Cáceres 2031, Iris Jugo, participated as a speaker in the academic program with the conference "The Journey of Cáceres 2031 towards a European Capital of Culture", in which she presented the journey of the bid, its Transcultura methodology and the way in which the project uses culture as a tool to respond to challenges shared throughout Europe.

Cáceres 2031 pursued two main objectives through its participation. On the one hand, it sought to raise the international profile of its bid and establish new connections with a diverse community of students, researchers, artists and academics from some of Europe's most prestigious universities. On the other, it worked alongside university students from across the continent to identify the key challenges facing Europe and develop proposals that bring together culture, well-being and public policy from the perspective of younger generations.

European vision

During the working sessions, it became clear that Cáceres' bid transcends the local sphere to incorporate a fully European vision, built on active listening and participation. The contributions made by students from different parts of Europe—and even from beyond the continent—enriched a process of collective reflection that connects with the spirit of Transcultura, which is to understand culture as a space for encounter, innovation, and social transformation.

"It has been an incredibly enriching experience," said Iris Jugo. "We return home with the satisfaction of having shared our project in a leading academic environment and, above all, of having listened to the concerns and aspirations of young people from a wide range of backgrounds. Cáceres 2031 aims to be a bid that not only represents our region, but also embraces voices from across Europe to build a truly shared project."

The Cáceres 2031 organization wanted to especially thank the Jagiellonian University of Krakow for its welcome, as well as the invitation from Europaeum, whose summer school has brought together international specialists in creativity, innovation, heritage, art and cultural policies together with students from leading European universities.

Participation in the Europaeum Summer School marks another step forward in Cáceres 2031's internationalisation strategy, strengthening partnerships with European academic and cultural institutions while reinforcing the international dimension of a project that sees culture as a driver of cohesion, participation and a shared future.

This participation follows Cáceres 2031's recent presence at Forum Gozo 2026 in Malta, where the bid opened up new avenues for international collaboration with other European cities and cultural stakeholders through the culture of care, further strengthening its cooperation strategy on the road to becoming the European Capital of Culture 2031.