Application Deadline: 20th of April
Call for Young Innovators to tackle regional challenges in water
🌍 Join an international collaboration — pitch your idea at the 2026 INMC Conference in Cuneo, Italy
Are you ready to rethink the way we drink, use, and protect water in our region?
From drought-resistant farming and smart water-saving tools to behaviour-changing campaigns.
Are you excited to collaborate and connect with students from other countries?
Water challenges affect every region differently. That’s why we need diverse minds and international collaboration to design solutions together. No matter your field of study, your idea matters!
What could be an innovative idea for a project?
Any idea tackling water-related challenges in your region! Find inspiration via the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals like SDG 6 Water and check this list:
💧 Access to safe and affordable drinking water
🏭 Pollution of rivers, lakes, or groundwater
🌊 Flood & drought resilience systems
🌾 Sustainable agricultural & smart irrigation
⚖️ Water-related conflicts and governance
🌿 River and ecosystem protection
🏙️ Urban water stress and climate change impacts
🧘 Water, Wellbeing & Sensory Experience
🎓 Community Engagement & Water Education
How will the international student collaboration happen?
In the application form, you will indicate your preferences for collaborating on a project in one of the following areas:
- City policy for climate change (policies, campaigns, and actions on water facilities and usage)
- Nature preservation (Rivers, biodiversity and water-based sensorial experience)
- Agriculture (Water scarcity, floods, and adaptation strategies for irrigation)
If you already have an idea, you can share it with us. Based on your preferences and ideas, we will pair you with students from other universities to co-create an innovative project together!
What are the important steps from now to October 2026?
- Apply via the form to participate – Deadline 20 April 2026.
- Selection of one student per university by our selection committee before 10 April 2026.
- Pairing of 2, 3, or 4 students from different universities1 to collaborate by 17 April 2026.
- Work (hybrid) in your group on the innovative project between April and September 2026.
- Pitch your innovative collaboration project in Cuneo, Italy, from 5 to 9 October 2026 at the 5th meeting of the International Network of Michelin Cities (INMC).
What’s in it for you?
- Travel to Italy, Cuneo, for the international conference INMC from 5 to 9 October 2026. INMC will cover your stay in Cuneo and travel will be financed by your university.
- International collaboration experience with students of other universities and disciplines.
- Personal guidance by experts to transform your idea into a successful project.
What do we expect?
- Co-create an innovative project in the field of water – theme selected by the city of Cuneo.
- Pitch your team’s project in Cuneo at the international INMC conference.
Who can participate?
- You are a OTH Master student in the academic year 2025-2026 at your home university
- You have an intermediate level of English (B2) both speaking and writing.
- You are available from 5 to 9 October 2026 to present your project in Cuneo, Italy!
How will the selection be done?
- One student per university (see list1) will be selected based on participation criteria, English proficiency, idea and motivation stated in the application form.
- A short interview may be asked by the selection committee of your university.
💡 Apply via application form and send it to artemis(at)oth-regensburg.de
List of participating Universities both from the International Network of Michelin Cities (INMC) and ARTEMIS European University:
1 Université Clermont Auvergne (France)
2 University of Ioannina (Greece)
3 Università degli studi di Perugia (Italy)
4 Ovidius University of Constanța (Roumanie)
5 Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg (Germany)
6 Regensburg : Université de Regensburg (Germany)
7 VIVES University of Applied Sciences (Belgium)
8 TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonie)
9 Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norway)
10 Cuneo : antenne de l’université de Turin (Italy)
11 Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain)
12 Valladolid Université (Spain)
13 Salford (United Kingdom)
14 Anderson (United States)
15 Querétaro (Mexico)
16 Krementchouk (Ukraine)
17 Norman Oklahoma (United States)
18 Dongshin University (Korea)