Ulysseus Hosts the third edition of “Home: The X-Factor in Future Cities”

From 29 June to 3 July 2026, the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) successfully hosted the third edition of the Ulysseus Summer Institute for Young Researchers titled Home: The X-Factor in Future Cities.

The Summer Institute addressed topics such as housing governance, urban vitality, climate resilience, smart cities, and the caring city through an interdisciplinary programme of lectures, workshops, field visits, and collaborative teamwork. The programme directly reflected the priorities of the Ulysseus Innovation Hubs, demonstrating how research and innovation can support sustainable urban development and improve quality of life.

The Summer Institute explored key topics including housing governance, urban vitality, climate resilience, intelligent cities, and the caring city. Through an interdisciplinary programme of lectures, workshops, field visits, and collaborative teamwork, participants examined how cities can respond to challenges such as housing affordability, demographic change, energy security, social inclusion, and digital transformation.

The event welcomed 26 students from 11 universities, including students from Ulysseus partner universities, representing 16 countries across four continents. Working in multicultural teams, students developed innovative solutions inspired by real urban challenges in Košice while benefiting from an international and interdisciplinary learning environment.

Participants learned from leading international scholars and practitioners, including Carlos Moreno, creator of the 15-Minute City concept, Peter Nijkamp, Karima Kourtit, Neil Reid, Bruce Newbold, Mark Tirpak, and Abdul Shaban. Researchers from TUKE, Université Côte d’Azur, and other partner institutions.

The programme featured Magnetize Conference 2026: Building Homes & Keeping Talent, organised in cooperation with Business Košice (Ulysseus Associated Partner) and a roundtable discussion on the future of housing organised by CIKE (both organisers are Ulysseus Associated Partner). These events also welcomed representatives from academia, local government, industry, and civil society, strengthening dialogue between research and practice.

Throughout the week, students collaborated during the Hack the City and Bootcamp sessions, supported by expert mentors. They also visited IBM Košice, the Integrated Health and Social Services Centre, ETP Slovakia Community Centre in Luník IX, and TUKE research laboratories, gaining first-hand insight into urban innovation and community development. The programme concluded with team presentations proposing solutions that extend the future of housing beyond buildings to include community well-being, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and human-centred urban development in Košice.

The Summer Institute received highly positive feedback for its academic quality, international atmosphere, and practical relevance. It was organised within the framework of the Ulysseus European University as a flagship activity of the Ulysseus joint R&I group RUE (Regional and Urban Economics). Held under the auspices of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) and co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme, the event demonstrated how interdisciplinary collaboration within Ulysseus contributes to addressing major societal challenges and strengthening the European Research and Education Area.

For more information about the event and its outcomes please visit this web.

Photo credits: Daniela Surmiková, Katarína Valentová, and Matúš Vasilenko.

Contacts: Peter Džupka (peter.dzupka@tuke.sk), Katarína Valentová (katarina.valentova@tuke.sk)

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus is one of the 73 European Universities alliances selected by the European Commission under its flagship initiative of the European strategy for universities. These alliances, co-funded by the European Commission, bring together almost 650 higher education institutions of all types from across Europe.

Led by the University of Seville, the Ulysseus European University Alliance encompasses seven other partner universities: the Université Côte d’Azur (France), University of Genoa (Italy), the Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® (Austria), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), the University of Münster (Germany), and the University of Montenegro (Montenegro).