UNIC CityLab - Bilbao as a learning environment for Erasmus University Rotterdam students

From 15 to 19 June 2025, 27 students and researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam took part in the UNIC CityLab, organised by the University of Deusto in Bilbao. UNIC CityLabs are applied, living, and collaborative initiatives and challenges addressed through partnerships between our universities and UNIC. They are a key engagement tool of the UNIC Centre for City Futures , a transnational urban living lab with societal impact that works together with cities and communities on pressing urban challenges.

This UNIC CityLab, made possible by the Van Beek Fund, was organised by Deusto Business School in collaboration with the lecturers of the Perspectives on Sustainability course (part of the Publiekrecht voor Burgers en Bedrijf LL.M.) at Erasmus School of Law – Dr Alberto Quintavalla and Ms Renée Knoop. Building on the successful CityLab in Cork, this edition in Bilbao focused on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investment and Finance, with special attention to the role of knowledge institutions in supporting urban transformation processes in post-industrial regions. Earlier this year, Quintavalla and Knoop received the inaugural UNIC Best CityLab Award at the 2025 UNIC Thematic Conference in Malmö for their joint project Perspectives on Sustainability, which brings together students and local stakeholders from Rotterdam and Cork to put the theory of sustainable development into practice.

Throughout the programme, participants explored the interplay between financial markets, social responsibility, and sustainable development. Through lectures, interactive workshops, and field trips, they examined topics such as the regulation of climate-related financial reporting, the use of ESG data in companies’ sustainability strategies, and the potential of alternative, cooperative business models in the urban economy. Linking theory to practice was a central focus.

A content highlight was the study visit to the Port of Bilbao, where participants gained insight into how ESG principles are concretely applied in a logistical and industrial hub. Comparisons with the Port of Rotterdam provided valuable reference points for reflecting on local strategies in an international perspective.

The CityLab offered both a substantive academic programme and a learning environment in which students could experience how urban challenges are addressed in collaboration with societal partners. This approach closely aligns with the broader teaching and research practice at EUR, in which urban development, societal impact, and interdisciplinary collaboration are explicitly connected.