Growing a Robust Campus: EELISA’s European Campuses Join Forces for Biodiversity
How can universities better understand, protect and enhance biodiversity on their campuses? Through the European project Growing a Robust Campus (GRC), several EELISA partner institutions are working together to study their ecosystems, strengthen environmental resilience and develop concrete actions to support biodiversity. Launched on 16 June 2026 with the EELISA Biodiversity Blitz Challenge, the project will run until June 2027, with a final workshop hosted by École nationale des ponts et chaussées in May 2027.
The Growing a Robust Campus project begins with the EELISA Biodiversity Blitz Challenge, a citizen science initiative open to students, staff and members of the public.
Its ambition is to carry out the first biodiversity inventory across EELISA campuses by encouraging participants to observe, photograph and identify the animal, plant and fungal species found in their surroundings.
Using the collaborative platform iNaturalist, observations collected across participating campuses will be brought together to progressively build the first shared biodiversity atlas of the EELISA Alliance.
The inventory will continue throughout the project, allowing anyone to contribute to mapping biodiversity across European campuses, including outside the activities organised by partner institutions.
At the School, a Bioblitz will take place on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 for two hours. Students and staff will be invited to explore the School’s outdoor spaces and contribute to this collective biodiversity inventory.
Beyond the initial participatory inventory, Growing a Robust Campus will enter a new phase in February 2027, with organised activities taking place at five partner institutions included the School:
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Spain
- Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), Türkiye
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany
- Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland
Working alongside their academic tutors, selected students will conduct field research to explore the ecological characteristics and built environments of their campuses, or those of other EELISA partner institutions.
Their investigations will focus on ecosystem health, water resilience, the impact of human activities on biodiversity and opportunities to improve university environments.
These investigations may lead to practical proposals and initiatives, including ecosystem restoration, invasive species removal, improved water management, the creation of habitats for native pollinators and wildlife conservation.
By carrying out similar activities in different European locations, the partners aim to establish a symbolic biodiversity corridor across Europe, connecting local initiatives through shared knowledge and coordinated environmental action.
From February to May 2027, students from partner institutions will meet regularly through a series of hybrid exchange sessions.
These meetings will provide opportunities to present project progress, share good practices developed on individual campuses, discuss challenges and learn from one another’s experiences.
This collaborative dimension lies at the heart of Growing a Robust Campus: bringing together students from different institutions and disciplines to develop collective responses to biodiversity loss and climate resilience.
The project will reach a major milestone in May 2027 with a final hybrid and in-person workshop hosted by the School.
It will also provide an opportunity to define a long-term vision for the initiative and consider how the actions developed across the Alliance can be sustained beyond the initial project.
The workshop will also mark the inauguration of the EELISA Growing a Robust Campus Garden at the School, providing a tangible symbol of the Alliance’s commitment to biodiversity, sustainability and European cooperation.
The project will continue until 16 June 2027, with everyone encouraged to keep contributing to the shared biodiversity inventory across EELISA campuses.
Find out more:
- Discover the Growing a Robust Campus project on the EELISA website
- Explore the EELISA Biodiversity Blitz Challenge on iNaturalist