EC2U Think Tank in Jena
On January 20th, 2026, on the topic of “Equal Access to Education”
Local Think Tank in Jena 2026
Published:
EC2U Thinktank in Jena: Equal Access to Education
EC2U Think Tank 2026 Jena
Image: Nick LudwigOn January 20th, 2026, a local EC2U Think Tank on the topic of Equal and Universal Access to Education was held at the International Office. Participants from academia, civil society, city administration, university management, and the student body discussed key challenges and possible solutions.
Topics
EC2U Think Tanl 2026 in Jena
Image: Nick LudwigThe first subtopic focused on the role of digital literacy in the democratization of education and in creating secure and inclusive digital spaces. The Jena Probierladen (trial store), part of the SmartCity project, was highlighted as a successful practical example of teaching digital skills in a low-threshold manner. At the same time, the need for mobile offerings was emphasized in order to better reach rural areas in particular. The EC2U alliance was identified as an important framework for the exchange of best practices, for example on open source solutions, digital sovereignty, and artificial intelligence.
The second sub-topic was devoted to linguistic and cultural skills as the key to social inclusion and participation in society. Among other things, the discussion focused on promoting multilingualism, breaking down educational barriers for vulnerable groups, and strengthening intercultural dialogue skills in teacher training. The adult education center's “Deutsch im Alltag” courses were presented as a best practice, which, in addition to language acquisition, promote intercultural exchange and social networking through everyday activities.
Perspectives
The participants identified the following as key areas of focus for EC2U: supporting social integration at the start of international study visits, alliance-wide exchange in thematic think tanks, and the systematic sharing of findings from existing EC2U projects.