Common Purpose, RMIT Europe and EIT Urban Mobility announce new partnership focused on urban regeneration

By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas, intensifying pressure on infrastructure, resources and communities.

A new partnership between RMIT University's European innovation hub along with global non-profit Common Purpose and the European Union's EIT Urban Mobility aims to bring people and institutions together to reimagine civic life, with a focus on resilience and regeneration.

Co-funded by European funding, the strategic initiative Urban Changemakers will empower academic and professional staff at universities across Europe and the UK to drive and facilitate civic impact in their local urban environments.

Adirupa Sengupta, Common Purpose Group Chief Executive, said universities are uniquely placed to lead on urban change and regeneration.

"As civic institutions rooted in place and connected globally, they have the opportunity – and responsibility – to support the resilience and wellbeing of the cities and communities they call home," she said.

"To do this, they must go beyond strategy. They need changemakers: individuals who can collaborate across disciplines, engage deeply with local communities and turn ideas into action."

Society and Environment

03 June 2025

From left: Adirupa Sengupta, Common Purpose Group Chief Executive; Marta Fernandez, Executive Director at RMIT Europe; and Martin Vendel, Academy Director at EIT Urban Mobility

The new initiative for universities will launch in the second half of 2025 and take place over a four-week journey.

Academic and professional staff at participating universities will translate their institutional ambitions into place-based, measurable actions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Universities will work in partnership with local authorities, businesses and community organisations to co-create solutions that are inclusive and scalable.

Marta Fernandez, Executive Director at RMIT Europe, said the collaboration with Common Purpose through the Urban Changemakers strategic initiative is at the core of RMIT’s commitment to serving its communities and focus on regeneration.

"Universities – as knowledge powerhouses – have the responsibility to contribute to the urban settings where we operate," Fernandez said.

"We bring imaginative design, share forward thinking on urban planning principles, establish philanthropic partnerships as well as new industrial and community uses that extend and renew the economies and communities around us.

"We know that a healthy civil society creates trust, dialogue, mutual understanding and compromise between different citizens, interests and institutions," she said.

Martin Vendel, Academy Director at EIT Urban Mobility, said the new collaboration contributes to the academy’s ambitions in accelerating the transition to more liveable urban spaces.

"EIT Urban Mobility Academy is excited to build on its existing partnership with RMIT Europe, along with our new partner Common Purpose," he said.

"This strategic initiative brings people and institutions together in our urban environments to tackle the challenges facing the decarbonisation of the mobility sector and move to sustainable urban mobility."

Expressions of interest are now being accepted for universities looking to participate in the initiative’s foundation year.

Story: Karen Matthews

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Society and Environment

03 June 2025

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