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24th February 2025 | 30th April 2025

Student Design Challenge 1

How might we, as innovators, designers, and researchers, improve people’s sense of security in cities’ public spaces and in urban mobility?

Challenge definition

Engage2innovate (E2i) is a research and innovation project concerned with investigating and addressing barriers to the successful design and implementation of EU security innovation. Such barriers include a lack of engagement with end-users, stakeholders and citizens; poor front-end research and problem framing; and ineffective innovation processes.

E2i aims to enhance security solution design, adoption and impact by enabling increased and more effective engagement with end-users and relevant stakeholders. 

We are inviting students and recent graduates to develop innovative design solutions that enhance citizens’ real and perceived security in public spaces and urban mobility systems.

E2i champions a human-centred, transdisciplinary approach to design and innovation. 

Design challenge overview 

This E2i Student Design Challenge is your opportunity to present a novel design idea to support citizen safety and security in public spaces. There are two different briefs to choose from. You are challenged to identify an element within the topic of brief that isn’t currently working and look for a solution, however big or small. We’re looking for projects and provocations that have the potential to provoke action and have a genuine impact. 

‘Safety and security’ is a multifaceted concept. In its broadest sense, the term means a state of being free from danger or threat. Your innovation idea should relate to safety in public spaces, however this might cover security of possessions or property, policing and crime prevention, personal safety, safeguarding of vulnerable people, freedom of expression, discrimination and much more. 

Within the challenge there are three elements to consider:

• How will your idea increase levels of community safety and security?

• How might your idea prevent or lessen the impact of crime or antisocial behaviour in a public space or on public transport?

• How might your idea address citizens’ feelings of unsafety?

Fundamental to this challenge, you will also need to consider: How will you safely consult end-users of your idea? (How will you identify your stakeholders and end-users, and how will you ethically engage them into a co-design process that improves the design and validates its value?).

Competition Schedule

Judging Criteria

Overall concept creativity, innovation and viability – 30%

How is your idea innovative and different from other security  systems or concepts that are already in existence? You will need to demonstrate a balance of imagination and viability.

Rigorous research and end-user consultation and engagement – 30%

Make sure your end-user is at the heart of your project. Show us how you have researched the security design challenge, engaged and consulted with potential end-users and relevant stakeholders.

Design presentation – 20%

How you present your ideas is important. Try to convey your idea clearly and with professionalism.  The presentation should address the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why) and clearly represent the security product or service with detailed visuals.

Potential impact – 20%

How does your design concept support the end-users and their needs, the citizens,  the local community and the environment? Does your proposal make a positive difference to society and why? What is the impact on the ecosystem? What is the magnitude and scale of the impact? What is the scalability potential?

E2i Student Design Challenge submissions are evaluated against the above judging criteria. A winning project will demonstrate detailed engagement with these elements and a high level of understanding and explanation. The judging panel consists of designers, industry experts and innovators. The judges will shortlist ten entries per brief, which then will move to an online interview stage. In the interview, entrants will present their work in more detail referring to the judging criteria.

Eligibility

The competition is open to participants or teams of up to five active students and recent graduates (up to 12 months from graduation).

We are looking for entries from a wide range of creative disciplines. This is a social design competition where interdisciplinary collaboration and research  is encouraged.

The E2i Student Design Challenge is an international competition but all entries should be submitted in English.

The award and beyond

By entering an idea for this challenge you will be working to create safer, more secure, connected communities.

If you’re one of our eight finalists you will receive an invitation to present your idea at our Engage2innovate Symposium in Brussels in July 2025, where you can present your concepts to security experts and policymakers.. 

The overall winner will be announced at the E2i Symposium and awarded a voucher prize worth €500. The second prize winner will receive a voucher prize worth €250.

Register your interest and receive the Brief 1: Security and security behaviour on and around public transport & Brief 2: Citizen safety at night-time in public spaces.