The ACE Scan Cards bring together 33 emerging trends, tensions and signals of change that could influence community engagement in European higher education.
The cards explore issues such as trust and public dialogue, participation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, research data, staff roles, student engagement and sustainable partnerships.
Each Scan Card provides a concise overview of what is changing, why it matters and what universities may need to consider as these developments evolve.
Universities are taking on increasingly varied roles within their communities. Alongside new opportunities for collaboration, this creates questions around institutional capacity, responsibility, governance, participation and sustainability.
The Scan Cards help universities and community partners recognise emerging developments and consider how they could affect engagement in the years ahead.
The Scan Cards are designed as practical prompts for strategic reflection. They can be used individually or collectively to start conversations, explore emerging issues and consider which signals are already visible within an institution or community.
The cards also contributed to the wider ACE foresight process and the development of the 16 Strategic Pressure Points presented in the European University Community Engagement Guide.
Using the Scan Cards, universities and community partners can identify emerging trends, explore future challenges and opportunities, and start discussions about how community engagement may need to develop.
They can also compare different signals, consider their relevance to their own context and use them as a starting point for strategic planning and institutional reflection.