How can universities support students in improving their well-being and managing everyday stress? This question will be addressed by a European project aimed at developing tools to enhance psychological resilience.
The project ELLIPSE Resilience Enhancement (ERE) is a collaboration between eight partners from seven European countries and will run from 2025 to 2027. Its primary objective is to develop new educational materials and digital tools to strengthen universities’ work in mental health promotion and suicide prevention.
A Growing Need Across Europe
An increasing number of higher education institutions report a decline in students’ mental health, and many university staff members express uncertainty about how to respond when a student shows signs of psychological distress.
“Universities play a central role in the lives of many young people,” says Johanna Gustavsson, Project Coordinator of ERE and Associate Professor of Risk and Environmental Studies at Karlstad University. “It is therefore essential to ensure that both students and staff are equipped with the tools needed to address mental health crises in a safe and professional manner.”
ERE builds on two previous Erasmus initiatives and aims to expand this work into a broader international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
From App Development to a European Summer School
The activities within ERE range from needs assessments to evaluation and dissemination, and include the development of:
- Online courses in suicide prevention tailored to university settings
- Risk scenario-based training, allowing users to practice responses to realistic situations
- A mobile application for stress management
- An international summer school in Kraków in summer 2027
“These are initiatives designed not only to function within the project itself, but also to be sustainable and applicable for higher education institutions over the long term,” says Johanna Gustavsson.
Ukrainian Partners Contribute Unique Expertise in Suicide Prevention in Wartime Contexts
Two Ukrainian partners are involved in ERE: Lviv National Medical University and Lviv Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital. Their participation provides the project with access to experience in addressing mental health in environments shaped by war and uncertainty.
In Ukraine, both students and staff are affected by prolonged stress, traumatic experiences, and daily life under conditions of instability. The knowledge contributed by Ukrainian higher education institutions and healthcare providers therefore constitutes an essential component of the project.
“Psychological resilience takes on a different meaning when societal safety systems are under extreme pressure,” says Johanna Gustavsson. “We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from the Ukrainian perspective.”
Strong Network and New Course at Karlstad University
In addition to Johanna Gustavsson, Karlstad University is represented by Victoria Lönnfjord, Anna Baran, and Malin Wik. Together, they bring a broad range of expertise spanning psychiatry, risk management, social work, educational sciences, informatics, and international collaboration.
In parallel with ERE, a new credit-bearing introductory course in suicidology will be launched at Karlstad University in autumn 2026.
“Education in suicide prevention at the university level is almost entirely lacking,” says Johanna Gustavsson. “We aim to ensure that this knowledge is disseminated and embedded within higher education, making it valuable both during studies and in future professional practice.”
A Broad European Partnership
In addition to Karlstad University, the following organisations are participating in the project:
- Jagiellonian University, Poland
- Medical University of Łódź, Poland
- Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
- Vilnius University, Lithuania
- Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine
- Lviv Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, Ukraine
- European Students’ Union
- LVR-Klinik Köln, Germany
Towards a More Resilient European Higher Education System
ERE combines research, pedagogy, and international exchange of experience to develop new methods that can be applied by universities across Europe. The goal is to strengthen psychological resilience among both students and staff, and to foster an academic environment in which no individual is left alone in times of crisis.
More information about the project is available at: https://sola.kau.se/eduere/
