From April 6th to April 8th, 2026, the UC Berkeley Institute of European Studies Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program sent a team to compete in the 2026 Schuman Challenge. Hosted by the EU Delegation to the US, the Schuman he Challenge is an annual foreign affairs contest for U.S. undergraduate students, providing an opportunity to present and defend transatlantic policy recommendations to qualified panels of judges. Four apprentices, 
selected from the spring research cohort (Shelby Coleman, Sinem Erdem, Katherine James, and Elodie Szlasa), traveled to Washington D.C. for the competition, alongside staff advisor and IES Program Manager Aminata Diawara. Before traveling to DC, the UC Berkeley delegation competed in the virtual preliminary round on February 20th, 2026. Judges from the EU Delegation to the US then selected the UC Berkeley team as one of fifteen teams nationwide that advanced to the in-person Semi Finals round.The competition was held at the Delegation’s headquarters in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Policy proposals centered around the transatlantic partnership between the U.S. and the European Union, offering an initiative to strengthen the relationship, encompassing at least two of the following topic areas: (1) defense, (2) the economy, trade and energy, (3) technology and digital, and (4) arctic cooperation. The UC Berkeley delegation proposed an initiative combining defense and arctic cooperation, entitled “Arctic BRIDGE: Bilateral Resilience Initiative for Defense Growth & Cybersecurity Enhancement.” The proposal aimed to expandwestern naval infrastructure, operating a defense cooperation agreement with NATO and EU member-state Finland alongside the U.S. The expansion would be contracted with Rauma Marine Constructions to build five Pohjanmaa-Class ships, built by utilizing Finnish engineering technology, while owned and funded by the U.S. The proposal also aimed to bolster cybersecurity for western allies in the region, expanding Arctic-specific intelligence sharing between the two entities, while also returning the U.S. to membership in the Hybrid CoE (European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats). Feasibility was a large consideration for the group, and as such, the proposal largely utilized funding outlined in October 2025 by President Trump via a Presidential Memorandum, permitting foreign construction in Finland as a national security necessity against Russian and Chinese threats in the region.
In preparation for the competition, the group met weekly with Institute staff, and were advised by former delegates and URAP apprentices Lukas Leitzgen and Caspar Turner, the latter of which attended the competition in support of the group. Three teams advanced to the final round, with Macalester College ultimately taking first place, Patrick Henry College taking second, and Stanford University taking third.