T4EU Strategic Assembly and Policy Conference

Although for almost a millennium it was universities that functioned as primary hubs for the advancement of intellectual thought and visionary leadership, their trendsetting and pioneering position in society has been immensely diminishing, especially in Europe. As the means of remedy, the European University initiative that is currently uniting 65 alliances was introduced to strengthen European higher education institutions and their role in boosting European identity, but also competitiveness, technological advancement and an overall societal resilience.

In the wake of the rambling global crises and mounting uncertainty, resilience has become a vital societal asset and personal skill and has been chosen as the main axis of action during the presidency of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Alliance in 2025. Resilience will also be the focal point in the Strategic Policy Conference held at VMU on 21-22 October to mark the conclusion of the presidency year.

The main goal of the conference is to bring together not only academic leaders, experts, and students from the T4EU and other European University alliances, but also leading European and Lithuanian political figures, global partners, and key stakeholders. Together, they will engage in discussions on resilience from multiple perspectives, including the need to shift from reactive crisis management to proactive resilience with the focus on cooperation among governments, private sector partners, and citizens, closer cooperation between NATO and the EU, building and expanding structures for cooperation between the two organizations, the global and European transformation of democracies, societies, and technologies. A Policy Paper on Resilience Competency will be finalized and shared, drawing on the expertise and insights generated during the conference.