Meeting of the European Universities Alliances Rectors

30–31 January 2023 | Brussels

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Representatives of inter-university consortia from all around Europe met in Brussels to discuss the so-far cooperation within transnational alliances and the future of this initiative. The two-day meeting took place on 30 and 31 January 2023, and one of the main points of the agenda was the meeting with Mariya Gabriel – European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.

The event featured delegates from 42 European universities, incl. Prof. Ryszard Koziołek, the Rector of the University of Silesia, representing the Transform4Europe Alliance (T4EU), as well as Prof. Tomasz Pietrzykowski, the Vice-Rector for International and Domestic Cooperation, overseeing the works of the T4EU teams. The meeting in Brussels was an opportunity to exchange experiences and good practices regarding common challenges faced by universities. Additionally, the participants had the chance to discuss the perspectives for further development of the initiative in the context of European strategies for universities.

One of the topics touched on was unlocking the transformational potential of the initiative of transnational partnerships. The talks concerned, among others, the alignment of strategies of individual partner institutions and the very alliance itself, as well as building long-term transnational cooperation covering education, scientific research and innovation. The discussion touch upon European strategies for universities as well. The European Commission’s initiative aims at supporting and enabling all European universities to thrive and adapt to ever-changing conditions. Additionally, the subject of interest during the meeting was the consortia’s cooperation with other entities consistent with the process directed towards establishing a European network of knowledge and innovation.

The meeting with Mariya Gabriel, the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, took place on 31 January, the second day of the event. The programme included an opening plenary session by Themis Christophidou, the Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, as well as a keynote speech by the EU Commissioner Gabriel. Mariya Gabriel reviewed the results of the previous day’s meeting and discussed them with the representatives present at the Meeting of the European Universities alliances Rectors during an open exchange session.