T4EU Strategic Policy Conference
Universities Shaping the Future: Building Resilient Societies through Innovation and Global Impact
21-22 October 2025 | Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania
About
Participate in the upcoming Strategic Policy Conference, ‘Universities Shaping the Future: Building Resilient Societies through Innovation and Global Impact.’ The event will take place on 21-22 October 2025 at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Kaunas, marking the conclusion of VMU’s presidency of the T4EU Alliance. The conference will be attended by the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda. Sauli Niinistö, the former President of the Republic of Finland, will be the keynote speaker at the conference.
For almost a millennium, universities served as primary hubs for the advancement of intellectual thought and visionary leadership. Today, in the wake of escalating uncertainty and global crises, resilience has emerged as a vital societal asset and personal skill. Consequently, resilience has been chosen as the main axis of action during VMU’s presidency of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Alliance in 2025, and will be the focal point of this conference. The European University initiative, currently uniting 65 alliances, was introduced to strengthen European higher education institutions and their role in boosting European identity, competitiveness, technological advancement, and overall societal resilience.
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 high-level European and Lithuanian political figures, global partners, and key stakeholders. Together, they will engage in discussions on resilience from multiple perspectives, including the global and European transformation of democracies, societies, and technologies. Drawing on the expertise and insights generated during the conference, a Policy Paper on Resilience Competency will be finalized and shared.
The conference will delve into a range of topics related to resilience, including Europe’s resilience in a shifting global order, the role of universities as stabilizing forces in democracies and conflict-affected societies, individual resilience in an unpredictable world, the importance of innovation and talent for Europe’s strategic future, and higher education’s contribution to societal renewal.